Obedience and agility newbie

[Jamie]

I am very excited....I keep checking the school's website to see if they've posted new classes. I thrive on keeping busy. Once Missy is done with her basic obedience class, we have to wait until Sept/Oct for her pet partners training class. So, she'll have a bit of a break from classes. But, I would love to keep the other two busy. Honestly, my biggest problem is feeling guilty about things. For example, I have always been a fairly lax mom and have let them pull on the leash, etc., when we're out for their nightly hour walk. It has totally been my fault....not theirs. So, I've been starting to work on keeping them more in line while walking. On our fun walks, I don't try to make them heel or anything (they don't even know what that means yet), but I do want to teach them that they cannot pull my arm out of its socket. Last night, Nixon totally about pulled me over because he suddenly decided that he HAD to potty on a lamp post. My first response was to REALLY pull him back, which I did. Then I felt horrible about it....I almost started to cry. He kind of looked at me like, "why did you do that mom?" I also purchased a choke chain as a training collar for them and used it for the first time the other day. I don't know if I feel comfortable with it. I don't really pull on it or anything. But, I just feel guilty......must be that catholic school guilt thing still. Catholics (even ex-Catholics) can feel guilty about anything. I guess I am just looking for affirmation that I am not being mean to them by pulling them back (like with Nixon) and that I am not being a bad guardian. It's nice to know that I can share this on the forum without feeling silly. I talk to my husband about it and he thinks I am being silly and overprotective. I guess I just get frustrated at times. They can be SO obstinant and recalcitrant. Anyway, thanks for all your help.

[Lemon]

Aw, don't feel guilty. Easy to say, but I've certainly felt guilty over my first few months with Lemon. We had her on a retractable leash and let her pull to her heart's content. I had no idea that I'd be working hard to undo that habit one day.

My opinion? You don't need a choke collar. And you don't need to pull them back. That's what training is for. I don't always make Lemon walk right next to me -- I like to let her explore. But she doesn't pull, either. If I need her to heel, I give the command, and she falls right in line. It takes a while, but any good trainer can help you get there. I just worry about the choke collar and their tracheas, you know?

In the meantime, you can try the "stand like a tree" method, where as soon as they start pulling, you freeze. Don't move forward until they come back towards you and the leash is slack again. It's simple, but amazingly effective. They learn that they can't move forward unless the leash is loose. Also, have you looked at something like the Gentle Leader EZ Walk? Basically, the leash clips to the front, so that if they pull, they get turned around towards you. Trainers rave about them, and the Whole Dog Journal has featured them several times.

[ViralMD]

The 'be a tree' method works VERY well. They catch on so quickly - without a choke collar (I have a harness on Cyril).