- Aug 4, 2011
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I've been taking the pups to the beach every night, and it has been so much fun! I pick up the kids, we cook dinner, then we load up and head to the beach, anywhere from 7-8 pm.
The first few days I was just taking Klaus. Where I go you have to climb a big dune up, then down, to get to the beach. Now these aren't just hills, it's soft, pale sand, and it is steep. I've been pulled over I don't know how many times by Klaus who will unexpectedly lunge and hit the end of the leash, aside from his tendency to pull hard on the leash both uphill and downhill.
So we have been toddling up and down these dunes, but I make him stay behind me, because the Dog Whisperer says that's what pack leaders do. They don't allow their dogs to race ahead of them, or pull on the leash.
I'm also dealing with exhuberant kids, and I haven't been very good about working on the fine tuning.
But I've been making him walk sedately behind me, both going up (though he's quite a good puller when we're going up...it still isn't very pleasant, and the risk is that you meet somebody else with a dog, and he's the first one there, which I don't want. I want him to wait for permission to greet people and dogs.)
Well he's doing it! No fight about it at all! He tried to sneak by me a couple of times the first couple of days, but now he just falls in behind me..even when we have Mylo, who goes ahead (these trails are single file.
Last night we took Mylo (day 2 for her) and I decided we'd leave her on the leash and forego the hysterical wailing that accompanies her spastic bird chasing and wave jumping (the kids freak out) and the iffy recall (she doesn't have any). Klaus was perfect. He was polite and waited for me to release him and didn't run over anyone, and stayed close (he always does, unless he sees another dog...and he still comes back. Eventually.)
And Mylo did better, too! I had her on a long lead...she pulled and wanted to chase pelicans but eventually she even quit doing that. Going back I had both dogs on one lead, and it worked SUPER well. I think soon I'm going to tie them together and turn them loose, because I can call Klaus back. Somewhere along the line, he's become top dog.
Ok really boring but it was a good outing last night. Mylo was mannerly when we walked back to the car, she fell in behind me, with Klaus, which is a new thing for her.
And they have stopped with the nightly barking/racing around/tug of war episodes that can go on, off and on, for hours in the evening. Klaus is smart, though. After dinner he starts watching me, and if I sit down, he woofs at me. It's time for his walk, dammit.
The first few days I was just taking Klaus. Where I go you have to climb a big dune up, then down, to get to the beach. Now these aren't just hills, it's soft, pale sand, and it is steep. I've been pulled over I don't know how many times by Klaus who will unexpectedly lunge and hit the end of the leash, aside from his tendency to pull hard on the leash both uphill and downhill.
So we have been toddling up and down these dunes, but I make him stay behind me, because the Dog Whisperer says that's what pack leaders do. They don't allow their dogs to race ahead of them, or pull on the leash.
I'm also dealing with exhuberant kids, and I haven't been very good about working on the fine tuning.
But I've been making him walk sedately behind me, both going up (though he's quite a good puller when we're going up...it still isn't very pleasant, and the risk is that you meet somebody else with a dog, and he's the first one there, which I don't want. I want him to wait for permission to greet people and dogs.)
Well he's doing it! No fight about it at all! He tried to sneak by me a couple of times the first couple of days, but now he just falls in behind me..even when we have Mylo, who goes ahead (these trails are single file.
Last night we took Mylo (day 2 for her) and I decided we'd leave her on the leash and forego the hysterical wailing that accompanies her spastic bird chasing and wave jumping (the kids freak out) and the iffy recall (she doesn't have any). Klaus was perfect. He was polite and waited for me to release him and didn't run over anyone, and stayed close (he always does, unless he sees another dog...and he still comes back. Eventually.)
And Mylo did better, too! I had her on a long lead...she pulled and wanted to chase pelicans but eventually she even quit doing that. Going back I had both dogs on one lead, and it worked SUPER well. I think soon I'm going to tie them together and turn them loose, because I can call Klaus back. Somewhere along the line, he's become top dog.
Ok really boring but it was a good outing last night. Mylo was mannerly when we walked back to the car, she fell in behind me, with Klaus, which is a new thing for her.
And they have stopped with the nightly barking/racing around/tug of war episodes that can go on, off and on, for hours in the evening. Klaus is smart, though. After dinner he starts watching me, and if I sit down, he woofs at me. It's time for his walk, dammit.
