Dog walking

laurenjill

I think I'm getting more strength training than I am cardio when I walk my dogs! My lab(1 yr old, still got that puppy mentality) wants to pulls me every which way possible! By the end of the thirty minute walk, my arms are SORE!

laurenjill

I think I'm getting more strength training than I am cardio when I walk my dogs! My lab(1 yr old, still got that puppy mentality) wants to pulls me every which way possible! By the end of the thirty minute walk, my arms are SORE!

jamielbeck

Have you tried a Halti or walking collar?

aml0484

Try a Gentle Leader. I used this with many dogs when I voluntered at the Animal Shelter when taking dogs out. It took a few days for them to get used to it but boy did it make a horible walking dog into a great dog.

Mickie17

Walking my dogs is one of my favorite exercises! Labs are puppies until about 5 years old...so just think of how buff you'll be by then!!! LOL!!!

I actually do lab rescues too for the Central California Lab Rescue. Those dogs often need a LOT of walking and leash training, so it's great motivation to get myself out for extra walks...plus you know what "they" say..."If your dog is fat, you need to get off the couch!" :laugh:

Enjoy!!!:flowerforyou:

FitnessGeek

Try a Gentle Leader. I used this with many dogs when I voluntered at the Animal Shelter when taking dogs out. It took a few days for them to get used to it but boy did it make a horible walking dog into a great dog.

The Gentle Leader is one of the best dog leash/collars on the market! I have a stubborn boxer who likes to pull, and the leader settles her right down.

I also used the leader on a pit bull we were fostering. She was way too strong for me to handle (even at 6 months old) but with the leader, she was a perfect angel.

The Gentle Leader is about $25 and totally worth it. If your dog loves to pull, I would not suggest a chest harness, in most larger breeds it just encourages them to pull more.

amymeenieminymo

I think I'm getting more strength training than I am cardio when I walk my dogs! My lab(1 yr old, still got that puppy mentality) wants to pulls me every which way possible! By the end of the thirty minute walk, my arms are SORE!

Aww, we're planning on getting a lab when we get a house (if that ever happens), I can't wait to get him. I really want a house, but I'm almost more excited about getting the house to get the dog. My bf so wants one now, but I think it would be too hard in an apartment. Have fun walking him, I am sure it's great exercise!

MisoSoup79

Heheh... this is my job. I walk dogs for a living. I can definitely agree with the Gentle Leader - many a rambunctious dog has been transformed into a perfect angel with the Leader. Your dog won't get enough exercise (physically and mentally) until you get him under control... Once you do, you'll both be able to enjoy the walk a lot more and you won't be in danger of having your arm ripped out of it's socket!

I can relate. :flowerforyou:

LuckyLeprechaun

I just trained my dogs to heel using a choke chain and a few (very few) well placed corrections, and they walk ever so politely on the leash.

what is a gentle leader? is it that device that has a loop over their nose?

laurenjill

I do have a gentle leader, but I haven't tried it on her yet. I've only had her for a couple of weeks so I really wanted to get a feel for how she would do just on the leash. Surprisingly, I've never had a problem with my little one(a three year old JRT/Boston Terrier mix). Maybe I'll give the gentle leader a try tomorrow.

Frost

I do have a gentle leader, but I haven't tried it on her yet. I've only had her for a couple of weeks so I really wanted to get a feel for how she would do just on the leash. Surprisingly, I've never had a problem with my little one(a three year old JRT/Boston Terrier mix). Maybe I'll give the gentle leader a try tomorrow.

:laugh: I just had the image of you attempting to place a gentle leader on a Boston mix. They have to have a snout for it to work! I know we are talking about your other dog but still....

My cattle dog hates his gentle leader but it works!

Mickie17

I tried the gentl leader years ago with my lab. She hated it so much, she wriggles out of it, and we were NEVER able to fix it again. Weird, but true.

When I work with my rescue dogs (they are ususally strong labs that are between 1 & 2 yrs old), I find the best way is to use the choke chain in "show hold"...which is higher up on the neck and straight up with the collar. As they get use to this, you can back off the hold to a "loose hold."

QUESTION:

Has anyone had allergy problems with their non-wheat/corn puppy kibble before? We think our newest guy is allergic to this type of food...which is strange because our chocolate lab female actually has an allergy to wheat & corn. UGH!!!!

Iceprincessk25

I remeber reading somewhere that people with dogs tend to be like 5 pounds lighter than people without dogs because you're supposedly walking and being more active with them cuz they need to go out. YAY for doggies! :bigsmile:

FitnessGeek

Has anyone had allergy problems with their non-wheat/corn puppy kibble before? We think our newest guy is allergic to this type of food...which is strange because our chocolate lab female actually has an allergy to wheat & corn. UGH!!!!

My boxer had some strange reactions to food when she was a puppy. She seemed to be allergic to wheat/rice/corn and we had a hard time finding pet foods for her. So, for 4 months we fed her a raw homemade diet. She did much better on it, but it was way too expensive for us to keep buying all the organic meat (between the boxer and the pit bull we were buying 40-50lbs of assorted organic raw meats a week...not to mention another 5lbs of vegetables...fish oil & flax supplements...and it was pricey!!).
So, due to lack of funds to keep her on the raw diet, we began a long search for a holistic pet food brand that she could thrive on. We found one at our local grocery co-op. It's made by a local farm and is wheat/gluten/corn/rice free. Just veggies, meats, and even some herbs for taste. They will probably not sell this brand near you because it is very local...but I suggest that you try to find a similar local holistic food. You can try your local grocery co-op, farmers market, or holistic veterinary clinic.

Mickie17

Has anyone had allergy problems with their non-wheat/corn puppy kibble before? We think our newest guy is allergic to this type of food...which is strange because our chocolate lab female actually has an allergy to wheat & corn. UGH!!!!

My boxer had some strange reactions to food when she was a puppy. She seemed to be allergic to wheat/rice/corn and we had a hard time finding pet foods for her. So, for 4 months we fed her a raw homemade diet. She did much better on it, but it was way too expensive for us to keep buying all the organic meat (between the boxer and the pit bull we were buying 40-50lbs of assorted organic raw meats a week...not to mention another 5lbs of vegetables...fish oil & flax supplements...and it was pricey!!).
So, due to lack of funds to keep her on the raw diet, we began a long search for a holistic pet food brand that she could thrive on. We found one at our local grocery co-op. It's made by a local farm and is wheat/gluten/corn/rice free. Just veggies, meats, and even some herbs for taste. They will probably not sell this brand near you because it is very local...but I suggest that you try to find a similar local holistic food. You can try your local grocery co-op, farmers market, or holistic veterinary clinic.

Please tell me more aboutthe "raw diet"---are you talking about ground beef and veggies? That sort of stuff?

Nich0le

Try a Gentle Leader. I used this with many dogs when I voluntered at the Animal Shelter when taking dogs out. It took a few days for them to get used to it but boy did it make a horible walking dog into a great dog.

Love the gentle leader, easy to use. We had a dog that the kids couldn't walk until we got the gentle leader and a little puppy training out of the way. :flowerforyou:

FitnessGeek

Please tell me more aboutthe "raw diet"---are you talking about ground beef and veggies? That sort of stuff?

I did A LOT of reading on dog nutrition before I started her on the raw diet. Each meal for her would include 1 cup of veggies, 2% of her body weight in muscle meats, 1 cup of organ meats, 1 tsp of each of her supplements. All the meats and veggies are absolutely raw, with the bones whole. It is a complete myth that dogs cannot eat chicken bones (or any other bones for that matter). The thing is: dogs cannot eat cooked bones because they splinter.
Basically, I tried to feed her exactly what she would have eaten in the wild.

Veggies: carrots, celery, cabbage, zucchini, bananas (Usually whatever I was buying for myself to eat that week, but of course dogs can only eat certain veggies. It is also important to note that dogs cannot truly digest whole vegetables and fruits. Think about it: wolves aren't exactly digging carrots out of the ground for food. They only get vegetables from eating the stomach contents of herbivores. The fruits and veggies must be completely chopped in the food processor to mush. Otherwise, the veggies will just come out undigested on the other end...)

Muscle Meats: chicken back, turkey thighs, chicken necks, turkey necks, ground beef, ground venison, ground turkey, ground chicken, raw eggs (I suggest only serving raw eggs once a week. It makes their stool loose).

Organ meats: chicken liver, chicken hearts (her favorite), cow liver, turkey giblets

Supplements: flax seed, fish oil, plain yogurt (sometimes), bone dust (I usually made my own bone dust from cleaned and baked egg shells that I then ground in a food processor. I only give the bone dust supplement in meals that did not already include bones in them)

I hope that helps you get a basic idea. If you are seriously considering a raw diet for your dog, you must either do a lot of research or check out some of the pre-made raw food diets out there, such as B.A.R.F. (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food http://www.barfproducts.com/?gclid=CLGeiJvc85kCFQoMDQodmxWoRA )

**edit
LOL, I thought I should note that I am a vegetarian, and I don't actually eat meat. My boyfriend is not a vegetarian, but he has to eat what I cook. The whole time the dogs were on the raw food diet, he would complain that the dogs ate better than he did. Hehe. **

Mickie17

Thank for the "Raw Diet info"...VERY good info. to know. I will check into that website too. WOW! No owonder it was sooooo expensive.

Mickie17

How do you get motivated to walk your dog in the rain????

AwMyLoLo

I do have a gentle leader, but I haven't tried it on her yet. I've only had her for a couple of weeks so I really wanted to get a feel for how she would do just on the leash. Surprisingly, I've never had a problem with my little one(a three year old JRT/Boston Terrier mix). Maybe I'll give the gentle leader a try tomorrow.

:laugh: I just had the image of you attempting to place a gentle leader on a Boston mix. They have to have a snout for it to work! I know we are talking about your other dog but still....

My cattle dog hates his gentle leader but it works!

:laugh: Maybe it has the JRT triangle face!

Azdak

Heheh... this is my job. I walk dogs for a living. I can definitely agree with the Gentle Leader - many a rambunctious dog has been transformed into a perfect angel with the Leader. Your dog won't get enough exercise (physically and mentally) until you get him under control... Once you do, you'll both be able to enjoy the walk a lot more and you won't be in danger of having your arm ripped out of it's socket!

I can relate. :flowerforyou:

I agree--I think it is especially important that, if you are using the walk as a form of "fitness"--for you, the dog, or both--you need to establish that walk time is not play time. I think it is also a crucial part of establishing the "hierarchy" between the dog and the human.

Azdak

I tried the gentl leader years ago with my lab. She hated it so much, she wriggles out of it, and we were NEVER able to fix it again. Weird, but true.

When I work with my rescue dogs (they are ususally strong labs that are between 1 & 2 yrs old), I find the best way is to use the choke chain in "show hold"...which is higher up on the neck and straight up with the collar. As they get use to this, you can back off the hold to a "loose hold."

QUESTION:

Has anyone had allergy problems with their non-wheat/corn puppy kibble before? We think our newest guy is allergic to this type of food...which is strange because our chocolate lab female actually has an allergy to wheat & corn. UGH!!!!

There is another post on the raw diet. That's one option, although for me it is too time consuming. We feed our dog Innova EVO dry, canned, and treats, which has been excellent for us. He has a great coat, is 6 years old and has never needed his teeth cleaned, and....he has the best-looking poop at the dog park ;-) (see my profile for a picture--of the dog, not the poop!)

sonjavon

Another Gentle Leader fan here - I use it for all 3 of my dogs and all of our rescue/fosters that come through.

On the dog food question. I have one that seems to be allergic to everything. He takes chlorpheneramine twice daily for environmental allergies. We feed Natural Balance Potato and Duck and have had a lot of luck with it. I've heard great things about RAW - but honestly - I don't have that strong of a stomach to watch them chew on raw meat.

Good luck!

MisoSoup79

I tried the gentl leader years ago with my lab. She hated it so much, she wriggles out of it, and we were NEVER able to fix it again. Weird, but true.

When I work with my rescue dogs (they are ususally strong labs that are between 1 & 2 yrs old), I find the best way is to use the choke chain in "show hold"...which is higher up on the neck and straight up with the collar. As they get use to this, you can back off the hold to a "loose hold."

QUESTION:

Has anyone had allergy problems with their non-wheat/corn puppy kibble before? We think our newest guy is allergic to this type of food...which is strange because our chocolate lab female actually has an allergy to wheat & corn. UGH!!!!

There is another post on the raw diet. That's one option, although for me it is too time consuming. We feed our dog Innova EVO dry, canned, and treats, which has been excellent for us. He has a great coat, is 6 years old and has never needed his teeth cleaned, and....he has the best-looking poop at the dog park ;-) (see my profile for a picture--of the dog, not the poop!)

Good thing you specified that the pic is of the dog and NOT the poop, or I would have missed your handsome Golden boy! He does have a very lovely coat! :flowerforyou:

MisoSoup79

Another Gentle Leader fan here - I use it for all 3 of my dogs and all of our rescue/fosters that come through.

On the dog food question. I have one that seems to be allergic to everything. He takes chlorpheneramine twice daily for environmental allergies. We feed Natural Balance Potato and Duck and have had a lot of luck with it. I've heard great things about RAW - but honestly - I don't have that strong of a stomach to watch them chew on raw meat.

Good luck!

We LOVE Natural Balance, too! My dogs love the sweet potato and fish flavor best! My cats also eat natural balance and it has given my shy and sedentary female kitty energy that grocery store brand food never provided. And her coat is amazingly soft! If I could afford the raw food diet, I'd totally do it, but as it is, my dogs eat 9 cups of dry food daily and so even that is not cheap.

Mickie17

WARNING: THIS IS GROSS!!!

So, while we are on the subject of fecal matter, how do you get a dog to NOT eat it? I've tried peper flakes to no avail.

(I told you this was gross)!

joeysmuse

I just trained my dogs to heel using a choke chain and a few (very few) well placed corrections, and they walk ever so politely on the leash.

what is a gentle leader? is it that device that has a loop over their nose?

I love your advice. So many people think chokers are inhumane. We have 2 pits and I did the same you have and they walk like proper young ladies! now when they get excited a quick tug on the harness on the and a command and they are back in line. I can walk them both with my one year old strapped to my back !

joeysmuse

WARNING: THIS IS GROSS!!!

So, while we are on the subject of fecal matter, how do you get a dog to NOT eat it? I've tried peper flakes to no avail.

(I told you this was gross)!

Dogs usually eat their poo when they are eating too much protien and their body is not digesting it. There fore their poo has alot of protien in it and doggies love protien. I had my 11mo pittie on puppy chow and she did't eat the poo. now my 3 month old loved her poo. I changed her to beniful and I don't have to worry about poo breath anymore. Just puppy breath. Another reason they don't digest the protien is that they are eating too fast. Try feeding them seperatly and they have dog food bowls that have raised portions, the size of golf balls, that make the doggies work around them to get the food.

Hope this all helps. I love my pits but not poo breath!

Sorry about the spelling

rowie

I have 5 dogs in my house, and they are such a great help to me as far as getting out of the house. I know that i have to take care of them, and keep them healthy, which means lots of walks! It's odd how i'll do something for my dog that i won't do for myself. If im not with the dogs it takes so much willpower to just go on a walk! Hurray for my furry friends!

sonjavon

WARNING: THIS IS GROSS!!!

So, while we are on the subject of fecal matter, how do you get a dog to NOT eat it? I've tried peper flakes to no avail.

(I told you this was gross)!

Most people who have dogs have to deal with this eventually. Like another poster said - it could be that your dog is eating too quickly and not digesting their food. Are you feeding too much? You might try cutting back the food just a bit or feeding smaller portions, more often. You might also try pouring a little bit (teaspoonful) of pineapple juice over your dogs food - it is supposed to make the poo distasteful to dogs. If all else fails, there are products that you can put in their food that when digested makes the poo less palatable. Check the Drs. Foster and Smith website for these products.

Iceprincessk25

Dogs don't have as many tastebuds as we do so they can't really taste their poo.

You're supposed to put a certain meat tenderizer on it......but the name of it escapes me right now.