....to throw in the towel? I don't know how much longer I can put up with Rocky. The big problems now are excessive chewing as well as jumping on people. The Gentle Leader that I bought for him worked so well, but he found it during the night and by morning had one end chewed off. Yesterday a neighbor gave me a type of harness which I noticed this morning he had chewed one end off. It was obviously new so I'm going to have to find another one and pay her the amount it costs. If I try another collar or lead, it's going to be a metal one.
I've been feeling really ill since yesterday - every bone and muscle in my body aches from being pulled; I've developed a problem with itching - forget what they call it - but it's driving me bonkers! I don't have a rash of any sort.
So I am going to try once more to find a suitable collar and lead that Rocky can't chew up. If that doesn't work, then I'm going to find another home for him. I really do love that dog, but he is so boistrous and strong that I know it's just a matter of time until I have a serious accident.
Several people have told me about a man in the park that is excellent in dog training, so I may try him as a last resort.
Have a good weekend!
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I really hope you don't have to give up on him but you also cant risk injuring yourself. I know a professional dog trainer might cost some money but I think that's the answer. Maybe your kids could give you that for Christmas? Just trying to think of some answers.
ReplyDeleteHi. I've been reading your blog for a time now. Many years ago I adopted a 1-yr old black lab from the humane society and she was still very puppy-like, though already house broken. We attended some training classes and the way I was taught to get her to heel properly without pulling worked perfectly from the very first time.
ReplyDeleteUsing a neck collar with a very short lead, pull the collar up so that it is just under the back of the jaw a running up just behind the ears. Gently pull strait up with the lead to keep the collar in this position, give the command to heel and walk forward. Your hand will be on the lead just a few inches from the connection to the collar.
I used this successfully with both a choke chain collar and with a thick 1" fabric buckle-on collar. Eventually she would walk on leash without needing this and without pulling, but during a walk if she began to pull I would stop and bring her back to this position to get under control.
whoops..."strait up" should be "straight up"
ReplyDeleteSteve came over today and we went to Pet Club where I bought him a chain collar. He walks very well with it, and doesn't seem to be bothered or hurt by it. I hope he can't chew through it! The last thing in the world I want to do is to give up on him, but I will admit that I am close. I hope the collar does the trick. Also, I've been thinking that he was bred as a sporting/hunting dog, with an important job to do. If anyone reading this has a similar type of pet for whom having a job is an important part of his mental and physical health, perhaps you can share with me what has worked successfully, or unsuccessfully, for your dog. All suggestions will be appreciated and considered.
ReplyDeleteI also bought myself a knee brace and a tube of arthritis and muscle pain relief cream. Wasn't there a country-western song a few years back, that goes "I'm too damn young to feel this old".
ReplyDeleteHi Gypsy,I recently adopted a puppy, Charlie, who is a Blue Heeler puppy. I got two books that were recommended to me.
ReplyDeleteMother Knows Best is a great book, and I loved what it said. It changed the way I acted toward Charlie when he chewed or peed or pooped in the house. Or was just a "crazy dog." I put away the newspaper I would slap on my hand to get his attention and stopped raising my voice, and started grabbing him like his dog mom did on the back of his neck and shaking him. He was totally surprised and stopped what he was doing! It worked. Also I have a water bottle that can squirt a stream of water across the room, and that stops him in his tracks without me "doing anything." Puppies are so distractable! I also got How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With. Both are excellent.
Charlie is really gaining weight, I got him at around 4 months, and he's five months now. He's gained 11 pounds in a month! And he's VERY strong! He has chewed through two harnesses, too, and I sewed them back together. Now I never leave them on him unless we're walking. Puppies chew, and if his teeth can reach it, he'll chew it. He has stopped chewing now, and only destroys his toys, he has a lot of toys to chew. They helped with the teething and also keep him busy and entertained.
He is by no means a perfect dog, he's still a puppy after all, but from the beginning I never let him out of my sight, so he didn't get away with much. If I needed to shower or be in a different room doing something he'd interfere with, he went into his crate until I was done.
I just found out for sure that he's deaf, so I'm training him with hand signals and body posturing, and it's working really well. He's super smart, and Labs are, too. One thing that surprised me is how much sleep Charlie needs, and Rocky is probably the same. I don't remember how old Rocky is. When Charlie was (or is) misbehaving, I'd put him in his crate in the living room and he'd be asleep in seconds. Now he's better behaved, and often falls asleep on the floor under my desk, he likes to be close since he can't hear me moving around.
Every night we drag the crate into the bedroom where he sleeps at the foot of my bed.
Gypsy, I feel your pain - I, too, often have aching shoulders, knees, hips, etc. Not only the pulling, but Charlie loves to try "to herd" me, which I'm discouraging of course. Anyway, if you have any specific question, please e-mail me and I'll try to help. I'd HIGHLY recommend those two books, though. Totally changed things for me, and of course, for Charlie, too, since I was calmer when things were working. I also did a lot of research online. If Charlie was doing something, I'd do a search on "what to do if my dog XXXX?" kind of thing. I got a lot of good info that way, too.
But you know what? If you decide Rocky is too young, too big, too hard to train, too strong to handle, etc., or just not a good match for you, don't feel bad at all if you find him another good home. If it's not working for you, it's not working for him either. I adopted a dog in the past that I re-homed to a better parent who was wonderful with her. I had no guilt, because I knew it was better for the dog. And for me. And when I did that, my next dog was Katie. My little traveling companion who I loved so much. :)
Barb!!! so glad to see you here... miss reading your blog!! and that all seems well...
DeleteI will try to find the Mother Knows Best book. Also, I had forgotten about how the mamas pick up their puppies by the scruff of the neck. I obviously can't pick up about 45# of dog that way, but I might be able to stop him in the act of doing something he shouldn't.
DeleteAs I'm sitting here typing this I'm waiting for my daughter to pick me up for a Target/Costco trip. Rocky is lying next to me on the couch - he KNOWS I am going out and he wants to be sure I see him in case I want to take him along. Sorry, buddy, not this time!
I really haven't much to add as I could not ever handle such a large dog. But the lack of crate training is a mistake, I know you love Rocky
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to realize that I made a mistake not training him to stay in the crate. From the beginning he would bark incessantly if I closed the door. As long as the door is open he goes in and out at will. He still barks a lot!
DeleteI understand what you are going thru I have a 2 year old pit mix. She is a love but her jumping on people including myself has got to stop. I am considering an E collar. If I get one I will let you know how it works and hoe I feel about using it.
ReplyDeleteHere's an easy thing to try and all you need is the leash you currently have. A dog-owning fireman showed me this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP16gk6raag . It's a way of wrapping the leash so that it keeps the dog more controlled because it tightens around him when he pulls.
ReplyDeleteThere's also this technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF0udU6cz_g
ReplyDeleteThank you for the links, and I will watch them when I get back from my shopping trip in a few minutes. I will try anything to avoid completely falling apart, and I'm very close to it right now, with him pulling on me. I'm trying a brace on my left knee, as I must put a lot of stress on it to stop his pulling. As I've said before, my arms and legs and back ache so bad and I hope they eventually feel better.
DeleteI get itching on my inner arms!!! Drives me CRAZY... doc said to use a thick lotion, got eucerin, (is that how u spell it?) and it seems to work!!! no rash or anything either, strangest thing...
ReplyDeletecan't help with the dog thing, i just let mine over ride my life, just do as they want and that seems to work, hahaha
The itching I have is the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Garments with a waistband have left a very wide swath of really red skin that itches but there is no rash there. I have a rash on my legs and that itches. My arms & head also itch, as do the soles of my feet!
DeleteMy hands and soles of my feet have started itching so bad it wakes me up. I see the dermatologist this week and if she has any solutions I'll let you know.
DeleteI would really appreciate hearing what your doctor thinks it is. I've been a little better today but still have a lot of itching, and the big red line around my beltline. I don't trust the government one bit and worry that it's something they put into the air, like the chemtrails. Otherwise, I can't think of what could be causing this, and if it's happening to you hundreds of miles away from here, then I'm suspicious!
DeleteIt could be shingles, yet pain comes with this. Best to get to doctor and find the cause. Stress certainly can bring on Shingles but caught in time, there's relief, I believe. Several in the family have had them. Ha Ha, that should tell you something about this family! Much stress. You have had your share with that Rocky, it seems.
DeleteAs with all youngsters, they have to have limits and rules to abide by. Try it.
Hmm, you haven't been eating raw cashews, have you? I over indulged once and the result was a nightmare of itching and breaking out
ReplyDeleteI like cashews but rarely eat nuts except for the chopped walnuts I add to cereal when I have it for breakfast, and that's not every day. I think it probably has something to do with nerves and frustration. Unless I get something really serious I am going to avoid all doctors in the future. I do need to see my opthamologist and have periodic visits with the oncologist, although I am going to ask her to limit them to twice a year rather than quarterly. I'll get the tests done quarterly, but I don't need to sit there as she reads me the results that I can get online and she can explain them online.
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