Rosie Knight
Malting
I never knew an animal could malt so much and I hate it, it gets everywhere. I really should have done some research. I have no Idea how often I should be grooming her either. If I didn’t have my trusty vacuum cleaner I think she would be spending most the time in the garden. I was advised to get a Furminater so I went to our local pet shop to try it out for myself before buying one as they are quite pricey. I couldn’t believe how much hair I got from her it was enough to coat another dog no wonder it gets everywhere, I decided to buy one but now I struggle brushing her because she tries to eat the comb as I am combing her, I cant win 🙁
Food
my garden is covered in shit smears from her runny poo because we can’t pick it up in one go because of it being like slush. We have taken her to the vets twice now regarding her poo’s and the number of poops she has in a day and we were advised to change her food. After lots of research, we decided to go for Millies Wolfheart, It turns out the food we were giving to her originally has a few ingredients she could be intolerant too like grain and chicken etc. With this new food, it is 70% Lamb, Duck with Rabbit and 30% Vegetables/Fruits/Herbs/Botanicals so now she is having high meat and high protein quality nutritional diet. Fingers crossed for solid poo soon.
Walking
I really dislike walking her because she nearly detaches my arm out of the socket with all the pulling she does and when she see’s another dog or person she just wants to play and jump up and say hello. We currently use a 5metre flexi lead or a short lead with resistance to filter the pull. We are looking into a Halti to see if we can gain control more. Please, any advice is welcome please leave a comment.
Apart from all the negatives above she is my gorgeous furbaby and as much as she pisses me off chewing the heads of Emily’s Moana dolls and everything else in sight and eating her £35 Skechers shoes we do all love her so much, She is very affectionate, I love her cuddles when I fall asleep on the sofa. She is a big softy.
Also, we are on the hunt for a dog kennel for the garden and a good dog bed and toys. Please leave recommendations below in comments
You need to get a short lead to begin with and teach her to heel. Every time she starts to pull say heel firmly and pull her back to you. If she wants to go to another animal the command is leave. But you must say this in a firm voice. Once you are in an environment where there are no other animals then you can relax a bit. I know that it will take a while but she will learn and the pair of you will enjoy your walk.
Food is tricky but you are doing the right thing in looking at her diet. It is a trial and error situation which you are doing now. That is good.
Sorry no magic fix I am afraid.
Author
Thank you Clarel .. What about when people just stroke your dog without asking? They can clearly see I am training her because as they go to walk past I have her sat down and tell her to Leave yet they still approach her?
Then you have to be firm and say please leave her we are in the middle of training. Most people respect this and will acknowledge this. Make her a banner and put it on her when you are walking. Saying dog in training. ~Dogs for the blind have this so it does work. Try that (just a suggestion) But you must make it clear with a big smile and a firm voice
The Magic word for the presence of other dogs is to say ‘LEAVE’ in a very firm voice and repeat it if necessary until you have got past the other animal then reward them with lots of praises like ‘ good girl’ and things along those lines. You will have to continue doing this until they get it into their heads that this is not what my owner wants and i will be a good dog. It does work but it is a long ongoing exercise. When you get home from the walk and all gone smoothly lots of praise and a treat will work wonders. The sit and stay command may also work but that is a bit harder to do.
The Magic word for the presence of other dogs is to say ‘LEAVE’ in a very firm voice and repeat it if necessary until you have got past the other animal then reward them with lots of praises like ‘ good girl’ and things along those lines. You will have to continue doing this until they get it into their heads that this is not what my owner wants and i will be a good dog. It does work but it is a long ongoing exercise. When you get home from the walk and all gone smoothly lots of praise and a treat will work wonders. The sit and stay command may also work but that is a bit harder to do. I know I have said this before but it is important that you follow these rules. This is what the dog trainer told me to do
Also this age is the hardest it’s why you see so many dogs around 7-8months up for rehoming because they are still puppies but they look like adult dogs so have lost that cute puppy look. Persistence is the key and lots of praise YouTube videos are great as they show fab ways to train. Clicker training is good. Having a big strong dog for walking I recommend a shorter lead something with a comfy handle I used to have to wrap the lead around my hand about 6 times and I’d get back from a walk covered in blisters but since training her I now hold the lead very loosely and 90% of the time she walks fantastically.
When you see another dog and she pulls what do you do? Xx
Author
Hi Hun,
When I see another dog or human coming towards her I tell her to Sit holding a treat in my hand and then say Leave as they get closer and when they have walked past and she has left them I give her the treat and make a fuss however people just come up to her when I am trying to do it, they can clearly hear me telling her to leave but yet still fuss her. It is annoying
My bullmastiffs a strong girl. When she pulls I started by turning in the opposite direction she soon got that every time she pulled I would turn around but obviously it gets abit dizzy so now if she’s acting up I just stand still say roxy here and when she’s back next to me I praise her and we walk on xx
Author
I am looking forward to the day she doesn’t pull, She was supposed to help Leo with his therapy but she just knocks him down at the moment.
You are trying to run before you can walk. Yes she will be good for Leo but she is still a baby. She has to mature and get properly trained by you and David not to pull not to jump and to heel.
It is hard work and in a year’s time you will be amazed at the difference. Perseverance is the key to this and constant training and love will win in the end
As they say ‘vasbyte’ (keep calm and do your best)(is the best explanation of the term) and you will win in the end.
All good things win out in the end