Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Walk this way

It has always been our dream to be able to go for a walk with Gibson without some sort of drama. Heck, getting out the door is drama. The first sign of a walk, and he's jumping, spinning, panting, and generally acting like a crazy fool. Then once he's out, he's zigzagging like he's trying to avoid a bullet. If another dog approaches, he scrambles toward them and charges forward with hackles raised. If he can't meet them, he starts to bark and growl like he's the one who's offended.

So a couple weeks ago, I bought Cesar's Way and it opened up a whole new philosophy for us. We'd paid big bucks back in California to take him to a class for aggressive dogs, but it didn't seem to help. It was all based on positive reinforcement and treats, which Gibson isn't really interested in when he's outdoors. Cesar's Way introduced us to the idea that his aggression is attributed to his lack of exercise, discipline, and understanding of the family pack order.

Over the last several weeks, we've been walking him almost everyday. This is supposed to help tire him, allowing us to more easily assert ourselves and hopefully lessen his frustrations. But this dog's got way more energy than us. Enter in the dog pack - another one of Cesar's suggestions. We spent the weekend going on long walks and we weighed the pack down with two cans, about 3.5 pounds.

 

So, after a 3.5 mile walk and the 3.5 pound dog pack, you'd think he'd be pooped out and hungry. But no, he seemed normal for the rest of the day, and he didn't even finish his dinner! I'm amazed at this guy's stamina. Needless to say, he still has the energy to go loco when he sees other dogs, but he's a little better on leash (less zigzagging). Posted by Picasa