My dog is so cool

Dog? Milk? Personality complex here? My dogs whine and cry and look out the window the whole time I'm gone on a run. They expect to be walked when I get back and just can't wait. NO, I don't take them running with me because I'd like to keep my shoulders in their sockets.

Last week my wife said out dog whined the entire time I was gone on a ride. Of course we ran when I got back. Think the dog has learned that when "dad" comes home with the bike it is time for a run. His tail get to wagging so hard it throws his hips side to side and I think he's going to pop a hip joint. The mutt you see to the left is a great running partner and coach.

Dog anxiety, when I leave and don't take him with me.  Especially if it is a ride, or run on the track (haven't figured out how to sneak him onto the track)  He grabs one of my shoes and puts it into his bed.  No chewing though.......    When I first got him last year.  and took him to the Olympic trial for the Triathlon.   so many women Athletes were petting him saying it was lucky to pet a puppy.    Now he is an 17 month old flirt....

Go get a waist pack and clip their leashes to it. That's how I do it. Yes sometimes I get jerked around but it works. There are some really nice and expensive leads made for two dogs that you can get too that you can run with. I could not run without my running partner, Mani-Nana, she has also made me faster. She gave me dirty looks this morning. I ran up the hill, ran down the hill and turned around and did it again. She was very confused.








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Most dogs can be trained not to pull fairly quickly with a prong collar. They look evil, but are actually way safer than the more common choke chain as pressure is distributed evenly around the neck. I put it around my own neck and tugged before I was willing to put it on Murph. It doesn't hurt and they learn not to pull very very quickly. Use it as a training tool though not as a permanent walking collar and never leave it on when you are not walking as it can get caught and choke them.

Another option is a gentleader/halti that allows you head control of the dog.

As long as I am at it, dogs whining when you leave can be cute, but also can be indicative of future destructive behaviors or being over attached (separation anxiety). The trick is to get them to associate leaving with something good so give them a PB stuffed kong or a greenie -something that will keep them occupied for a bit right when you leave the house for your runs.


Edited by lablover 2005-07-28 11:08 AM

Two words: Crate Train, Crate Train, Crate Train!

On a side note when I was in the hospital for 8 weeks last year Mani-Nana was miserable and VERY destructive. She ate two crates (literally), then a laundry room door, then some carpet etc. Gene got her a Kong and some Liver Filler for it. The label said use 1 Tsp but he filled the Kong with the liver stuff. She had an upset tummy for days!

Huskies pull and cannot be trained out of it easily. I am moving her to a halter in the next week or so. Since we want her to do some pulling in the winter I get pulled in the summer.

Yeah, huskies are tough in that area. I bet she could learn the difference between a leash and a sledding harness pretty quickly though. That is where heeling comes in handy I guess, she can't pull if she is heeling. I am still working on a really good heel with Murph he tends to heel then creep forward and then I tell him to heel and then he creeps forward. He doesn't pull but he creeps forward to where he is as far as he can be without pulling. Funny thing is, his offlead heel is almost perfect, but I don't walk him on lead much so when he is onlead he thinks we are going somewhere fun and gets excited. I am going to go take him on a lead walk right now as I have been telling myself I was going to train him to heel perfectly for months...Thanks for the inadvertent inspiration!

Oh and I am totally on board with the crate training. Murph is crate trained and it was the best thing I ever did. He has roam of the house now that he is 2 though and I haven' had a problem. He sleeps in his crate with the door open mos tof the time I am gone anyway.

Edited by lablover 2005-07-28 11:33 AM

And therein lies the difference between a Husky and every other breed! You can NEVER, EVER, NO MATTER WHAT, EVEN IF 300 OTHER PEOPLE SWEAR YOU CAN, LET THEM OFF THE LEASH FOR ONE SECOND!

Can't trust em for beans.

Well I just don't have the energy to train her in two different directions.

Mani-Nana sleeps by my running shoes near the bedroom door so I don't get away without her. She positivly pouts if I go without her and WOO WOO's for hours.

Lol. I thought about getting a husky when I was choosing a breed. Their supposed propensity for killing small animals and their habit of running off (since I live in a city) got me off them. They seem like great dogs though, just a bit much for me to handle right now. I agree it is hard to find time for training sometimes, and there is something about lead training on the sidewalk tha raises my blood pressure.

Huskies:

Can run for three days without stopping (except *my* husky who gets pissy after 7 miles). Can run faster than you for three days without stopping. Think anything smaller is a snack and prefer rabbits. Have no homing instinct whatsoever. If they get off the leash they are gone. Love everyone as much as they love you. It's not personal but they do not like to discriminate. This means they are happy to show the burglers the good china then carry it out for them. They also are happy wherever they are. Your home, someone else's home, it's all good to a Husky. There are obidience champion Huskies who got off lead and were gone forever. They are pretty tho, my Mini hoo is gorgeous.. she also is completly single minded about running and chasing small game. We see a rabbit and it's "slink and dash". I do not think anyone should have a Husky. I want another one.

Oh how I love it when you talk dog to me.

It makes sense since they were bred to fend for themselves when in the arctic that they would hunt and be independent. Those were good things considering what they are bred for, but make them a little hader to control in more civilized places I suppose. I have also herad that they are diggers and escape artists, do you find that to be true? I don't see many huskies at the dog parks here, mostly labs, goldens and pitbulls.

Muprh is a great lab and great listener. He will stop mid chase of a ball and come back to me if I tell him so and knows remote and on the go "downs" where he will drop in place like you often see border collies doing when herding. Our lead walk just now went well. I need to do it everyday. The slight amount of pulling he does is fine for me but when GF takes him for a walk she gets rattled. He learns extrmely fast, but is high energy since he is from a field line. If I get another lab, I would get one from a show line with the hope that they would be a little mellower. He isn't bad as labs go, not hyper, just high energy when outside- fine and content in the house, but he is a fetching fanatic. I honestly think he would drop dead before he stopped fetching. I have to be really careful that he is getting enough water and cool enough when we play as he would keep going forever.

I am not in the situation to get another dog yet, but I would take them all if I were able. Funny that 3 years ago I was never much of an animal person, now much of my life revolves around them as I am home during the day and let the neighbors' dogs out to play.

Diggers... sigh.. that's a word for it. We have to fill in a hole in our poor neighbors lawn at least once a week. I put her on a line twice a day (short breaks only because she hates to be away from us) and she digs, and digs, and then digs some more.

Escape artists.. Umm that's a yes. Like I said she ate two crates.. No, I think that is three. When I said that I mean ATE HER WAY OUT OF THEM! She is houdini. She was working on the door to the outside when my husband came home. She steals food too.

I love labs. My neighbors always had them. They played in the water and chased balls and fetched! I would get a pyscho dog. My family raised St. Bernards when I was growing up. We had three of them at once. I love them but they are not active enough for this family.

If ya'll really want a challenge, try weimaraners. After umpteen years with labs it is a whole "nother world..

I like Weimeraners but I cannot stand that guy who dresses em up in little outfits and photographs them! Way to take a prefectly beautiful dog and make it look like a dork. If you are Weigman I apologize but I don't think he does tris.

A great show about dogs.  On the National Geographic Channel. (if you can get it)  It's called the Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.   Excellent stuff.  Most of the time Dogs are just wanting to be Dogs.  it's the owners that need to be trained.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/programs/dog-whisperer.html

Edited by BellinghamSpence 2005-07-28 11:19 PM

Oh I have such a crush on Ceasar! Such a little cutie, so quietly masterful with the doggies!

I love running with my dog but sometimes, being an Australian Shepard and a header, she kinda tries to steer me and trips me up. We run on an off leash beach here which works well for us since she's a working dog and doesn't get distracted by anything but the task at hand. With another breed I'd use a leash, but my Aussie is typical in that she sticks like velcro, never takes her eye off me - hunkers down and works it. It's pretty cool.

I have a lab named Murphy also. He's my best buddy. He loves to go for walks and runs. Loves to fetch...as long as he wants to. Sometimes he's just not into it. Dunno what that's about. He's extremely curious! He'll sniff and sniff and sniff, and the rest of the world might as well not exist. He doesn't get let loose that often b/c of this. He won't listen for anything in this state. In the house he's really good, except he still get's on the counters a lot. We can't leave him unattended b/c he'll grab the loaf of bread, or bag of buns and eat as much as he can before we catch him. He's a bugger that way. He's eaten a couple loaves of bannana bread already. I think he really likes it.

As far as the walking on the leash thing goes. We didn't need any other tools than the leash and collar. Just be sure to correct him/her w/ a sharp snap of the leash rather than a stiff pull. It's just unconfortable enough, and they'll pick it up quick.

HD

My best freind is a golden retriever named Duchess. She meets me at the door when I come home, she sleeps by the side of my bed and will come nudge me when ever I feel down. I have never had a dog like her that was as easy to train and as well behaved (better than my kids). But she sure loves to sleep late. If I try to get her up for morning workouts she will either ignore me or just sit there and stare - it makes me die laughing.

As I went bald she is going gray. And boy does she love popcorn. Pop a bag and she will go from an inactive old dog to a puppy dancing a jig. They don't come much cooler than Duchess.

I used to have a Border Collie, Jesse. She died of cancer last summer. I miss her so much. She was perfect off leash. Well except for once when she was a puppy. Working dogs are awesome. I love the look of Austrailan Shepards.

not to hijack this thread, but Lavblover, you might try this trick to stop the heel-creeping. Walk him at heel on a leash with a choke collar,(what a terrible name for a collar). When he starts to creep, let him get pretty far ahead, the abruptly reverse directions. Keep you leash hand hard against your hip so there is no "stretch" in the leash. Continue walking in the new direction. If he begins to creep again, do the same thing. I found that only a few 10 minute sessions cleared the problem right up. ///hijack over///

No I, we, my family does not dress up our dog. He would just die if he were made to look silly. The guy who dresses them up makes me always think of those pictures with dogs playing cards or pool.

I'm sorry to hear about Jess.

Border Collies are amazing dogs. I admit, I'm too much of a wimp to take one on though! lol
They are like a study in single-mindedness. Aussies are a smidge mellower, and goofier (I think?). There's a female border collie that lives down the street from me and the two bitches have a serious rivalry going on - like this block is not big enough for the both of us! They don't fight, but posture around like trying to figure out who's going to boss around who, and they seem determined not to like each other. It's actually kindof a running joke in the neighborhood. It's weird, becasue my dog usually either ignores or plays other dogs.

One thing I love about my dog is that she's all dog. She doesn't think she's human. You can just see wolfish instincts bubbling just below the surface.

Working dogs are so great. I'd like to get either a German Shepard or a Swiss Mountain dog next.

Dogs are so cool.

Edited by newbiedoo 2005-07-29 9:02 AM

The Jester was 12 years old and had a very happy life. One of my favorite memories of her is when Gene-Gene was about 4 months old. She was running around like a dork and he laughed and laughed at her antics. She was showing off just for him. She was my favorite dog ever. When I delivered Ben at 24 weeks, at home (incompetant cervix) she whined outside the bathroom door the entire time and tried to follow the baby out to the ambulance (I went in a later ambulance). When I came home I have never been so depressed. She would just lie there, head on my knee while I cried out all my pain of losing my son. There is no doubt that without my husband and dog I would not be here today. She made me smile again. When we adopted Gene-Gene she welcomed him with licks and got very protective of that baby. We have a revolving photo screen saver and when it rolls around to Jesse photos Gene-Gene will stop what he is doing (usually causing trouble, he is 8 after all) and say "Mom, I really miss Jesse. She was the best dog ever". OK now I am crying. Darn it all anyway. Time to lift weights.

Oh man. I'm crying too.
Girl, you've got courage!

I'm at a loss for words, but thanks for sharing that. I've cried on my dog's shoulder plenty as well. That acceptance, and endless positive life force they have are an inspiration.

Blast it! Ok. I'll go for my run now.