These Paws Were Made for Walking...Fast

Cabana is a high energy dog. I think she really WANTS to walk nicely without pulling--but she just can't contain herself in the beginning of our walks. Midway through, after some energy has been expended, she's much better about walking in the right position, next to my left leg.

Because Cabana is over a year old, she's allowed to run a bit (Guide Dogs doesn't want dogs under 12 months running alongside you on leash because it can be hard on their joints). I usually jog the first few blocks with her, so she can release some energy. Well, I might be jogging, but for her, it's barely a trot (I'm a shorty at 5'1").

The new snap collar worked great at first, but a big drawback with the snap collar is that it stretches out. Proper fit is crucial with the snap collar; if it's even a half inch too loose, it just slides down, instead of staying high on the neck where it's most effective.

If you have the same problem with your snap collar, try soaking it, then putting it in the dryer for about 5-10 minutes. If you put the collar in a sock before putting it in the dryer, it will minimize banging and protect it as well. But MAKE SURE you only put it in the dryer for a short time. If you forget and dry it too long, the collar may not even fit on a chihuahua--so proceed at your own risk. Our collar shrank about 1/2" in 10 minutes, perfecto!

I have found that alternating between the snap collar and the head collar helps Cabana walk with less pulling. Maybe it keeps her from getting too used to the same kind of pressure.

Even after a brisk 45-minute walk (between 2-3 miles), sometimes, Cabana will still do her labby loops through our living room right afterwards! Like I said, she's high energy!

We usually walk Cabana fairly early, starting out between 7:00-7:30, to minimize the number of dogs we pass (since she's on food protocol, we go through a lot of kibble on our walks, and I need to save SOME for her meals!). This morning, though, there was a frost on the ground--chilly! I waited until closer to 8:00 to go on our walk, hoping it would warm up a bit--but even at that "late" hour, we didn't pass a single other dog. I guess Northern California dog owners are pretty thin-skinned! (I know the Utah folks are sniggering at us, too cold to walk with a mere light frost!)

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Aw...Snap!

Celeste is our CFR (community field representative). She is in charge of Guide Dogs' puppies in this territory--you might think of her as one of GDB's dog whisperers!

I knew that Celeste was there to evaluate Cabana at our puppy meeting a couple nights ago. In the back of my mind, I wondered if that was going to be Cabana's last night as a guide dog puppy in training! But, wisely, Celeste said she'd put off an actual evaluation until Cabana has gone into season (ha, whenever that happens).

Celeste took Cabana with her flat collar for a little stroll and assessment--and I was glad to see Cabana on her best behavior. She walked calmly, looked at Celeste solicitously (I could see her mind going, "What does this person want from me?"), and followed all her commands, with the exception of laying over on her back (Cabana hates to be rolled over). But overall--hooray, good girl, Cabana! There's hope for her yet.

We were given a handy new collar called a snap or snap-around collar (pictured above). Because it's clipped on, rather than having to go on over the head like the usual training collar, it has a much closer fit. Effective corrections can be given with the slightest tug, rather than a big yank with accompanying zipper sound to take up the slack as with a training/chain collar.

This snap collar has definitely made Cabana more likely to mind her p's and q's. Does it make her perfect? Alas, NOOO! But to her credit, that's mostly because I am far from the perfect puppy raiser/walker. Cabana has been pulling for all these months, and she's pretty bound and determined to keep pulling, even at discomfort to herself.

The first day after we got the snap collar, Cabana was a little dreamgirl on our walk. If I had written this post yesterday, I might have titled it "Magic Collar". But today, with the novelty worn off, Cabana got a bit ornery. Celeste had warned me that this would happen, though, so I should have been more mentally prepared for the hard hit of reality. Tomorrow, Cabana and I are going to shake it off, go for a shorter walk, but keep expectations high.

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