had a really poo weekend.....!

hi all,

i've had a really bad weekend this weekend. as some of you may have read in another thread i've been having a bad time with sam at the moment. just general pulling on the lead and not listening to me when we're out etc. the icing on the cake came on sat morning when i was out with him and he was just dragging me all over. i slipped in the mud about 5 times! (funny now but at the time wasnt!). i just ended up stood in the middle of the field crying my eyes out. wondering why was i doing this to myself? when all i want is to be able to enjoy walking my dog not dread it. so all weekend i've been thinking about whether i should keep sam or not, or give him back to the rescue centre and maybe someone with more experience can take him on.

i did a list of pros and cons, and to be honest the pros won hands down. i also have trouble with my hip and knee and all this dragging around and being pulled over is not doing me any good.

anyway yesterday i was at training school with him and we were all lined up. one of the trainers then said she had the results of the test 2 from last week (which we had taken), and guess who came first!!?? us! i just burst into tears! i was so happy but so upset because i had been thinking about giving up on sam.

so i have decided to keep sam (he's on probation for yet another 3 months!), and i'm going back to basics with him. making him wait at the gate before we go out, making him walk nicely, and maybe keeping away from the fields at the moment until he's a bit calmer and i feel more in control of him. any other ideas would be appreciated!

ps. sorry to go on i know its a long thread

HIYA

all i can say is persevere - I have a notorious puller and whilst sometimes he is great - other times he is horrendous - just this morning he almost had me on my backside and i am 7 days away from having a baby - so he got screamed at ( hormonal rage etc ) ( incidentally he walked home like an angel - little booger)

However the fact that you have made fantastic progress with him over the last few months has to count for loads and evryone has bad days now and then.....

good luck
dani

Oh sorry to hear that,I think we all have these types of days or weekends when they get really naughty over something and you just feel you can't cope.the weather doesn't help its wet and cold if it was summer you may of felt differently about it.Remeber with work he will get better maybe like you say stay away from the fields till they are drier and do plenty of road walking,I have bought Ollie a combination collarso the neck has a nice comfortable collar but a small check chain that pulls him up if he pulls he is pretty good but has his moments it has worked wonders and I also keep some treats in my pocket and when he walks nicely he gets a treat.
That was good news though at the training school so you are doing everything right it will jsut take time and consistency and I bet in 3 months you will be there.

Sorry to hear that you had a bad weekend. We all get times when we feel that we are not coping well but you have made such progress with him you should be feeling proud of how he is now compared to how he was when you first got him.

When our pup was small I had a weekend when I thought I just couldn't manage anymore - I thought I was going to end up with the dog from hell. A year on I think we are doing pretty well with him even though he is going through the stone deaf teenage stage

Our dog is a Golden Retriever and incredibly strong whereas I am only 5'1" tall and I also got to the point where I was dreading walking him as I knew there was no way I could hold him if I fell over. He usually walks fairly well on his lead but will pull if he sees a squirrel or if we are at the beach as he was just born to swim

I bought a canny collar and the difference is amazing - I now have total control of him and we are both enjoying our walks immensely. Try one - they are brilliant. If you look at the side of these threads you will see an advert for the canny collar. Click on it and watch the video - it convinced me to try one and it has been a godsend. We are still working on the no pulling routine as the best thing of all is to have my dog trained so he never pulls but the collar means I always have control of him if he forgets his manners from time to time.

Good luck and keep smiling

Pretty much gonna say whats already been said. There are all manner of collars and aids to help with the pulling issue. But I think more important ya need to not be so hard on yourself. It all takes time and I think we all have moments when it all seems to just go wrong. Keep ya chin up and hang in there. You will get there and all the hard work ya put in will be paid back.

Good luck and keep smiling

Sorry to hear this Soringer, however you are not alone, we have probably all been there (well I know I have!) the fustration and anger that comes from just wanted to go on a nice walk with your dog!!!

I have PM'd you

awww thanks everyone for your replies. i'm crying again thinking that i could ever give my little boy up.

i'm glad its not just me that gets frustrated and annoyed.

lizziel....i've already tried the canny collar and it didnt really work for me, but i'm using the gentle leader now which does work.

lynn...whats a combination collar...is it just a half check one?

i must admit i feel so much better today. i just took him on the roads this morning and on the green in front of my house and he was just fine. think i've got to try and not get too frustrated with him, because at the end of the day he doesn't speak english and i dont speak dog, so we have to meet halfway, if you know what i mean!

Don't beat yourself up - I remember a time when my son was little that I contemplated having him adopted

Pleased to say he is now a happy, well adjusted 25 year old, married to a lovely girl and, along with his sister, one of my best "accomplishments " in life.

When you are feeling low everything seems such a huge obstacle but on another day you can see things in a different light and cope so much better - it's called living

Our little Chi used to be awful when out and about (although no risk of him pulling me over, still highly annoying and embarrassing) barking and pulling on the lead etc. We put him on a harness because of a throat problem and this really seemed to help with the pulling. Hes still not great but a lot better. Unfortunately the barking continues!!

Keep going withte gentle leader, i have two Springers and both can pull for britain, however on thegentle leader i can walk them both with one hand, makes walks much more pleasant, springers are notoriously hard to teach to walk on a nice lead, its just going against everything in their nature not to be nose down at 100 mile an hour, although i have been told its possible. However i know more that pull like trains than ones that walk nicely