Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So, Dudley has been in my life for almost 4 months and one thing I have noticed is that if he steps on the leash, he immediately stops. We have been struggling with issues of him stopping and refusing to move forward and recently I realized that the leash tension has something to do with him thinking he has stepped on his leash! If he has stopped to sniff things or has decided that he wants to go up to see the neighbors and we have tension on the leash, he digs in his front legs and won't budge. I chalked it up to his stubborn side (which he is famous for) but realized that he was doing the same exact behavior when he steps on the leash with his front foot. If I walk back to him and we start to walk again, he is fine most of the time. Does anyone else have this type of reaction when walking? Dudley is awesome on a leash and we usually have a loose leash. If he steps on the leash, he immediately waits for the leash to be adjusted.
Thank you for your insight in advance!!! I am so grateful to have found this community <3
Emily and Dudley
Oh Dudley, you can be a silly boy when it comes to that leash.😊
So he stops when stepping on the leash because the leash pulls as though you are pulling him to stop? I might not be grasping this, but seems "normal" that he would stop once the tension tightens.
Hmmm....the only thing I could think of is maybe changing the configuration of the leash with a halter that has the "hook" or "latch" on top of the halter sort of between the shoulder vlades... or behind them. I'm probably mak jo sense. Just trying to think of a way thst the leash would always stay up and behind him.
Also, there some sort of leash contraption that is used when walking dogs next to a bicycle that keeps the leash from getting tangled up or dropping to ground.
Hopefully someone else can chime in with better suggestions....
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I realize I didn't word my question/musing quite right! When we are walking, he will dig in and stop if he doesn't want to continue (usually because he wants to go up the hill to the neighbor's house). His technique is to stand his ground until I have to physically coax him forward. I discovered that if I return to standing beside him and start again, he will begin to move forward. I'm beginning to think that this is more of his personality rather than something to do with his missing leg. He's a stubborn boy and I'm trying to figure out ways to make leash walking less of a power struggle. Do any of you parents notice that your dogs prefer you to walk on the side where the amputation is? We are going to start obedience classes next month with a large group of dogs/people and I'm trying to be prepared for any adjustments I will need to make for him.
Thank you <3 and hopefully you all are staying warm!
Emily
Online
Hi Emily! I hope you are warm too!
Well that's a new one to me. Nope, never encountered that situation. Our Nellie gets tangled in her leash quite a bit but she just keeps going and we have to catch up asap to unwrap the leash! But yeah if Dudley is digging in on walks because you know for a fact you've passed somewhere he wants to go, then that does sound like a bit of stubbornness.
Usually when someone says their Tripawd is being stubborn and doesn't want to walk anymore, we automatically think the dog is giving pain signals . But this doesn't fit that profile. Interesting! I would love to find out what your new trainer thinks.
I've never noticed if our Tripawds have ever preferred what side we would walk on when they were on leash. I don't think they care/d as long as they got out for their walks.
I think I just got a dog with an extra dose of stubborn. He has a reputation with the rescue staff that he was with for 2 years for being stubborn. Fortunately I have been a cat mom for the past 30 years so I just fall back on my cat behavior experiences. I've learned that if I put the leash on him to go out and he doesn't get up, I just unclip the leash and let him be...unless it is something crucial like an appointment or an emergency. It will be interesting to see how he acts in obedience class. When he walks with my neighbor's dogs (the boys) he follows their lead. He is quite the character <3 I'm working on sorting what is physical and mental with him! And thankfully you all are a wealth of knowledge for what is typical amputee behavior!
Do you attach the leash to a collar or a harness?
My girl Elly was really weird about collars/leashes when I got her. As far as I know she only wore a collar at her foster home but I switched her to a harness right away. Elly is a small Pug mix and I don't like using collars for leash attachment for any of my small dogs. Anyway- I left her collar on her for several months (a condition of adoption) but only attached her leash to a harness when we left the house. We ran into an evening potty issue where she didn't want to pee- she would bolt back into the house (she didn't want to miss out on treats my dad would hand out). Since she already had her collar on I tried putting her on leash to keep her outside until she peed. She acted like I had attached an anchor! She wouldn't move until I took the leash off.
She also would freak out if her leash touched her hip or back, Elly is a rear amp. Her amp side was very sensitive when I got her even though she was 2.5 months post surgery. She wouldn't sit on hard surfaces and didn't like me to touch anywhere near her amp site. Once she learned her basic leash manners I switched to a flexi lead (the horror!) because when I attached it to her harness it almost never touched her back end. I worked with her slowly over many months, and with many training classes to de-sensitize her to the leash touching her. Now she doesn't care if the leash touches her.
What I learned in all my classes is to reward the behavior you want and to set your dog up for success. I would be careful letting him decide not to get up when you put the leash on. You might try 'asking' if he wants to go outside and if he gets up and meets you then you put the leash on and maybe give a treat. Just be sure you are consistent and that he understands why he is being rewarded. When I was introducing the harness to Elly we made it a game with treats once the harness was on.
And I have to share this stubborn story.... years ago when I had my first two Pugs my dad would sometimes go to my house while I was at work and walk the dogs for me. Dad had a way of turning lots of normal behavior into snack worthy events...and of course he wouldn't tell me. I would walk the Pugs at the park near my house (where dad took them) and at one point my second Pug Tani picked a spot on the walk and did what I called the 'boat anchor'. She would stop, refuse to walk, and lock her legs and lean back against her harness if I tried to pull her. The puzzling thing was that she did it in the same spots on our normal route. One weekend my dad and I were together walking the dogs and sure enough Tani boat anchored. My dad reached into his pocket and gave her a couple treats and off she trotted...mystery solved!!!
I really enjoyed taking my dogs to classes. Not only do I learn a lot but it is really has helped with bonding.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls and Boy
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Karen always enjoy your insight, especially when it involves the Pugs and your Dad💖💖💖
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Karen! I am so glad you have had similar experiences! The "boat anchor" is what we call the "Dudley Dig In". In regards to the harness, I think that he has an aversion to having things go underneath his belly. We did have a little bit of success yesterday when I put the harness on him so that we could ride in my mom's car to Christmas dinner. The handle works amazing for giving him a boost into the back as well as lifting him out. He was so glad to get out of the car that he forgot that he "can't walk with the harness on." He does growl at me when I put the harness on so I usually attach the one side and then do the other when he stands up.
We are working on him not being in control of every situation. I wanted to take the first 3 months to build the bond and trust with him but now I have to work on the training. We will be doing 6 weeks of obedience training in January so I am hopeful that it will help with his stubborn side. He is really reactive to having his back end lifted, understandably. He didn't do well after the amputation and actually started to shut down emotionally. Fortunately they were able to get him into a wonderful foster home for about 4 months before I adopted him. I have been working on waiting to take him out until he gets off the bed and starts walking around. I can tell that he has taken advantage of me putting the leash on him while he's on his bed because he won't get up, I take the leash off and he gets what he wanted... A large portion of the learning process for me is determining what is personality based and his physical limitations. He's a couch potato but he does enjoy going for a walk along the slough across from our house several times during the day as long as it isn't pouring rain.
I'm so glad to hear that taking your dogs to classes helped with bonding. Dudley loves meeting people but he absolutely loves being with other dogs. I know that we are getting a bond but he does tend to be standoffish with me...his foster mom had the same experiences. She said that he likes to do his own thing (laying on his bed with his blankets and pillows) but he was always happy to see her when she came home from work. My previous dog bonded with me instantly, much to the horror of my husband. I know it will take longer with Dudley but we are getting there slowly!
Love the story about your dad...sounds like something that would happen with my dad!
Emily
Karen what you shared above is priceless, thank you! I love the way you described the boat anchor behavior. Nellie does that occasionally but it's more about getting the Gentle Leader off her face than anything else. She throws herself on grass and rolls around trying to get it off. I let her have a little fit, then I let out a VERY excited "OK LET'S GO!" squeal and she's up and walking again (usually).
A large portion of the learning process for me is determining what is personality based and his physical limitations.
Emily this is SO brilliant! You are so right. That's the big puzzle when someone adopts a Tripawd with an unknown history. You are making incredible progress with your patience, and putting your feline experience to good use. Patience patience patience! It really does pay off and is already starting to with your guy. I have a feeling in another 3 months you'll be soo much more bonded than you are even now.
Hope you had a lovely Christmas dinner with the family! Hoppy Pawlidays!
One thing I haven't seen anyone else mention yet... if your leash is so long that Dudley is regularly stepping on it, your leash is too long! For some reason, 6' leashes are "standard", but most dog trainers prefer/recommend a 4' leash. They're a little harder to find in stores, but usually there is a small selection of 4' leashes in pet stores (or shop online for a better selection). There is absolutely no reason my dog needs to be six feet away from me when we're out for a walk around the neighborhood. I always use a back-clip harness for my dogs (RuffWear Front Range and Flagline ) and the only way my dogs could step on the leash is if I dropped it. My 4' leash is still plenty long enough for loose leash walking - just without the risk of getting tangled. Both of my dogs are about knee-height when standing next to me.
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