Synchronised Dog Walking: Why I Stink at It
With everything going on in our lives, the dogs have been getting the short end of the stick (figuratively of course).
Since our Sabbaticals in HoHokus, we spend most free time going to Jersey City to work on the house, buy things for the house, or plan the wedding.
And our dogs, because of their huge play pen of a back yard, have totally lost their ability to walk on a leash. This is totally 100% our fault. They do not get walked any more unless its a pleasure stroll for Jay and I, and we just haven't been committing that time to them. I tried taking Otis out the other day, and it was torture. He pulled, sniffed and peed on everything. He is frenzied by nature (on account of his love/hate obsessive relationship with squirrels) and is completely uncontrollable. Buka is no better. She pulls to the point of choking herself making it seem like we are dog abusers.
I thought taking them running would be a bonding solution to the problem, but that was like having trouble with with the two step and remedying it by trying the soulja boy (which is quite hard but i am proud to say i can almost do...)
Oh, and I should mention that as a fan of the dramatic, i decided to take otis running in the rain (to feel more like an underdog i suppose). He tripped me. It was painful on many levels.
So what are two Rescue Dog owners to do with insubordinate pooches? Jay could care less, as Buka is permitted to do what she pleases when she pleases, provided it is not on his side of the bed, but in light of our new move and my new 9-5 job, its important that the dogs walk well on leash for us and their future dog walker (now accepting applications by the way).
After some minor research, I have these 3 suggestions to offer to Myself, Jay, and any other lapsed dog walker out there...
1) Scheduling is important: apparently i cant be so lazy. I need to stick with a time allocated specifically for walking with my dog. It doesn't count if i play with him in the back yard, or let him roam off the leash whilst Jay and I hike. The act of having th dog on the leash by your side is supposed to create a bond. From this, in theory, Otis is supposed to respect me as his pack leader (best pack ever). And this needs to be done with regularity. Part of that "pack leader respect" garbage comes from the dog trusting that there will be consistent time shared with its owner...this would probably also remedy the panic that Otis seems to go through when humans leave. He seems nervous we aren't coming back.
2) Make the walk at least 30 Minutes: In dog-pack-life, they travel upwards of 20 miles a day, so a thirty minute walk (about 2 miles) is the least you can do. An added benefit is that the walk (if on concrete) can file down your dogs toe nails - which, if broken, cost around $250 to remove (Otis taught me that twice) and is not so fun for the pooch. Also, a thirty minute walk gives you time to work on your dogs focus. Dont let them pee whenever, keep them at your side, you pick the pace, keep the collar high on their neck...All these things contribute to the dog taking leads from you, rather than you (meaning me) getting tugged around and tripped in the middle of the street on a rainy day.
3) Be Patient: Apparently this is where I fall short. I want immediate results, but all the dog people say that you need to be consistent, then results will come. Thats really annoying to me, but tis true. I have a short attention span, so I can only imagine how hard it is for a dog with Otis' mental capacity to retain information.
He is pretty dumb. He is cute and great to cuddle with, but he makes very poor life choices.
Since our Sabbaticals in HoHokus, we spend most free time going to Jersey City to work on the house, buy things for the house, or plan the wedding.
And our dogs, because of their huge play pen of a back yard, have totally lost their ability to walk on a leash. This is totally 100% our fault. They do not get walked any more unless its a pleasure stroll for Jay and I, and we just haven't been committing that time to them. I tried taking Otis out the other day, and it was torture. He pulled, sniffed and peed on everything. He is frenzied by nature (on account of his love/hate obsessive relationship with squirrels) and is completely uncontrollable. Buka is no better. She pulls to the point of choking herself making it seem like we are dog abusers.
I thought taking them running would be a bonding solution to the problem, but that was like having trouble with with the two step and remedying it by trying the soulja boy (which is quite hard but i am proud to say i can almost do...)
Oh, and I should mention that as a fan of the dramatic, i decided to take otis running in the rain (to feel more like an underdog i suppose). He tripped me. It was painful on many levels.
So what are two Rescue Dog owners to do with insubordinate pooches? Jay could care less, as Buka is permitted to do what she pleases when she pleases, provided it is not on his side of the bed, but in light of our new move and my new 9-5 job, its important that the dogs walk well on leash for us and their future dog walker (now accepting applications by the way).
After some minor research, I have these 3 suggestions to offer to Myself, Jay, and any other lapsed dog walker out there...
1) Scheduling is important: apparently i cant be so lazy. I need to stick with a time allocated specifically for walking with my dog. It doesn't count if i play with him in the back yard, or let him roam off the leash whilst Jay and I hike. The act of having th dog on the leash by your side is supposed to create a bond. From this, in theory, Otis is supposed to respect me as his pack leader (best pack ever). And this needs to be done with regularity. Part of that "pack leader respect" garbage comes from the dog trusting that there will be consistent time shared with its owner...this would probably also remedy the panic that Otis seems to go through when humans leave. He seems nervous we aren't coming back.
2) Make the walk at least 30 Minutes: In dog-pack-life, they travel upwards of 20 miles a day, so a thirty minute walk (about 2 miles) is the least you can do. An added benefit is that the walk (if on concrete) can file down your dogs toe nails - which, if broken, cost around $250 to remove (Otis taught me that twice) and is not so fun for the pooch. Also, a thirty minute walk gives you time to work on your dogs focus. Dont let them pee whenever, keep them at your side, you pick the pace, keep the collar high on their neck...All these things contribute to the dog taking leads from you, rather than you (meaning me) getting tugged around and tripped in the middle of the street on a rainy day.
3) Be Patient: Apparently this is where I fall short. I want immediate results, but all the dog people say that you need to be consistent, then results will come. Thats really annoying to me, but tis true. I have a short attention span, so I can only imagine how hard it is for a dog with Otis' mental capacity to retain information.
He is pretty dumb. He is cute and great to cuddle with, but he makes very poor life choices.
poor life choices!!! how can you say that about my (quickly becoming favorite) grand dog! he is so cute he can do what ever he wants...it stinks that he tripped you but you probably were in his way he couldn't help it! and i don't think it was a poor life choice when he totally picked you when you went to the shelter. you know he was sitting there saying oooo there's a likely target for giving me all the hugs and kisses i want and letting me sleep on the bed and all the furniture if i feel like it. he's no dummy!
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point well taken...
He just hurts himself so much, he's like Lennie from "Of Mice and Men"...big and strong and dumb with a heart of gold (although he might not be that dumb as you pointed out! he gets more space on the bed than I do!)
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