Friday, February 02, 2007

Dog Woes...

Jane is getting big. We haven't been to the vet in a while, but my estimate is that she's somewhere around 55 lbs., and growing by the day. When I take her for walks and she gets hyper, I'm hardly able to contain her anymore. This is why I took the drastic step of buying a training collar for her today. These particular collars have metal studs that grind into a dog's neck if the leash gets too tight, so it encourages them to stick close by.

I'm laying in bed right now already feeling a little guilty for having to begin using it tomorrow. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's for her own good.

In other news, I put in a request for a vacation at the end of this month. My plan is to hole myself up in places East of here and church out some chapters of a book. Not the book I've been talking about for a while, but something different. I'm hoping to spend several hours each day writing. In my free time, if any of you are in the Marshall/Longview/Tyler area, I'd love to visit. I'll have a fairly wide open schedule. I'm hoping to reconnect with some of you during that time.

That's it for now. I've actually got the whole weekend off, which would be prime writing time. I think, though, that I may stay away from the computer and find a book to devour before the Super Bowl on Sunday. If I don't check in, I hope you have a good weekend.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

hey- let's get together while you're this way...if you have some free time we would love to see you.

Darby said...

Hi Craig! If you haven't watched it already, you need to watch The Dog Whisperer by Ceasar Milan. It's on the National Geographic channel. You might not need that collar after you watch a few episodes!

greenISgood said...

Oh my gosh! Yes. Please get the book by Caeser Milan, before you start using the collar in full. I actually think it comes with a video or a dvd, and you can watch him on cable, too. He talks alot about how dogs will respond to the simplest commands with correct leadership and how to do that. It really works.

(You're welcome, Jane.)

Blake Williamson said...

craig

i have talked to two people who have had the same problem that you are having. both of them had labs. they both bought those chain collars.

however they didnt work as well as expected. they said the tendency for a dog is to pull against restraint.

so they bought a type of collar called a gentle leader. it causes the dogs head to turn so they cannot pull against you. they both said it was the best 25 dollars they have ever spent for their labs and they no longer are out of control on walks.

hope this helps

Anonymous said...

Craig, I've got two labs, both 5 years old, and the best they ever do is with the gentle lead. It looks like a muzzle, but made out of material similar to a standard leash. What happens is that when you guide the dog with the lead, it forces them to turn the head toward you, which teaches them to rely on you for guidance.

I recommend the book title "Everyone can train their own dog" by (I think) Angela White. It helps explain how dogs will react differently based on how their humans behave. A great guide, and simple too. Plus, you can get it online for only a few bucks.

Good luck to you and Jane!

Anonymous said...

jason's got a gentle leader. I'm not consistent with it, which is bad on my part, but then again he still is intent on walking ahead of me whether I'm using one or not. He likes to stop midstride and paw at it, too, which can seriously slow down a pre-work jaunt. I know harnesses, where the leash clips to the back, can help sometimes, too.

Rick said...

call me when you're around Tyler