I, like a lot of people, have a dog who pulls on leash. I also have a dog who has a very high prey drive, and a ton of energy. And I swear he has ADHD. Teaching him to walk nicely on leash has been a work in progress for all the days he’s lived with me. We walked every day, miles, at the park before he started daycare. We still walk miles every weekend. His pulling has improved tremendously. Yes, he still drags me to some things – but I’ve also learned, and I know the signs that say he’s about to go and I adjust for it. What fun is a walk if you just plod along and never stop to sniff?
People are judgy – I have shed many tears because of looks we’ve gotten at the park. The day he got the zoomines on leash and spun me in circles (in his defense, he was only 6 months old) and I couldn’t stop laughing, well, a lot of Karens felt it necessary to voice their disapproval. There have been days when he has practically ripped my arm out, and my shoulders are paying the price still. GIving me looks of disdain while you pass with your doodle on a flexi-lead, and make snide comments about how I should take a training class are not in the least helpful
I’ve been working on telling myself that the only opinion that matters is mine, the only one who knows how hard we’ve worked and how far we’ve come is me and the only one who has a right to criticize is Maverick. (He frequently tells me exactly what I’m doing wrong)
Last night two people felt it necessary to comment, “Looks like HE’S walking YOU!” I refrained from saying, “looks like you bellied up to the buffet one too many times” because that would be rude. I did, however, say quietly “you have no idea how much work we’ve done and how far we’ve come.” The first one stared at me like I had insulted her mightily. (I think the buffet comment would have been more insulting, personally) The second one said, “you mean he used to be WORSE?”
I admit it, I cried when we got to the car. We had completed our walk with the leash mostly hanging loose and at no time was there tension, even when Maverick was ahead of me. And yet, those two comments ate at me.
I read a lot of dog training books. I probably own more than some professional trainers. Maverick has been my challenge, and my partner, since the day we brought him home. He has taught me way more about not only dogs, but about myself, than I ever thought was possible. He is not some placid little doodle (who, by the way, are mostly batshit crazy) he has a big personality and he will let you know exactly how he feels in any given situation. He cannot be forced to do what he doesn’t want to do, and you better have a damned good explanation for why you want him to do something.
Does that mean I have conversations with him? Well, yes I do, but not about what I want him to do. I tell him by the way I react, and by the rewards he gets.
We have become quite enamored of clicker training, both of us – because I can tell him quickly when he did something right, and he knows right away that that’s what I wanted. People find it necessary to tell me that it’s much better to use “fill in the blank” training methods. Hey, if you want to use a shock collar or a prong collar, be my guest, but keep that shit away from my dog. I may look like a bumbling fool when we’re out in public, but trust me, I do know a bit.
And I thank Maverick for that. If only he could read the books! Hey, maybe I should read them to him!
Suziecreamcheese Sings the Blues 
Sarah Milligan, Who is a British standup comedian, said in one of her shows about walking her dog who misbehaves and getting nasty looks from people. She puts on a sad, pouty face and with a sniveling voice, she says, “I am sorry, but he’s a rescue.“ Peoples’ nastiness will suddenly change and they will respond by saying, “Oh, I bet he has been through a lot” while simultaneously also adopting a sad face.
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I love it!!!!
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Without wanting to sound like I’m happy you cried, at least I’m not alone. I marvel, daily at moronic unsupportive comments from some ‘people’. Strangers, neighbors, family, all sorts of people. Not just about how little control I have, or needing those torture collars, but several actually said they thought I’d dump my Gracie at a rescue. I have used the ‘she’s a rescue’ line, sometimes it works, sometimes not. I’ve basically given up on human nature, I think.
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I just had a conversation with a friend about this – why have we become so judgmental?
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I remember those circle zoomies! Geordie used to get them every time we walked past the funeral home…even during funerals. (Talk about dirty looks.) All I could do was try to keep from falling while he burned out his energy. From the sounds of it, you have a bigger version of Geordie. As much as it might not seem like it at the time, these challenging pups are a blessing. Enjoy all of your crazy adventures together! ❤️
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When we go past the LDS church on our walks, Maverick goes nuts! The looks we get when there are people in the parking lot! We just finished a short walk – he didn’t try to get the big bird that flew over although he was very interested, nir did he attempt to teach me to fly to get the squirrel we saw. I call this a VERY successful walk!
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Whoa. Are you sure someone didn’t switch dogs on you at night? 😆
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I know! Seriously, we’ve been working incredibly hard. It’s hard to see sometimes but tonight was pretty awesome
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Some dogs have a lot of energy and have a hard time controlling themselves and they might be reactive. It’s the personality, and they might be harder to train. They may be harder to walk but you certainly don’t need people judging you or the dog. Some people just have a hard time being nice.
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Maverick is very high energy. He’s also incredibly smart. He’s a lot of work but he says that if I were smarter it would be easier. 😂. We work on self control exercises every day – and focus – and a whole lot more!
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Self control is difficult for energetic dogs
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It is but he’s very smart – he’s quite capable, just needs motivation
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Sometimes, that comment can be made in jest but if said seriously, that is very rude!
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When people say things to me that are hurtful, I just say, “wow that is rather harsh and caustic and that might even hurt my feelings if I cared what you thought, but I don’t, so there’s that” and walk away.
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Perfect!
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