Pack Leader

I love watching Dog Whisperer. This guy is phenominal with dogs. His tactics are so easy and so obvious it's genius. With a dog like Chloe, Jae and I have much incentive to watch this show so we could pick up some of his tricks and also know that there are worse dogs than Chloe out there.

Tugging the leash is one of the tactics The Dog Whisperer uses to divert a dog's attention. We've tried doing this before, especially when guests arrive at our door. Chloe needs to learn manners when greeting people at the door. She believes she is the pack leader in the household. Bad! So I realized today that I've been tugging her leash the wrong way. First of all, the collar is supposed to be high up in her neck because it is the most sensitive area. We've been tugging her collar around the middle of her neck which I learned has no effect on a dog. I also learned that I need to pull the leash either to the front or to the side and that the tugging needs to be a quick, reflex-type of movement. I've been tugging Chloe to the back and it's been more of a pulling than a tugging. The Dog Whisperer says that in pulling the dog in this manner actually excites them more. This is why Chloe seems to get more agitated. I also need to remain calm and assertive.

When the weather gets nicer, I'll have to take Chloe out on walks with the kids. I'm invisioning a nice stroll around the neighborhood block. I'm hoping this will also help get Chloe into the house without bribery.