It didn't take Monte long to determine where the coolest place in the house was last week - tile floor in the basement. This left him with a difficult decision. Spend his time downstairs, comfortable and away from his pack, or accompany his pack members upstairs and make due with the bathtub. As you can see, people are more important than his comfort. No such decision the last few days as he has been found huddled in a pile of pillows, sunning himself in the bow window, or curled up at our feet. We will see if his decision changes when it gets really hot.
Working to get Monte comfortable with the Gentle Leader, we have had a few incidents this last week. Generally accepting the new device, it still bothers him at times.
The first incident occurred as we were staring to cross the street. Attempting to readjust or remove the lead with his paw, he stumbled on the curb and must have strained a muscle. He spent the next four days limping around. It was more noticeable after resting, but once he loosened up he was fine. No one even noticed it at OccuPaws training class last week.
At class, we tightened the nose strap a bit and have restarted the acclimation process. Monte's second injury also occurred while walking on the sidewalk. In addition to using his paw to dislodge the lead, he tries to rub it off on my leg or the ground, which is not a big deal on the grass. However, the sidewalk is less forgiving and resulted in a bloody scrape on the top of his nose.
1 comment:
If he is having such a hard time adjusting to it, use plenty of treats. Also, when he starts to rub against something, gently pull up on the lead and have him do some other exercise like sit or down or heel in a circle. If it gets to be too much, go back to using just the training collar.
Post a Comment