Not enjoying our walks anymore..

[BWa]

Hang on in there OP. Collies are worth it! Now I'm married to a sheep farmer all our collies are working dogs but we still take them out to socialise, the beach is good if it's a quiet one. My mother has a collie as a pet who is now 14, we got him when he was 2 as there was too much chase and not enough herd instinct going on! We gave up with a collar and lead and he has always walked much better with a halti. My parents also moved to a busy village and he is now much better with other dogs and exciting things. He also did agility and weekly training classes for a very long time and it did really help him. He wasn't food orientated but was very insecure so we went down the route of ignore the bad stuff and loads of praise for the good stuff. He is my Mum's shadow and a dog of a lifetime and we will be very sad when his time is up as he is a very old boy now.

 

[Bourbons]

Stunning collie OP

 

[Noodles_3]

Hang on in there OP. Collies are worth it! Now I'm married to a sheep farmer all our collies are working dogs but we still take them out to socialise, the beach is good if it's a quiet one. My mother has a collie as a pet who is now 14, we got him when he was 2 as there was too much chase and not enough herd instinct going on! We gave up with a collar and lead and he has always walked much better with a halti. My parents also moved to a busy village and he is now much better with other dogs and exciting things. He also did agility and weekly training classes for a very long time and it did really help him. He wasn't food orientated but was very insecure so we went down the route of ignore the bad stuff and loads of praise for the good stuff. He is my Mum's shadow and a dog of a lifetime and we will be very sad when his time is up as he is a very old boy now.

Aww he sounds lovely they are such fab breeds! I dread to think of the day I lose mine, I'd be heart broken. She is the most loving dog I've ever known! A lot of people are praising haltis actually, I may have to try. I'd have to let her wear one around the house first (if I got the nose band one).

Bourbons - Thank you very much x

 

[Adopter]

I will be interested to hear how you get on with a halt Noodles, our dog hates them, and it seemed to make him worse when out. We also tried a number of harnesses, but they were hopeless at helping control spinning.

We have gone back to a half choke which which we know he can not slip. If our boy got away from us he would run in the road totally obsessed and focused on traffic with no chance of him listening to us and coming back. (He managed to do this once when he broke a harness, so we know what can happen). He is so strong he has broken a couple of leads so have to have really strong ones as well.

I know it sounds bad but he is a lovely dog and I am sure that he will learn and improve, but I do not think we well ever change his basic obsessive nature and so we will live with it and keep him safe.

 

[Noodles_3]

Adopter - I feel relieved that I am not the only one that thinks this way, thank god! I would rather keep my dog safe too than risk her running on the road just so she can 'run'. I value her life too much!

Well I am quite happy with the slip rope at the moment, the only thing it does is not stop her pulling until half way into the walk, were she will then settle. She hasn't escaped this yet. Harnesses are useless on her! She escapes these with great ease as well!

Wish you were nearer, it would be good to walk our dogs together! No one in the family wants to help me with her, even though I live at home. I think it's because I totally dote on her they've brushed it on to me and don't want the hassle. Really, she is my dog!

Surprising how strong they are isn't it! You need to post some pictures of your lovely boy

 

[ladyt25]

Just to add, I won't let my dog off if I feel i am too close to a road either. Maybe when she's older and I have more trust in her to peg it across the road after a squirrel, cat or other small furry! The memory of finding my mum and dad's dog on a dark rainy night after she'd been hit by a car is sit fresh in my mind andI am a little paranoid about it. She was so badly injured the vets could not save her and it was heartbreaking. I guess that has made me very over-protective of mine and sometimes I do worry when I leave her with my parents each day as they are more relaxed when they walk her. Still, they weren't the ones who found the other dog.

I think my dog was poorly socialised and I think the trick is to try and walk with other dogs when you can. I have a lot of dog walkers near me and we meet a fair few (on and off lead). When I first got her i would ask people if it was ok if she said "hello" to their dog as I didn't want to continually used the 'distract' technique of food each time. Quite frankly althoough she is VERY food orientated in the house, when out and about she's not bothered (or wasn't, the more relaxed she's becoming the more i can get her attention with food now).

Most people i met were very good and we would say hello, get the barking, pulling and general tense-ness out the way and thenI'd praise her and walk on. Some of these dogs she loves and some she's still a bit tense about but then dogs have their own language and I amnot going to understand it all. Teaching her to say hello properly was one thing I needed to do - ie NOT her going straight up to them face on - that can just cause a negative reaction.

Funnily, since having her i have realised there are so many people who have the same problems of reactivity on lead. I have never experienced it before but it's nice to know I am not alone. So, I think the thing to do is get out there, get to a training class to build your confidence in handling the situations and don't be afraid to ask other friendly dog walkers to assist you when you're out and about - ask if you acn just walk with them for a bit (i did this to start with). It does wonders for your dogs confidence if you can build yours as well

 

[Adopter]

Ladyt25, how awful for you and yes I agree I would rather play safe than risk an accident. It is bad enough losing a pet without the added horror of such an accident.

My dog has a wonderful life in the house doing what he wants and we spent a fortune fencing our garden so he can run out there - it cost more than fencing the paddock for the ponies!! So he stays on the lead, and when I have to leave him whilst I visit my daughter abroad, I am leaving very strict instructions that he must always be on a lead outside unless in a fenced secure excercise area.

We have a squirrel in the garden at present on the bird nuts that is living dangerously driving not only the dog but also the cat mad!

It is good to know that we are not the only ones with problems, thank you all for your support.