I took my dog out for a walk this evening, and what actually ended up happening was a fight with another dog. A very small Yorkshire terrier that wasn’t on a leash. I found out that I’m not in control of my dog. Not even close. I don’t have a BIG dog. He’s a collie/golden mix, and is about 56 lbs. It took every ounce of strength to get him away from the other dog (who kept running TOWARD my dog). I put my entire weight into it, and it was hard work. It was dark out. I like to walk at night. One reason I take my dog out at night is that we’re less likely to encounter anyone. Sometimes he will behave himself if we see people or other dogs, and sometimes he won’t. I took him immediately home and called to sign up for obedience training. I haven’t been a very good dog owner, because I haven’t been firm with him at all. Lately, he’s gotten more and more bratty! This morning I made some bread and left it on the counter. Within a few minutes he had it on the floor. When I tried to take it away from him, he growled at me! Anyway, the beginning obedience class starts on Sunday and runs 8 weeks. After that, there are other classes we can take. I’m interested in getting him to listen to commands and to stop his aggressive behavior.
When I take Buddy to the dog park, where they’re all allowed off their leashes, he seems to do fine. It’s when he’s on a leash that he becomes a monster. In the meantime, I’m going to stop using the retractible leash and just keep him on a short leash. When he pulls, I’ll have to stop him. Giving him more leash because he pulled was a reward for bad behavior.