Well, I'll just add two things Jenny. I think any corrections you've given have been ineffective and having seen dogs half Jethro's weight take people to the ground, I honestly hope you don't get hurt. Good luck.

I'm not real clear on why you want to tie him to you then Jenny. I think you could get hurt doing this.

 Quote: steve strom

and having seen dogs half Jethro's weight take people to the ground, I honestly hope you don't get hurt. Good luck.

Same thought here.

Ooch. My husky could pull me or my boyfriend off his feet with a strong unexpected lunge. And he is only 80 lbs.

I get why you're doing it, but it seems like that one time out of 1,000 where he lunges, and you aren't prepared or are standing awkwardly, could mean a fall or a twist and a torn ACL or dislocated shoulder or broken hip. Serious injuries.

Have you considered working with a trainer and an e-collar?

I know more than one person who has been seriously injured by their dog. Broken leg, torn ACL and dislocated shoulder are the injuries I have heard of first hand. A back injury could be even more serious.

I can see why holding the leash leaves your hand/arm more open to injury or the surprise of a dropped leash... which is why a back-up e-collar might be a solution. I hesitate to suggest this because I am not an expert in using e-collars for these issues, and there is potential for abuse (even accidental). Just... my male dogs have always expressed more dominance/territorial behaviors when they reach 3 years old- at which point Jethro will be even more muscular and powerful than he is now.

I feel for ya...I have a 125# dog who I work with constantly...however, even at 7 years old, I never totally relax with him...he simply is a dog who requires that I be on the lookout for potential disaster at every turn. Last winter he'd been doing so well...I just happened to turn my head and look back as 5 or 6 deer jumped the fence down in front of us, and away he went...all I could think was "don't break my hip, or you'll be one sorry, unexercised dog"...I'm 95 lbs, and 61 years old...so it's not like I coudln't break a hip. I stayed on my feet, but had to sit down at the end of the chase and let the adrenelin subside.. I've ridden horses like this, too...ones where you simply can't relax and take in the sceanery...they'll do great for a while, then, out of the blue they spook and leave you sitting on air.

Attaching a nearly 90 lb dog to your treat pouch does NOT sound secure at all. Not to mention, it's still attached to you...if it doesn't break, you'll get pulled down from your waist rather than having the option of letting go (if you had to)...

p

Well, we are on day 3 of this experiment and no injuries. I weigh 150 lb, and quite fit. I am finding the harness is putting the greatest force right where I have the greatest strength. The tether is working at a psychological level as well as a physical level. I am noticing I seem better at predicting and managing potentially difficult situations, hence my timing for commands, training, and corrections is better. It appears to be having a beneficial effect on Jethro, too. He has been less reactive and what reactions he has had have been of lower intensity.

I am using a harness, with a clip, so his leash is clipped to an o-ring. I do use corrections with Jethro. I find the corrections work perfectly as long as I get them in before he goes into full blown reaction. Once he has gone over the top, I have found my best option is to get distance from the reactive source, until I can get his attention again. With the tether, this is easier, because I just start walking away perpendicular to Jethro's body. He has no choice but to call himself off and follow.

I live in an urban neighbourhood, and sometimes the distractions can appear out of nowhere, and sometimes they can be coming from multiple directions simultaneously. I have been having good luck with Leave It, This Way, Heel, Sit, Down, and Focus, depending on the situation. I keep working on desensitizing, exploring the zone where he is capable of learning, before he goes into full reaction. I am starting to get default behaviours, but the distraction level still has to be pretty low.

I won't use an e-collar. I am an inexperienced handler, learning to work with a difficult dog. I barely grasp the principles of corrections and rewards. I would be afraid that my use of such a device would cause harm, rather than help the situation. Also, I would suggest that Jethro's reactive incidents are my handler errors, as he is trying to figure out how to survive in a social situation that he was never bred for. I don't want to punish him for that. I want to teach him how to build his self control and understand that his interpretations of day to day life in my neighbourhood do not warrant red-alert emergency conditions.

I am certainly taking everyone's words of caution to heart, and paying close attention. At this point, with the last two injuries with the leash in hand, I am going to continue with my experiment until I have experiential evidence that requires a re-think.

I have a 98 pound dog who used to be reactive (on rare occasion still is, but rarely). I am 5'2". My dog has torn my rotator cuff twice while lunging at other dogs; the doctors said a third time would likely mean surgery. I bought Leerburg's police leash and LOVE it.

While I'm hyper-aware of the potential for injury caused by having a dog tethered to you (I've been knocked flat on my a** a couple of times; fortunately only injuring my pride), I had no choice but to tether my dog while I was recovering from injury.

Not an ideal situation as there is no "give" to prevent being hit by the full force of a lunge, but it ended up working alright for me as a temporary solution.

I learned that looping the leash just above my hips instead of around my waist made my center of gravity lower and stronger and decreased the chances of being toppled. Tying the leash to my torso in a back-pack-type manner was a back-buster, so I only did it once.

Being tied to the dog was not the safest option, but it had an upside even when it landed me on my rear; he did NOT get away from me or cause further injury to my shoulder.

I remember how stressful it was to have a reactive dog, and know how good it feels to get to the other side of it and have a great, well-trained dog. Kudos for all your hard work; you'll get there. Just be careful

" Kudos for all your hard work; you'll get there."


Yup! And to you, Kristel. I know how hard you worked and how well you did. Also, how much help you have been to other posters with reactive dogs.

Thanks, Kristel, I might try a hip belt, too. I've been thinking about this a lot and have decided I would rather suffer whatever injury my dog might cause than putting another person or dog in my neighbourhood at risk. I can heal, I don't want to have to deal with anyone else getting hurt because I have this dog.

The fact is, Jethro cannot drag me if I go down, and it is a huge assurance for me knowing that he can't get away to hurt others.

The upside is that Jethro is actually much better trained than other dogs I know who are less reactive and so their owners don't have to put as much work into them. He is a super awesome dog and worth every bump and sprain.

 Quote: connie sutherland

" Kudos for all your hard work; you'll get there."


Yup! And to you, Kristel. I know how hard you worked and how well you did. Also, how much help you have been to other posters with reactive dogs.

Thanks Connie . It was such a difficult situation in the moment, but that just makes every new accomplishment that much sweeter.

 Quote: Jenny Arntzen

The fact is, Jethro cannot drag me if I go down, and it is a huge assurance for me knowing that he can't get away to hurt others.

Exactly. Sometimes just knowing that can help you to stay calmer, which helps immensely.

Well, Jethro wears two collars, a prong collar and a backup collar in case the prong collar fails. With the leash tethered, I have a back up system if my hand grip fails. I feel much calmer and I am noticing, now that a portion of my attention isn't distracted with worrying about hanging on for dear life in the event of an unexpected lunge, I have more attention to watch for Jethro's signs of arousal. I'm catching him earlier, and he is following instructions better, so we are definitely having less incidents.

I also have my big, long winter jacket, that covers me with padding almost to my knees. No, I won't be wearing hockey shorts anytime soon!

Thanks for the encouragement. These dogs deserve a chance to succeed in this crazy world we humans have created.