One of my biggest battles has been getting Kachina to walk beside me as opposed to in front of me. I know why she wants to lead ... because she still thinks that she is "Alpha" and feels it is her right to lead the hunt. 

 

Okay, telling your dog that you are Alpha doesn't work. They don't listen. What they really hear is "Blah blah Kachina blah blah." 

 

I tried the choke chain being high on the neck trick and it works as long as you can keep the choke chain high enough on the neck. That means you always have to be putting some pressure on the neck ...not exactly the most relaxing way to walk your dog.

 

I tried the "spike" collar, which incidental isn't as bad as it looks - if you use it properly. It works pretty good - though I did have to remind her quite often to walk beside me. 

 

I didn't feel totally comfortable with these tools that pull on her neck. It really took away from the pleasure of the walk to have to be giving her leash corrections for the first 20 minutes of the walk each day.

 

I tried harnesses and again, they also work okay but you need to be fairly strong to pull or hold the dog back when she tried to run ahead when she sees another dog. A regular harness works as good as a Halti harness. I still use the harness when I take her for a bike run because I feel that it's the best device for the job because it's the safest for the dog. It does require some strength to rein her in at the beginning of the run though.

 

And then I bought a Halti-type halter for Kachina. She instantly was cured of pulling. It was amazing. She fought the Halti a bit in that she tried to paw it off her face and rub it off on the ground. I just pulled her head up and kept walking. I didn't let her screw with it. She is adjusting to wearing it. 

 

Frankly I don't care if she doesn't like it. It is not uncomfortable for her to wear. It doesn't interfere with her sight or breathing. It truly is the most humane and effortless way to control a dog. Resistance is futile - she will assimilate. LOL

 

I took her for two walks yesterday and found my self enjoying the walk for the first time in a long time. No fighting with the dog.

 

I do let her off leash when we come across another dog that she knows or a dog that wants to play and the owner doesn't mind. Most of the time though, she is on leash and that's okay with me because I have control over her and can keep her out of trouble.

 

I think she'll mellow out as she gets older.

 

 

 

On the good side, Chena doesn't chase birds anymore. Yay! We're making progress on the fence fighting issues.

 

Recently we had some new neighbors move in who own three shitzus. Chena pretty much ignores them now however, there is one dog that keeps growing at Kachina through the fence - egging her on. I know that if I wasn't there, Kachina would be at that fence taking on the little barky-growly poof ball (who apparently has more guts than brains considering Chena is 4 times it's size).

 

Ah the dog park. Sigh. Kachina is not allowed off leash any more. Unfortunately there are too many dogs that aggravate her and well, I'm tired of pulling her off other dogs and apologizing to the owners. I'm very grateful that all she is doing is trying to establish leadership (making lots of noise and pinning the dogs into submission) and not trying to kill them. Is it still an aggression problem? Probably. Should I hire a dog behaviorist to solve the problem? Probably.

 

She doesn't "fight" with all dogs. Some dogs are fine, she meets them and they want to play. Other dogs, mostly small-mid size dogs (and young dogs) she has issues with. She ignores the tiny dogs. I guess they are not enough of a dog to bother dominating - thankfully!

 

I've picked up some good tips from watching "The Dog Whisperer".  I no longer let Chena "lead the pack" - which means walk ahead of me on the leash or anytime. I even make her run beside me when I'm on the bike (instead of on the flex line ahead of me). Does it change her behavior? Somewhat. I certainly can control her much easier this way.

 

Pavement is hard on doggie feet. It wears out the pads on their paws. To resolve this problem I purchased some doggie runners that are breathable and have rubber soles. I couldn't find any pet stores in town that carried a decent, functional dog boot so I ordered some off the internet.  (Hounds Around Town.  www.houndsaroundtown.com ).  I've tried them and they do work well. The only thing that takes some effort is doing the things up properly. Not all good things come easy.

 

So what am I going to do about Kachina and other dogs? For now I'm going to keep her on the leash and maintain full control over her. I'll let her meet other dogs and watch her body language carefully and the minute things begin to look tense, I'll break the state (move on, divert attention elsewhere) and if she gets growly with another dog, down into the submissive position she goes. Maybe in time she'll get the idea that it's not acceptable behavior. I guess if things don't improve with what I'm doing, then I'll look into hiring some professional help.  I sure wish Ceasar lived in Alberta!

 

That's all for now.  P.S. I did get Chena spayed and no, it doesn't change their behavior.

 

M.