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Currently Online
www.kcfiddles.com
Playing Since: 2005
Experience Level: Novice
woodwiz has made 175 recent additions to Fiddle Hangout 
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing] [Helping]
Occupation: Violin family instruments,product development and marketing
Gender: Male
Age: 66
My Instruments:
Hundreds to choose from, but I currently play a KC Strings from 2001, and a 1920's Robert Doelling bench made.
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Stuff Smith, Joe Venuti, Cyril Stinnett, Pete McMahan, Art Galbraith, Lonnie Robertson, Lyman Enloe, Matt Wyatt, Kenny Baker, Vassar, Heifetz, Grappelli, Art Stamper, Betse Ellis, Dick Solberg, Gatemouth Brown, Minnie Moore........
Classified Rating: +2
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Visible to: Public
Created 7/1/2007
Last Visit 2/5/2012
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Monday, June 06, 2011 @3:39:32 PM
Got a new dog a couple of weeks ago, a rescue dog that had been living at a shelter for two years. Clyde's turning out to be an interesting dog. He's bred for hunting dangerous game, among other things, and the breed has a reputation for never backing up. He's a sweet dog, eager to please, and really smart. It only takes a couple of repetitions for him to learn a command, but because of that built-in drive, he becomes a real handful when he sees strangers or other dogs - he's bound and determined to go check them out, and nothing's going to stop him.
The usual practice once a dog is trained to walk at heel, is to give him a sharp sideways tug on the leash when he starts to pull, and not to engage in a tug of war. Well, I can pull Clyde clear off his feet (he's managed to reciprocate a couple of times), and it doesn't faze him at all. If he can't get there one way, he'll get there another, and he can be a real challenge. I've never met a dog that strong (although pits are probably as strong, pound for pound.) Naturally, he's too big to be allowed to do that.
I don't mind being firm with a dog, and I don't mind correcting them, but I really don't like fighting them for control to the point where I know it's gotta hurt. I decided to go back to starters, and take a fresh approach. I started being very punctilious about not ever letting him do any behavior that would make him think he's in charge. He has to wait until I go through a door and invite him in. He never gets to go in front when we walk, only beside me or behind. When he starts to try to pull ahead, I change direction - left, right, or even reverse, or just stop. I don't allow him to jump on people or paw at them for attention, behaviors which had been encouraged by his caretakers at the shelter. I also figured out a way to gently restrain him without letting him jerk on the leash, and with me in a very dominant position. I just hold him in gently but firmly in place, make him sit when he gets excited, and release him when I feel him relax. This lets him know that the quickest way to be free is to be calm, and it's working much better. He's a lot less excitable on the street and in the shop, a lot more responsive when he gets distracted, and he seems pretty happy.
This got me thinking about people. A lot of them accept authority, or can be out muscled or out-blustered, or otherwise dominated, and accept it just fine, but sometimes the best and strongest people simply can't be dominated directly. You need to earn their respect minute by minute, day by day, and a gentler, more respectful approach works better than a strong, domineering one. I think they call that leadership.
Just a reminder of one of the similarities between dogs and people.
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