Escape artist
 

I have a pomeranian. She is an escape artist when it comes to her harness. I only put it on her before walks If she immediately is not put on the leash, she works her way out of it. Thankfully, during the walk, she is too distracted to take it off. She has to throw grass around and pee on every mail box post. I have gone through several of these trying to find the most secure one. Does anyone have a suggestion for a really secure harness? Thanks!

Normal collar and leash has worked well for centuries. Also a properly used "choke" collar doesn't hurt the dog and is an effective attention getter for those times when light discipline is neccessary.

I have the metal choke collar with the spikes. It looks so, painful. I guess that would be the point....I have thought about using it. I just wish she would LISTEN TO ME. She humped my arm the other day. I had a 10 lb pomeranian humping my arm. Hmmmm. Is she trying to tell me something?

Watch a few episodes of the dog whisperer. Or send in a video or something.

What I have to worry about with her, is she is a pom, and this breed has a problem with their trachea, so the regular collar can make the problem worse. That is why I use the harness. The choke collar may not be a bad idea. I have used it on her. The minute she pulls, she gets a poke of the spikes and then quits pulling.

Your dog is telling you that you are her Bitch.

You outweigh that little bitch by an undisclosed but significant amount. If it takes throwing the little bitch across the room to make the point that SHE is YOUR bitch..then do it. Stuff her head into the ground/carpet/grass when she misbehaves until she stops fighting you and gets the point. And stop worrying about your bitches feelings...it is a DOG, not a child. You cant reason with a dog, you have to DOMINATE it...or yes...you are her bitch.

BTW...letting your dog piss on your neighbor's mailbox posts is pretty disrespectful to your neighbors...that piss stinks, and it will eventually rot out the posts...yes...other dogs leave their marks there and your dog just wants to contribute...but YOUR DOG is ON a LEASH...you are in control...or are you?

Nope, I am not in control. And it has been disrespectful of neighbors of what I have been allowing her to do. I just always look at her size, but, really if she was 50 lbs instead of 10, I would not put up with it. I took her to the trainer last weekend and she scolded me, as well as I should be. But, I do pick her crap up. The trainer told me, a walk is a walk, and don't allow her to piss on people's mail boxes. I have never owned a dog before, so I am not use to the dynamics of the relationship. I have always owned cats, and have not have had to deal with who is charge. Cats don't give a shit. I will work really hard with her she is worth it. I just have to let her know, I am large and in charge. Thanks for the advice Coffee!

I do have to take control and I will. Thank God I did not have children. They would be on Jerry Springer by now.

Watch the dog whisperer, really! Or sign up.. maybe you'll be on tv!

Cats do give a shit if you let them know it is important. I treated Mao (RIP) as if I gave a shit about who was in charge...in part because I took him on leash everywhere and needed him to respect MY lead and not just the leash in case he ever got free of it, but also because clawing couches, pissing in inappropriate places, etc was unacceptable behavior when they happened. I had to let him know who was boss (lightly but firmly) and he became the BEST CAT EVER. Courageous, curious, intelligent, trainable, and my best buddy.

I agree with Frieda...submit your story to that dog whisperer show. Your situation sounds like exactly the thing that they would go for. "10 lb dog owns XXXlb woman (assuming you are at least a tiny bit over 99lbs :) )...and how Dog Whisperer reversed that obviously unbalanced scale with a few sensible doggy training principles." :)

BTW...i don't believe animals and people whisper to each other. That is just a marketing tag for whoo whoo folks who would like to believe something like a Dr. Doolittle is possible. I believe the Dog Whisperer, and the Horse Whisperer (fabulous movie/documentary if you all haven't seen it...please do, there are animal and people behavior insights worth watching in that show) have extra insight into animal behavior because they are very observant and patient people who engender trust and respect from the "clients" they love.

good luck.

My cats have never given me problems before. They have always been sweet and cuddly. I like the "Dog Whisperer" I have seen the show. The thing with Layla, when we around other people, she is very sweet to them. When we are alone, the aggression starts on me. She nips at me, and tries to rip out hair accessories I wear. She never really bites, but kind of goes crazy. Then, when we lay on the couch, she cuddles up, and wants to be all snuggly. I am the one she lets loose on, so, I am the one that is the problem.

I actually spent some time working with Layla last night. We went through the whole gamut of down, stay, leave it, and I used my "strong" voice. I was trying to do a video for Caesar. But, she listened to every command. So, it is me, I can't be complacent. If I tell her what to do, and I demand her attention she will listen. So, we will practice. I can't be lazy with her. If I do not follow through, it is confusing to her.