SOMEONE HELP ME WALK MY DOGS!!

After what I thought was a good walk with Brut, I woke up the next day with the right side of my neck, shoulder blade, all the way to my lower back and hips screaming in pain. And it wasn't just because of Brut, it was an accumulation of all the dogs.  I'd had enough.  It took several days to heal from what felt all my back muscles being pulled through my arm and I decided to invest in my resting time from walking the dogs wisely.  Training them to put on and use the E-Z Walk Harness that my wonderful friend Pamela suggested.  She had mentioned it before but I wasn't sure a harness would work for the dogs because they pull sleds.  But I was willing to do about anything at this point.  As much as it was hurting my body to walk the dogs it was nothing compared to the mental torture I was going through being pulled by them.

So far it is working great.  

I've tried it with Fiona, Zappa and Chance.  My easy pullers.  I have yet to try it on Brut and Blaze uses a Halti-like head halter already and is pretty skittish about the harness right now, so I'm waiting with her.  And Silver doesn't need one.  

I've always used a clicker method that you stop when the dog pulls, wait until the dog looks at you and then continue on, repeating as you go.  Well I've done this, though not so greatly, with Brut since he was young.  Six years of trying the same thing and getting same results.  See I always hated stopping and stopping and stopping that I would just give up and give in.  It drove me crazy.  And I was trying this method on Fiona with the harness and she finally sat down, looking exasperated.  She sat for about five to ten minutes before we heading home.  Somewhere in the pause, I realized to let the harness work for me.  It is suppose to turn your dog and many of you have told me to keep turning your dog and they will learn to follow you, so that's what I did.  And it's working.  I'd much rather walk in circles and back and forth than constantly stop every two steps.  And I think the dogs like it too.  On that same walk I took Fiona back out on the road after her long stop turning this way and that and she was walking next to me in minutes!  

My biggest problem is that I'm so used to having tension on the leash I don't realize it soon enough.  But I am trying my best to be more aware of the strained leash and more importantly I remember how sore I was after that last walk with Brut and how I don't want to be there again.  

So for now Brut is getting his walks from Daddy as with the rest of the dogs where they can walk any which way they want.  But when they come with me, we get to use the harness.  And so far, we're having a pretty good time.

This post is dedicate to Pamela from Something Wagging This Way Comes, who suggested I try this and it had helped her with her dog Shadow.  Thanks so much Pamela.  Maybe this time will be the time!