Hi, I'm new here and could use some helpful advice.

[Lena]

Hi, everybody.  I'm Lena.  I'm from New York and I am a fairly new mommy to Herman.  Herman is an 8-month-old mixed breed hound.  There's no way to be sure of his breed, but he looks to be some type of black & tan coonhound/shepherd/mountain dog/something-or-other.  I adopted Herman from a rescue organization when he was 7 weeks old.  (I also have a 7-year old Corgi-shep named Ellie and 2 cats.)  Me and my husband are musicians.  We live in an average-sized apartment in Queens, New York and we also have a cabin and some land in the Catskill mountains which we frequent from spring thru autumn.

Herman just keeps growing bigger and bigger and his energy is boundless.  I love him dearly - love him more each day -but he is such a handful that it is unreal. I needed to join this list to just feel like I had a support group to turn to, I swear.  I have had dogs for most of my life,  and yet nothing has prepared me for life with Herman. 

Without going into too many of the gory details....One of my main concerns is walking with Herman...I have a very shakey, shattered ankle ever since a serious accident some years ago.  While I can walk at a mild pace, I cannot get around as easily or quickly as I used to and I can be pulled off-balance pretty quickly.  Herman can be a good boy, but if he sees something or someone he wants to get at, he will lunge on the leash with a strength that literally pulls my arm out of it's socket or pulls MY ENTIRE BODY into the air - and I am not a petite woman.  I have used Cesar Milan's walking tips and some of them work, but when Herm is really on a tear, it's still scary. As it is, there is no way I can walk both of my dogs at the same time anymore, because Herman constantly badgers Ellie vigorously and tries to wrestle with the poor little thing while we're walking and almost knocks me on my butt in the process.

Another concern is bringing Herman up to our mountains retreat.  I am so afraid that he will start tracking something and run away and end up either lost in the dense woods of our remote mountain or find his way down on to a highway somewhere.  I am having major anxiety anticipating springtime and how I will handle him THEN if he is as unruly, and strong as an ox right now at only 8 months.  He seems like the type of dog who would love nothing better than to run, lope, and hunt endlessly.  Unfortunately, I could never join him on such grueling expeditions. Our terrain is very wild, steep and rough.  We have alot of coyotes, bear and porcupines also.  Any suggestions on how to handle this?  Anyone?  Please? I need to have hope.

I long to enjoy the new addition to our family - he is so wonderful and such a beautiful spirit in so many ways - but worrying about him is over-shadowing everything for me.

Anyhow - nice to meet you all. Your dogs are all so pretty. I will post some pix soon.

Peace,
Lena

[schelmischekitty]

hi and welcome to bpo!  i'm mom to axle (akita) sheeba (akita chow) diesel and scout (danes) and caine (pitbull).  i've found that the halti leads / gentle leads work REALLY well, on the same concept that the horse halters do.  some others brought up another things on here, but for the life of me i can't remember what it was called.  maybe one of them will see this post!  the halti leads keep their head in check, and where the head goes the body will follow!  it keeps them from pulling, i can walk all 5 of my dogs (two right around 75lbs, the other 3 over 100lbs) at once when i use one on each of them.  this might also help with walking both of them, b/c if you keep a short leash he won't be able to get his head down to torment your smaller dog.  one tip though, is to bring them into the store to get a good fit b/c if it's too loose it will come off and if it's too tight it might rub and irritate his face.  we use miniature horse halters instead of gentle leads (basically the same thing just a different name) because they are so much more adjustable, and a lot cheaper.  as for keeping him near at your vacation house, i'm not too sure.  we don't do long distance recall, but some others on here do, so maybe they'll have tips for you!

[Lena]

Hi, schelmischekit ty -
Great to hear from you.  Yes, I have seen those halti leads.  It's definitely worth a try.  I have so many different contraptions, what's one more...?  Actually, I do use one of those soft, canvas "box" muzzles for Herman on the occasion when I MUST walk both dogs together and quickly and without incident.  This at least keeps him from hassling Ellie, but he rubs his muzzle on fences, the ground, etc., trying to remove it. He just becomes consumed with removing it and has even laid down in the middle of the street rubbing his face on the ground.  He is a real trip.
 
SO! The halti is something I will look into next.  And I look forward to hearing from others here, too.  Thanks so much for writing. 
P.S. - You have a full house, don't you!  Dog lovers rule!
Peace,
Lena

[schelmischekitty]

what you might try is to put the halti lead on without a leash and do obedience with him and reward him with treats.  that way he'll forget the halti lead is on, and he'll get more comfortable in it.  take a few days to a week with this, then walk just him with it on and use treats and reassure him with praise and treats while it's on.  eventually he'll get the idea that the halti lead isn't the end of the world ha ha.  our dogs always act a fool the first time we've put it on them, but after we bribe them (it takes about a month to get completely used to it) they do great!  we also let ours wear them around the house because i can't walk them as much as i'd like.  you can pretty much expect them to act a fool and rear up and twist and turn and act like an "animal" literally the first few times they're on it with a leash, but just like leash training / collar training them, they get used to the idea and learn that they go for walks when they see it!  oh, my name is steffanie (it's in my signature in case you forget, because there are SO many people on bpo ha ha, i even forget ppls real names) i forgot to tell you my real name ha ha.

[Fumble]

i definately have to agree with the head halter, i got fumble a gentle leader and it was like walking a completely different dog!  but you definately have to get them used to it first!! the gentle leaders come with a training dvd to help both you and your dog get aquanted to the leader!  good luck!! and welcome!!! 

[schelmischekitty]

i feel cheated, i never got a dvd or even a booklet    it just came in a box...  guess the post it note that said "teach yourself" got lost in shipping ha ha.

[Lena]

Hi, Fumble - (which is probably your dog's name and not yours, either...haha. ..o brother) great to hear from you!
I just know Herman will go nuts with the halti leader.  But I gotta try SOMEthing...or risk flying through the air again.  Not pleasant.

I posted a picture of me and Herman when he was only 7 weeks old, about 3 days before I brought him home.  Since then, he's at least 6 X that size and I've lost some weight - purely from trying to keep up with him.  I guess that's a good thing.  Raising Herman is like joining a gym that forces you to attend 24/7.  Like boot-camp.

Now I just need some advice about how to handle the lad up in the wilderness...

 
~Lena

[schelmischekitty]

tina is this something like you use?
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441774897&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032900&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1170448248678&itemNo=8&In=Dog&N=2032900&Ne=2

i've also heard of little whistles that attach to the leashes and make a high pitched sound when they pull, not sure if they work or not though.  here's the link to it
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441781983&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032900&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1170448382407&itemNo=19&Nao=12&In=Dog&N=2032900&Ne=2

[schelmischekitty]

then like this
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441813427&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032961&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1170448835725&itemNo=4&In=Dog&N=2032961&Ne=2

[Lena]

I do have an Easy Walk harnass - the one you're talking about, made by Gentle Leader... and it seemed to * kinda * work for awhile with Herman when he was a bit smaller. 

What it does is, when they pull you, it sort of spins 'em around to face you.  But you know what?  He got used to this concept pretty quick and it made no difference to him after awhile - he began lunging away regardless.

 

[schelmischekitty]

thats no fun, that's why we haven't tried that with our dogs, i know it won't make a diff b/c they're so hard headed ha ha

[Lena]

Hi, Tina - I just now saw your post.  Thank you for responding. It is reassuring to hear from someone who has similar issues to deal with.  I'm sorry to hear about your arthritis.  Sometimes my ankle is so arthritic it simply will not bend.  Not good dog-walking mode, for sure, lurching around unevenly and being pulled and pummeled to boot.  Walking a large breed is hard enough without the whammy of a handicap, right?     To his credit, Chris (my husband) is a big help with the walking whenever I ask him.  But with our schedules, I am the one who spends the most time with our dogs.  And although he loves them, Chris has never had pets before I came along and he could honestly be content without the huge responsibility of having dogs in his life.  I, on the other hand, have always had dogs and will always want at least one by my side in this life.   

Herman passed his basic obedience with flying colors.  He is smart as a whip in many ways...."COME" was a big issue with me from the beginning, making sure he knew that command was a priority.  So, he does great with it in the house and in our fenced-in yard in Queens.  It's the mountain home that concerns me.  He just gets so excited - hysterical with joy almost - even when we exercise him in the local park on his retractable leash (26 feet) ... my gut tells me that he would take off and very well not heed "COME" if he were free-as-a-bird-unleashed. 

This kills me, because I'd truly love to be able to let him run independently now and then. It does not help that my husband argues with me on it - he's like: "GIVE IT A TRY - LET HIM RUN - HAVE SOME FAITH THAT HE WILL COME BACK."  I wish it were that easy for me, but it is not. 

Anyhow, I do have faith in Herman.  He IS getting a little better every day.  It's all about patience, etc., and I feel that this forum will help me.  Talking to you and others is already lifting my spirits...

Thanks again for writing!
Peace,
Lena

[schelmischekitty]

i know how coming back is a prob!  axle will come to me all day, no problem, except once.  we went to the lake a good few miles out of fort bragg, where they did a lot of live round firing in the area, and we let axle off and he disappeared!  it took a whole day of searching to find out he was on the other side of the lake in the woods just watching us the whole time 

[Lena]

Omigod, Steffanie - I think I would have had a stroke well before I ever found Axle after a WHOLE day on the other side of the lake.  Maybe I'm a head-case but that would have really thrown me for a loop.
 

[schelmischekitty]

i was hysterical, bawling the whole time (axle is my baby and has been there for me through a lot and i can't imagine life without him) and yelling at my hubby b/c it was HIS idea after all to let our two dogs run lose.  he didn't think about all the new smells combined with the fact axle hates to swim to start with haha.  ask hubby, all he heard was "axle won't know what to do!  how's he gonna eat!!" the whole day    now that i look back it's funny b/c axle was watching me the WHOLE time, and i know he was b/c hubby just happened to look up on the hill on the other side and see axle sitting there looking at us.