When her food was running out, we went to Pets at home, a huge place which is also where our vets is, so there's always people with their pets in the shop. We got to talking to a man walking a huge GSD, who said he'd had them for 40 yrs and every now and again there was one that refused to walk on a collar and lead. Funny enough, the one he was walking then was on a body harness.
Then Tye remembered that Suzy, the shepherd mix his parents adopted years ago, used to walk on a harness too. When they adopted her she was covered in bite marks and could not walk on a collar because it was too painful. His mum had actually kept the harness!
We adjusted it to Keesha, and guess what: she walked! In the harness, lead attached and everything! After a few walks around the house, we decided it was time to cross the road and go to the park.
She had a brilliant time sniffing all the new smells. She even got to meet a few other dogs, played with a tiny fluffy white thing on a pink lead, got to meet other people and saw some on bikes and loved it all.
I'm so glad she's finally figured out that the lead is not a bad thing and that is leads (ha!) to all the fun stuff outside!
Murphy would pull on his lead when I had a regular collar on him. He loved going out for walks, but I felt like I was hanging him. I got a bridle type harness, that goes over his nose and now no more pulling. But we can't go for walkies much anymore, he has problems with his back leg and will start limping.
ReplyDeleteOh poor Murphy!
ReplyDeleteI was talking to some people on a Dutch GSD forum and someone there said that I had now 'given in' and that I needed help in future because I was not 'tough enough on Keesha' by not making her wear the collar.
Guess what: I don't care if she's on a collar and lead or a harness and lead, as long as we get to take her out. And it's not as if Keesha was holding out for us to produce a harness for her to walk in, like a spoilt kid who refuses dinner because he knows mummy will give in anyway and make him a mac&cheese. *L*
I'm just glad we found her something she does like to walk in so we can now take her out and introduce her to the world. Oh, and burn some of that energy because she's got tons of it!