If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
The leash as communication device,etc.
wrote in message
... I saw a show on PBS years ago (maybe Barbara Woodhouse).Two dogs on leashes were brought toward each other, and they began barking,raising their hackles, showing their teeth and lunging toward each other. When they were simultaneously unleashed, though, they ran to each other, sniffed, and began PLAYING! I tried it when other dogs on leash threatened my leashed St, Bernard, and , when unleashed, EVERY TIME, he ran to them to PLAY. Even when he stayed on the leash, I found that if I kept my body and voice calm and relaxed, it was as if that calm traveled down the leash to him, and HE was calm and relaxed. On the other hand, when a nervous Nellie saw us coming, as soon as she reacted in fear, screaming at her dog to behave, to get behind her, whatever, her DOG was afraid. My Saint would just saunter past, because I was calm, and so, then, was HE. I think this is a good point. A leash and collar are unnatural, and a dog reflexively opposes a restriction on movement, which results in leash pulling. Such restraints also inhibit the dog's ability to present normal body language to another dog, and it can be dangerous to the dogs and the handlers if the leashes get entangled during a meeting. Unfortunately, I and many others live in a situation where having a dog off-leash is dangerous. I live close to a very busy road where drunks and amateur race car drivers test their high speed and cornering skills (and often fail when rocks, utility poles, and cars parked in a driveway jump out in front of them). And there are squirrels, foxes, and deer that Muttley would find irresistable to chase. So even on my own 2.5 acres, I must keep him on a leash. I have a fenced area about 30 x 60 feet, but he is not that much interested in running around in it. It was useful when I had another rescue dog, Lucky, so they could interact normally. But their play got rather rough, and I think Muttley was jealous of Lucky, so I had to find another home for her. Also, Muttley did bite a handyman friend who was working on my house 1.5 years ago, and also he attacked another dog in his fourth week of obedience class, so there is some concern about what he might do if allowed to be off-leash. There were issues that probably caused those incidents, and he has not shown that level of aggression since then, but one cannot be too careful, especially with a powerfully built 80 lb dog. You have some good points about Koehler, and also you were spot on about JH. I actually tried his methods for a while after he called me last May, but Muttley did not react as he told me he would. It makes no sense that all dogs (and cats and kids and spouses) are alike in their response to a training method. He is like a fanatical religious zealot in his totally black/white attitude, and his extreme attacks on those who do not choose to be his unquestioning disciples indicate his own mental instability, while he plays the mental illness card on all those he seeks to discredit. I have intentionally crossposted this to the other R.P.D.B. NG, as it is much more about behavior than breeds. That NG is also more active, so you might want to move your discussion there. Paul and Muttley |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
The leash as communication device,etc. | [email protected] | Dog breeds | 1 | December 31st 07 01:11 AM |
Speaking of Inter-species Communication | Shelly | Dog behavior | 0 | April 27th 07 11:59 AM |
dog body language and communication | murph | Dog activities | 1 | January 22nd 06 03:08 PM |
Using an ultrasonic device - is it effective? | Barftholemew | Dog behavior | 0 | January 13th 04 02:37 AM |
Cross-species communication | Marcel Beaudoin | Dog behavior | 7 | August 14th 03 02:47 AM |