Improvements

[bendog]

So having a broken hand has forced me to walk each of the dogs seperately. Which I knew I should have been doing anyway, but its too tempting to take two at a time, or all three - especially when they come to me so excited to get leads on and I can only take one. Poppy especially hates being left behind.

But anyway - walked together all three are very reactive - pulling and barking to go towards other dogs. Yesterday Ben walked past a dog on the other side of the road without reacting at all (except for sticking his tail bolt upright) and today we went past the two dogs he hates most (they bark at the window when we go past and hes had a scuffle with them a couple of times before). Anyway, their owner has had a go at me and my boyfriend before about how we shouldn't be walking Ben as he's dangerous blah blah blah. So it was with great pleasure that I walked past with Ben looking eagerly at me the whole time, and with no more than the tinest growl at the dogs that were going mental barking and yapping at him!

[JudyN]

Every cloud... though I hope this doesn't mean you'll feel obliged to walk them all separately for months to come, or you'll never get anything else done!

[ClareMarsh]

Anyway, their owner has had a go at me and my boyfriend before about how we shouldn't be walking Ben as he's dangerous blah blah blah. So it was with great pleasure that I walked past with Ben looking eagerly at me the whole time, and with no more than the tinest growl at the dogs that were going mental barking and yapping at him!

I love it when that sort of thing happens, it's like when "chocolate labrador woman" (as we came to call her after she had a go at me for stopping her off lead dog from running up to Ted, telling me I was going to make Ted aggressive) saw us chatting to some people with a massive (on lead) lurcher who Ted was sniffing and saying hello to

Yay for Ben

[bendog]

Feel like we are slowly getting there in having three happy dogs.

Ben had a couple of great walks in two very different parks. In one my brother was holding his lead and had been briefed on use of "squeaky skunk" if we met other dogs. We passed about 7 dogs with my brother taking Ben to a distance away and no reaction from him.

The other walk we passed 2 small dogs quite close (one was an off lead Jack Russell that came right up to us) and again, we distracted Ben with squeaky skunk and he was fine.

Then he had to go and ruin it by reacting to a Border Collie yesterday because I didn't have a spare hand to get squeaky skunk out in time. And had all three dogs so they all reacted - it's hard to walk away and get distance with three barking pulling dogs

Ben is usually first to stop barking though, and happiest to move away and follow me which is good. Sash and Pops will bark but are calmed down when if they are allowed to meet the dog.

Sasha is playing more and more. My heart nearly burst when, after I'd been playing tug with her she brought me a toy and wanted to play more. She's also playing more with Poppy. And the playing is wearing her out so she's barking a lot less. And when she does bark I can ask her to stop sooner.

If we make sure we walk her in the morning and last thing at night then Sash doesn't wee or poo in the kitchen either (she won't go in the garden)- although sometimes she won't come out for her night walk when the weathers bad, or she's tired, which means we can wake up to a puddle.

Pops is improving all the time with house training, and it seems like she finally gets it. When I've been watching her she doesn't have a single accident so it seems that when she does go indoors its because she's needed to go out and been ignored or locked in another room. The horrible weather has almost helped because it means she goes straight away when we let her out as she's keen to come in again!

All very small changes. But hopefully things will keep on improving in the new house when we finally move and we'll be able to socialise all the dogs more too.

[minkee]

Bendog I think you're brilliant. You've put so much care into these dogs, most of which are / were not your own and never asked for. Good for you

[bendog]

Honestly the walk in Sefton park was the best one yet coz I have two brothers and 3 dogs. I briefed the brothers well first (and provided them with treat and poo bags!) and so then I had the pup and they had a dog each.

One brother is 21 but has severe depression and Aspergers syndrome, and the other brother is only 12 and they took their roles so seriously and did a great job a little frustrating at times because there were odd little things (like littlest brother letting Bendog pull a bit) that I wanted to step in and stop them. But for the most part it was great to see them putting so much effort into walking the dogs nicely.

Bendog has always been mine - but to be honest one dog is about 50 times easier than 3! And Bendog had no real problems apart from dog reactivity and a touch of nervousness walking on busy roads anyway