A few months back, a certainly Buffaloo got a hold of his collar. Now, Kong stuff is pretty durable, and this was not a dainty collar either. So it was still functional after he had his way with it. That said, the clasp was damaged and slowly approaching full-on 'broken'.
At the same time, some of the strapping on my Gentle Leader was wearing through, and I had no idea how much longer it would hold out.
Sigh...what to do? New Leader, new collar, or...something else?
So, Buff is a puller, for those who don't know. With the collar, he is usually pretty good. Usually. Other times he gags himself by pulling. Which is why I got the Gentle Leader (GL). It works like a horse harness-pressure on the back of the head and the muzzle to control the dog's head while still granting full use of the mouth.
And if there is one thing Buff wants full use of at all times, it's his mouth.
Anyway, it is designed to keep him from pulling. Dogs will quickly walk calmly by your side! So the add promises. Clearly, they have not met Buffaloo. He thinks it is my way of using him as a traction animal. He is pretty convinced that he MUST pull me when I put that on him.
We've come to terms with all this pulling though. But, and this is a but so big Sir Mix-a-lot would approve, he has one more unsavory walking habit: playtime. Now, not in the appropriate times and places and ways, but 'appropriate' does not exactly describe Buffaloo. He decides that, while walking, he wants to play. So he frolics. He jumps. He bites. He buffles.
He does this on the sidewalk. He does this on the grass.
He does this in the middle of busy streets I am trying to cross.
Things I don't want my dog to do:
Kill me
Get me killed
Generally, that list goes pretty well. Other times...not so much.
I was unsure what to do with my upcoming need for a new collar, but luckily Buff would help me decide. Saturday I took him out behind a local middle school to romp. He loves (LOVES) running in the snow. I suppose that's the husky in him. While there, we ran across a playmate, Hunter (who's sister, Boston, was out of town). They played with (or at least around) each other for a while, then they left. As we wandered to a different section of field, Buff decided that I should play with him, so he hung on my coat sleeve to illustrate his argument.
I was less than a fan, but whatever. He was playful (and, admittedly, adorable) and just needed something to distract him. So I managed to find the tennis ball I'd brought along, which had been lost in the snow. For a while I actually used snowballs, which he was never quite able to find. The tennis ball seemed less frustrating.
After we had been out for 45 minutes or so, I figured I wanted to head home. It was cold, not to mention late afternoon.
Buff had different ideas. He decided a rousing game of "Catch the Buffaloo" was in order. Now, we play this at home, and I can usually catch him if I want. Outside, it is a different story. So I spent the next half hour trying to catch my dog. He didn't try to run away, mind you. He just...hovered. Just out of reach. Son of a....
I tried calling him, but he knew EXACTLY what I wanted.
I tried asking him. Have you ever tried discussing these things with a dog?
I tried chasing him. It turns out it did not work very well.
I tried reverse psychology. I walked away, telling him that I, at any rate, was going home and that he could stay there. He followed along, but still didn't let me get close enough to grab him.
Eventually I gave up and played with him some more (I managed to dig the tennis ball we had brought out of the snow, finding it for the second and last time before losing it for the third). During that episode, he let his guard down and I grabbed him. I was less than happy with the whole situation, as I tried to use my cold fingers to get the GL around his snout while his maw played "Pin the Tooth on the Hand" with my hand (and his teeth. Which are really hard and surprisingly sharp).
Now, I love that my dog is playful and friendly. And I want him to keep those traits.
I do not love that he deliberately disobeys me like that (and believe me, he knew what he was doing). I do not love the regular assaults on "certain visitors". I do not love the "All Hands and Maybe Some More MUST Be On the Buffaloo At All Times" policy he tries to enforce.
I do love that he knows to wait just outside the door while I get my coat and shoes off and hang his collar and leash up, and to stay there until I invite him in.
So, Saturday all of this had been building up, and I had enough. I actually looked around the interwebs, considering some special training....
Some of this is my fault, I know. I don't exercise him enough (but I am not sure that "constantly" would really be enough). We haven't been to the dog park in weeks, and all winter has been pretty spotty (hey, it's cold and I like to be there at least an hour since it is 40 minutes of driving round trip) for park trips.
Also, we have not been doing training times lately. I did get some treats. He refuses to even touch them, however. I have it on good authority that they are "bland and stale", so I can't say that I blame him.
As an answer to my dilemma, I bought the guy a slip collar. I have had mixed feelings about the idea over the last few months, but I had reached a breaking point (as had both of his collars). I am wondering if universal statements of "this-or-that doesn't work" are a bit too overdone. Perhaps certain things work for some dogs and not others? The GL did not work for him. The slip collar (more commonly known as a choke chain) seems to.
It is metal with the leash strapping weaving through the links for a less intimidating look. He has been reacting well-pulling less and what not. His behavior at home has been noticeably calmer, although I do get Crazy Buff plenty. (He also hasn't been eating as much, so he might have been kind of under the weather).
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