I got a miracle today. An honest-to-God, miracle. Most would say it's not really that big a deal, but for me, it's huge!
I took Eva for a 5 km jog today. It was the first time in a couple of months. We used to go jogging on a more regular basis but with the torrential downpour that whas the entirety of July, my falling off the wagon exercise-wise, and the addition of a bike contraption which allows Eva to run along beside my bicycle without pulling me over (yay!) we haven't been jogging for a while.
Side note: I know I don't exercise my dog enough. But between the bike, jogging, and going to my parents' acreage and running around all day with the dogs, she's still getting quite a bit. And I'm working on getting out with her more often.
I'm gonna go back a bit here. I've had Eva ever since she was about 10 weeks old. She's been a part of my family for over 2 years now. She's been through three different obedience classes and two agility ones. (You wouldn't believe how fast she is when you can keep her focused.) And through all that, she still pulls on-leash. All the time. Now, she doesn't pull nearly as hard as she used to, but she still pulls. Two years, and she still pulls. Argh...
I've used a no-pull harness with her. (She's outgrown it now.) I use a partial choke collar so she can only pull so hard before she has to ease up. Also the sound of the collar clinking helps when I shake the leash before she hits the end, so she can tell better when she's about to hit the pulling point. But she still pulls. I freely admit that if I'd walked her more as a puppy I probably wouldn't have this problem. But I can't go back, so no point dwelling on it.
So today we're going for a jog. She's excited and wants to run, so she's out there at the very end of that leash. And then this weird thing starts happening: every so often, she eases up and drops back just a little, for a few seconds. I am quick to give her a "Good girl, Eva!" of encouragement, because this kind of volunteered behavior should be acknowledged. And she starts doing it more often, and for longer and longer. By the time we get to the cool-down walk at the end, she's walking with a slack leash about half the time. And when she starts pulling, all it takes is for me to say "Easy..." softly for her to slow down and stop pulling.
She still pulls like crazy when she gets excited, but at her more mellow times, she seems to remember that a slack leash is a good thing, and that has me extatic.
So that's my miracle. After two years, multiple classes, and many hours of walking and jogging while on-leash, she gets it. My crazy, high-energy dog can settle down enough to enjoy her walks instead of trying to plow through them Yay!
Love,
-Nan
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