I didn't post about obedience classes yesterday, everyone knows why. I am still in shock and heartsick, but trying to go on and live a 'normal' day, as I'm sure most of you are.
The class went well; we focesed mainly on 'heel' and proper leash walking. For this class, we had the option of a choke collar or a gentle leader - we chose the gentle leader. At first I hated it, because Pup was trashing about, whining and whimpering. Paula learned right away that she didn't like having her head turned sideways, and decided to 'heel' within about two minutes. But Pup threw mini-fits all class. Still, by the end of class, she was walking better for me than she ever had before.
Last night, we turned off the TV long enough to take the dogs for walks (first Paula and Pup, then Buddy and Boo). We didn't like leaving any of them on a day like yesterday, but knew the importance of making the training a regular habit.
Paula was perfect the whole walk, right by Joe's side and with a slack leash, but Pup struggled and whined the first half of the walk. Then, she saw a rabbit, and threw a major tantrum. I just stopped and stood still, and let her thrash about, screaming and yelling, against the gentle leader. Then, she stopped, and seemed calmer. She walked the rest of the way home beautifully! No pulling, wandering, etc. I may not have liked seeing her in discomfort with the gentle leader at first, but I have to admit that, after using it for a little over an hour (total) it seems to be doing the trick (and Pup is learning that SHE controls the discomfort level - if she's calm, then no discomfort!)
Just had to update and try to re-establish some sense of normalcy. We are all in mourning, but, it we let this event stop our normal day-to-day activities, then these terrorists have succeeded in defeating us all.