or how well we have done all day... I can still get caught off guard and end up sprawled backward on my rear end with a barking, lunging dog at the end of the leash.

There is a big difference between a dog that is still firmly anchored to me and a dog that has gotten away from me and is charging across a field to attack another dog. I am very, very careful with Jethro, because I am trying to manage his reactivity through exercise, OB, and building our bond. Generally, overall, he is improving.

For instance, earlier today he was giving me a close heel while three dogs (they were all off leash, he was on his long training leash, coiled in my hand) zoomed around us. Jethro wanted to join them, but when I said Heel he closed in and kept the leash slack, giving me his full attention. He was AWESOME! I was so proud of all our hard work. That is an example of improvement.

This is an example of the risk I am managing. Tonight, on our evening walk, we were working the same drill as I saw a small white dog on leash across the street. Jethro's leash was loose and he was giving me full attention as I gave him the Heel command and he pulled in nice and tight. I popped a treat in his mouth and was just gathering the leash in, when his head switched back and in a flash he was barking and lunging. I could feel the loose leash slipping through my hands. I was determined he was not going to get away from me and I gripped it with everything I had. That toppled me over backward but I held on and he did not get away. I hit the pavement hard. Ooph. I managed to gather him up, put him in a Down, and stepped on his leash so close to his collar he could not get his head off the ground and I just stood there, collecting myself and waiting for my legs to stop trembling.

We walked home in a close Heel and I put him away in his crate. My thinking is that I cannot risk these events, because no matter how well I think I am managing, there are those split second moments when I am off guard.

I have decided to implement a new policy, and always have his leash attached to my treat pouch. It means he will have to walk on the same side all the time because I won't be able to switch sides (when we are in a more casual, sniffing mode). I just can't rely on having enough control in my hands alone to withstand the force when he takes his flying leap and I might be slightly off balance. No matter how much I try to be conscious of my body position and grip, it is always when I am slightly distracted that these things happen.

Jethro is now 20 months old and 87 lb. I have been working with him for just over a year. I am an inexperienced handler, except for what Jethro has been teaching me on a daily basis. I am using a clicker, treats, marker words, corrections, NILF, and practicing OB under increasing distractions.

I hope my 55 year old body can survive getting this pup through to maturity as an adult man dog!

Be careful coiling the leash around your hand a big dog like him could cause a hand injury. get a Smaller dog (only kidding)
I'm 56 i was planning to buy the power of playing tug dvd. but i don't think my back will take it.

Jenny, did you actually mean that you coil his leash around your hand? If you did, this could cause you a serious injury to your hand.

Also, are you training without any corrections? I'm just trying to get an accurate picture.

 Quote:

I have decided to implement a new policy, and always have his leash attached to my treat pouch. It means he will have to walk on the same side all the time because I won't be able to switch sides (when we are in a more casual, sniffing mode). I just can't rely on having enough control in my hands alone to withstand the force when he takes his flying leap and I might be slightly off balance. No matter how much I try to be conscious of my body position and grip, it is always when I am slightly distracted that these things happen.

Are you sure that attaching his leash to the pouch is secure enough to stop him if he decided to take off? I'm not visualizing this very well.

Are you walking him with a prong collar?

When I mentioned having the leash coiled, I meant I had the excess length hanging in a loose coil in my non-dominant hand. I can see my error here, though, because I will drop my grip on the leash close to his collar to give him a treat, which leaves my left hand in a vulnerable position (which explains my recently sprained finger).

I do have a prong collar for him, and I also have the plastic star mark collar. He has been doing so well lately I have been using the star mark because it is more comfortable and doesn't mark his coat. Time to switch back to the metal prong.

I'm training with corrections when I know for sure that Jethro knows what to do. We have been working on building voice control in higher distraction situations, so when I up the ante, I use the mark (voice or clicker) and treats to reinforce his response. I have been using both clicker and voice because I find the clicker gives a more precise sound, but sometimes I don't have it in my hand when I want to mark. So he knows both the click and Yes. When I give him the Leave It command and I know he has heard me, I will give him a solid correction if I need to get him to actually stop staring. He knows Leave It, we play Leave It games and he has demonstrated understanding the command at various degrees of distraction. There are still times, though, when the distraction is too arousing and he just can't hear me. In those situations I remove him from the situation anyway I can.

Good point about relying on the treat pouch clip for that much force. I think I will wear a proper leather belt with a solid metal buckle. In essence, I am going to tether him to me when we are outdoors. This has worked great in the house and in the yard. He very quickly realizes he is tethered and there is no margin for negotiation. I don't know why I haven't thought of tethering him in the great outdoors, but I think it might be a very useful exercise.

The worst part of these latest events of catching me off guard is the very reason they are happening is that he is doing so well and I am relaxing my vigilance. He is getting much better at leaving squirrels, cats, other dogs, strange people, even coyote and skunk scent. But he is not 100% and it is that 1% that is the worst. Once he is over a 1% reaction rate I am back on my game and he knows he can't get away with anything.

Reporting back - I fashioned a harness out of Skipper's leash and slung that over my shoulder, across my chest. I clipped Jethro's leash through that, so he was attached to my body throughout the walk. It worked like a charm! He had his prong collar on, as well as his back up collar. He was tethered to me and he figured out quite quickly that he was going where I was going. I felt relaxed because I knew the safety of the neighbourhood was not resting in my hands versus Jethro's bolting force. Rather, he was too close to me to get any leverage, just enough room to do a Sit and Down, or a Sniff. Not enough to take a flying leap. Also, it was super easy to call him in for a Heel if anything was looking a little dicey, and I had my hands free to manage treats and clicks without putting our safety in jeopardy. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. It might be my imagination, but he seemed more confident, less reactive.

I had Skipper on a longer lead, and he was able to mosey around a little more because I wasn't so afraid of losing track of Jethro. Also, Skipper got a good ball chase on the field while Jethro walked around the perimeter with me. Jethro's job was to do a Down / Wait whenever Skipper was back in for another throw. While Skipper ran out to retrieve the ball (1/2 the field away) Jethro and I would walk along, Sniffing, or practicing Heel again.

An accident free day! (and no heart stopping incidents of bolting or lunging).

Congrats on finding a solution to your problem.

 Quote: Jenny Arntzen

I do have a prong collar for him, and I also have the plastic star mark collar. He has been doing so well lately I have been using the star mark because it is more comfortable and doesn't mark his coat. Time to switch back to the metal prong.

If your prong collar is discoloring his coat, it's likely the chrome/nickel plated prong. Try a stainless steel prong collar, which is known for not staining a light colored dogs coat.
http://leerburg.com/prong.htm#880

OR if you want a fancy prong collar.... I'm kinda partial to the Curogan prongs. My only reservation would be that LB only sells them in the large link- I strongly prefer the 2.25mm (small) size links.
http://leerburg.com/prong.htm#curogan



Geeze.... all I can seem to do is tell you what to buy- not give you any helpful advice. LOL. Regardless of the tools you are using, you've come a long way with Jethro. He's not an easy dog, I'm sure!!! Great job.

Hi Kelly, yes, that is the same kind of leash I have for Jethro and Skipper, only theirs are double sewn nylon web. Very, very handy.

I have all three kinds of prong collar! I just swap them around to try to limit the amount of discolouration.

It is interesting, but Jethro definitely knows the difference between being tethered and being "in hand". He is doing much better tethered with a prong collar. He seems to be making more decisions for himself, and he knows there isn't going to be a 'blind' spot where he can take advantage and get the jump.

I appreciated your comment about cats and Koenig. We don't have to fight all the battles for the 'perfect' dog. We just have to keep working with them everyday and watch the magic unfold.

Jethro has a nasty reaction to puppies. And a couple of them are walking near our house almost everyday. It wasn't enough to have him on the front porch with a 30" x-pen fence to stop him from going down the stairs. Yesterday, as a puppy passed by, he took a flying leap over the x-pen, landed on the stairs and barrelled down to the corner of the fence to bark and carry on. Luckily, I surrounded our property with a 6' construction fence this summer and he is definitely not getting over that.

A work in progress, for sure.