Taming the Wild Hound Dog: Using the Gentle Leader

My husband and I rescued two male hound/lab mix puppies the previous summer (littermates).  We immediately enrolled them in a puppy training class to teach them basic commands such as sit, down, come, and stay.  We wanted to make sure that they were well trained dogs that listened and could be respectable members of the dog/human community.  Especially with big dogs, I knew it was important to make sure they had manners and knew how to listen.

For the most part, they absolutely are well behaved.  They politely sit before they can eat from their bowls or go out. After this snowy winter they will each lift all four paws to have them wiped with a towel upon coming in. They know not to enter the kitchen in the area between the island and the stove.  They live in harmony (mostly) with our two cats.  They don't steal food from the table.

The one training piece that continued to be difficult (for me, anyway) is walking the larger of the two dogs.  When I walk him, if he wanted to, he could easily pull me over. This winter in particular was tricky due to the large amount of snow and ice, that made it more difficult than usual to keep my balance on dog walks.  I was frustrated with walking him because even though he did not usually pull me over, the constant pulling was irritating my back and neck muscles. I continued to work on training him to walk nicely, but when he saw something he wanted to go after, there was a good chance I was going with him, whether I liked it or not.

I knew that I had to come up with a new solution for walking him that would make it a more enjoyable experience. I had grown up using choke chains for obedience training methods, but since my dogs would not be show dogs, I didn't want to go this route. I looked around for other ideas and came across what would soon be my perfect solution: The Gentle Leader.

The gentle leader is a a thin strap that loops around the dogs muzzle and behind their head. The idea is that the pressure on the dog's muzzle when he pulls forward pushes his nose down and makes him lose his momentum from pulling.  The website claims that the dog will actually turn around, but I found more that it just slows their momentum and makes the dog stop wanting to pull forward. It definitely does direct their attention to you, and make them think they should stop running forward.

The Gentle Leader has been a life saver when it comes to walking my dog. He is about 65 pounds (still growing!) and an 11 month old hound dog mix, so if he wants to run forward, he definitely can.  This THIN strap stops him in his tracks, but not in a way that I feel like he is being hurt.  It is a thin strap of material, but just because of the pressure on his muzzle, he is stopped.  I feel bad for dogs that are wearing big, thick choke collars now, because I know there is a much simpler method.  I can walk him with one hand and feel completely in control.

I was worried at first that he would not want to go on walks with the strap on his muzzle, but when he sees me take it out he comes running, because he knows he is going on a walk.  While I wouldn't say he LOVES having it on, he does understand that it serves as part of his walking paraphernalia. It is  more enjoyable for both of us, as I am not constantly pulling on him and yelling, and we can both enjoy the walk.

I have suggested the Gentle Leader to my parents and friends that have big dogs that sometimes pull.  Obviously, training the dog to always walk obediently is the better strategy, but at least for now, the Gentle Walker provides a perfect solution for our dog walks.  We can both now enjoy the experience without injuries or stress.

A Hound Doggin' Good Time!

This weekend, when we were at a 30th birthday party, my one friend who had recently rescued a female hound dog asked us if we would like to bring our two hound mix puppies for a dog date to Shake Shack in King of Prussia. I thought this seemed like an odd place for a doggie date, but she quickly assured me that they have a couple of dog friendly menu items and that dogs are allowed to hang out on the patio section.  Sure enough, she was correct, and on Sunday we spent some time on the patio of Shake Shack while our dogs slurped on Pooch-inis.

A Pooch-ini is basically vanilla custard with peanut butter sauce and a dog biscuit in a cup for dogs. They also sell just the dog biscuits if you want to stay away from giving your dogs custard.  It was a cold day, so we were the only ones brave enough to sit on the patio, but the dogs definitely appeared to be welcome at what is more typically a "human" establishment. In fact, all of the little kids that were inside were all watching from the window and several came out to visit and pet the dogs.  All three dogs had a blast and absolutely loved their special treat.

We loved the casual atmosphere, dog acceptance, and I must say that the human peanut butter milkshakes are delicious too!  All in all it was a great day, and if you're looking for a casual, dog friendly lunch spot, I would definitely recommend Shake Shack!!

Rescue Dogs and Chewing!! Kuranda Dog Bed to the Rescue!

This past August, my husband and I adopted two hound/lab mixes from the Rescue Organization All 4 Paws.  We originally only intended on adopting ONE puppy, but ended up taking home two male litter mates.  The dogs are our precious boys and have brought so much joy to our lives in the past eight months, with the exception of ONE big issue--CHEWING!

The dogs are crate trained and kept in separate crates during the day while we are at work.  The one dog is totally fine in his crate, but the other dog has crate anxiety during the day, which is manifested in chewing.  He chewed through 2 dogs beds, along with various blankets and towels.  We tried giving him kongs with treats and various other distractions during the day to keep him busy, but nothing worked. One day we came home to find he had chewed the plastic tray bottom of the crate into pieces.  We had to remove the leftover chunk of plastic and watch him closely to see if he could pass the pieces. Once the crate tray was removed this meant that he was laying on the wires of the crate, which would obviously be uncomfortable.  This lead to us ordering a thick rubber matting for the bottom of the crate.  We had read that it would be chew proof, and would also be comfortable for the dog.  WRONG.  VERY, VERY WRONG.

I came home from work one Thursday, only to discover that the dog had chewed through the rubber mat and swallowed a couple of chunks of it.  Unlike with the crate tray, he was not able to pass the thick rubber, and was vomiting profusely all over his kennel, and later, the carpet, yard, etc.  I ended up having to rush him to the vet office (luckily our regular vet made time for us to come in so we did not have to go to the emergency vet--an expensive option we had used with our cat before).  The vet took x-rays and informed me they would have to perform surgery to remove the rubber.

You can imagine how scared and upset I was! Fortunately, after 2 incisions (one in the stomach and one in the intestine) and five days at the vet, he was able to come home and begin the recovery process.  BUT, we STILL had nothing comfortable for him to rest on in his crate!  This lead to us continuing our research process, and FINALLY finding the BEST OPTION EVER for owners of dogs that chew! We discovered the Kuranda Bed!

The Kuranda Dog Bed is the ONLY chew proof option that we were able to find, and our dog loves it! It fits in the crate and is comfortable and orthopedic for the dogs.  There are a couple of different options, but we went with the aluminum dog bed.  This model has an aluminum frame with a tautly stretched material for the dog to lay on that honestly, reminds me of a trampoline... but IT WORKS! Ever since we have put this in the crate we have had NO chewing problems.  Our other dog tries to get in there to sleep on it, along with our cats!  Whatever it is about the Kuranda bed, animals love it...and more importantly...they can't chew it!  Plus, the company offers a one year chew warranty; they are that positive that the bed is chew proof.

We actually want to get another one for our other dog that is not a chewer, just because the pets seem to love it so much.  Unfortunately, they are a bit expensive, but DEFINITELY cheaper than paying for stomach surgery, and worth it to keep the dog safe! Regardless, when we have the spare cash, we will definitely look to get another one--we are that happy with the product!

In summation, if you have a dog that is a chronic chewer, and you worry about them destroying everything in their crate, or possibly swallowing what they have destroyed, the Kuranda bed is for you!  And no, I don't work for them--I just wish someone had told me about this product when we first rescued the boys, instead of finding out several dog beds and a stomach surgery later!!