Any tips on walking dogs? (border collie, clean, barking, aggressive)
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Statistics:
Aussie mix- 11 yo
Border collie mix - 2 yo
both adopted as tiny puppies
Issue:
Walking them is a disaster sometimes
Details:
Old Aussie smells every single blade of grass and feels she needs to pee in every single yard. No medical issue, and it's weird because she is female AND spayed.
Border Collie still very "puppy-ish" and he walks in a zig-zag, and pulls my arm really hard. In fact, he pulled my wrist so bad one time that my left thumb still has no feeling after 6 months, so obvious nerve damage
Both dogs are very aggressive with other dogs (playful??) and as soon as they see another dog, the chaos ensues.
My solution so far:
I pull my old dog when she starts sniffing or we would not get more than 2 houses away in the time alotted. When I see another dog coming, if I cannot re-route away from it, I will calmly tell my dogs how good and sweet they are ("good boy not barking" etc). No idea what to do about the zig-zag walking though.
Walk at a BRISK Pace. Don't watch them just keep going. Posture Upright No slouching or dragging your feet. YOU take them where You want them to potty & Tell them to Go Potty! Clean up and Move along...
In addition to walking briskly (and just not stopping) it might help to have a short leash for both. Short leashes also help with zig zagging and pulling.
When my dog was younger and would pull, I would stop (sometimes I would turn around and walk back to where we were). That showed her that pulling (to get someplace) had the opposite effect of what she wanted. I only would move forwards again when she walked beside me.
We walked our old dog separately. I let her do all the sniffing and peeing she wanted since I knew she would probably only live a few more years. The 2 young ones I taught to walk properly at a decent pace.
Statistics:
Aussie mix- 11 yo
Border collie mix - 2 yo
both adopted as tiny puppies
Issue:
Walking them is a disaster sometimes
Details:
Old Aussie smells every single blade of grass and feels she needs to pee in every single yard. No medical issue, and it's weird because she is female AND spayed.
Border Collie still very "puppy-ish" and he walks in a zig-zag, and pulls my arm really hard. In fact, he pulled my wrist so bad one time that my left thumb still has no feeling after 6 months, so obvious nerve damage
Both dogs are very aggressive with other dogs (playful??) and as soon as they see another dog, the chaos ensues.
My solution so far:
I pull my old dog when she starts sniffing or we would not get more than 2 houses away in the time alotted. When I see another dog coming, if I cannot re-route away from it, I will calmly tell my dogs how good and sweet they are ("good boy not barking" etc). No idea what to do about the zig-zag walking though.
ANY HELP AND TIPS APPRECIATED!
Assuming that either lack of time, or the dog-aggression problems, prevent you from taking the Border Collie mix to obedience classes (which could then very helpfully morph into agility classes to challenge him and wear him out some), I would probably try walking them one at a time for a while and see how that feels. That's what we have done when we have had a very senior dog with different stamina and pace from our younger dog(s). Yes, it's more time-consuming but on the plus side, you get more exercise, more bonding time with each dog, and you will have MUCH less chaos to contend with, so you can deal with the various challenges in a more focused way. And if they are not buddied up together on the walks, then the dog-aggression might be reduced some, too.
Consider using a harness instead of a collar, dogs can get neck and trachea damage when pulling. And always carry a dog repellant spray just in case, and make note of wind direction if you need to use it. It might be a good idea as was suggested to walk them separately and a chiropractor might help with the thumb. Make sure you are the alpha in this pack.
I agree with the short leashes. It's way easier to train them that when they're on the leash, they need to walk with you, when not on leash, they can run around smelling. Hopefully, yours have the run around sniffing time to balance things out. It really helps.
Mine is trained well now to come to me, so when we are walking somewhere I know I can let her off leash for a while, then I do. Then, if someone starts walking towards us, I call her and put her back on the leash. that way, she gets a little of both on our walks. Plus, I normally take her to a little park-like area behind a local business every day where I can let her off leash there, too. I don't have a yard.
Sniffing and peeing are normal dog behaviors. It is called marking territory or checking peemails. My 11 year old neutered boy loves to sniff and pee and for me this is the whole point of walking him so I don't really care how far or fast we go. Taking him for walks is for his benefit and enrichment. For an old dog this might be the best part of his/her whole day. But if you want to just walk, then just walk. Your dog will learn to keep up. If you can't handle the puppy on your own enlist a trainer and go to some classes with just the puppy. It will be fun for both of you and you will have a better dog for it.
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My 11 year old neutered boy loves to sniff and pee and for me this is the whole point of walking him so I don't really care how far or fast we go. Taking him for walks is for his benefit and enrichment. For an old dog this might be the best part of his/her whole day. But if you want to just walk, then just walk. Your dog will learn to keep up. If you can't handle the puppy on your own enlist a trainer and go to some classes with just the puppy. It will be fun for both of you and you will have a better dog for it.