28 replies to this topic

[ButterflyInAmbr]

Does anybody "walk" their dog? I got my girl Roxy just a couple of months before my accident. She's a Sharpei/Terrier mix, so she's super-stubborn, but I love her and will do anything to be able to keep her. I'm moving into an apartment that does not have a back yard for her to run and go potty in, so I have to figure out how to walk her. I've been warned against tying her to my chair by a friend who did the same and ended up having her pelvis disconnected from her spine when her dog tried to run and pulled her chair over. Roxy is not very big, but she is strong. Do I just hold the leash in my hand while I'm wheeling and teach her to heel? Any training tips? Should I use a regular collar or one of those training ones that tightens when she pulls?

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[Kev-O]

Does anybody "walk" their dog? I got my girl Roxy just a couple of months before my accident. She's a Sharpei/Terrier mix, so she's super-stubborn, but I love her and will do anything to be able to keep her. I'm moving into an apartment that does not have a back yard for her to run and go potty in, so I have to figure out how to walk her. I've been warned against tying her to my chair by a friend who did the same and ended up having her pelvis disconnected from her spine when her dog tried to run and pulled her chair over. Roxy is not very big, but she is strong. Do I just hold the leash in my hand while I'm wheeling and teach her to heel? Any training tips? Should I use a regular collar or one of those training ones that tightens when she pulls?

I work at a humane society an find it almost impossible to walk a dog. The only dog i have been able to walk is no joke a great dane an thats only because they are very calm dogs. Every time he felt his collar pull on his neck he could slow down. The best thing to do is try an take some classes with her. When i have to walk a small dog i just hold the leash in my and an just pass it back in forth between hands. NEVER EVER use those collars that tightens more the harder they pull they just make the dog want to pull harder to get away. I work with a few animal behaviorist i can see what they say. It might be awhile tho before i can get back with you.

[nomis]

For starters. I currently don't have a dog. But I take my ex's dog for walks, more so recently cos the dog has been staying with me.

This dog is about same size as your's, Butterfly... It's trained to walk only on the left side which generally makes things easier to predict. Originally, she was trained with a choker chain on her neck, now an ordinary collar. Getting into regular and frequent habits early makes life simple.

With a leash I slip my hand through the hand-loop and it rests on my wrist, freeing my hands to wheel. Occasionally I grip it for security and it's surprising what a couple of fingers learn to do to allow me to keep on wheelin'. The dog knows only too well to keep away from the wheels and we hardly ever have a problem. Sometimes gotta watch out for trying to go around the wrong side of a post or anticipating a sudden exciting sniff stop (for the dog, not me).

Dog stays happy and I get a fitness workout. We both like it.

[longhaul]

Hi Ambr you can do it, I do it it everyday with a large dog. I have a retractable 20 ft. leash so I can let him explore. The way I do the leash is pull out enough slack for the dog to walk beside me with out jerking and then I tie a slip loop so I can hook it on my thumb/finger and still push and I put the real in my lap. The most important thing to remember is if she bolts don't try to stop her just let the leash go. The thing about the training collar is using it correctly when the dog starts to pull or wander you just give the leash a firm quick upward pull that tightens the collar making it very uncomfortable for them and give the command you want her to do. It doesn't hurt the dog it just gets their attention fast. Only use the collar when you are training her and remove it when you're finished. Once Roxi figures out what you want her to do it should be a breeze. If she's been around people, dogs and cats she'll be fine. You could walk her in the apartment first until you two get the hang of it. Have fun.................

[E-DOG]

I've been warned against tying her to my chair by a friend who did the same and ended up having her pelvis disconnected from her spine when her dog tried to run and pulled her chair over. Roxy is not very big, but she is strong. Do I just hold the leash in my hand while I'm wheeling and teach her to heel? Any training tips? Should I use a regular collar or one of those training ones that tightens when she pulls?

What a coincidence!
I have a parakeet named Frank who was giving me the same problem. Sucker could pull yer arm clean off tryin' to get at another bird.
Turns out Frank had lived with some guy who raised pit bulls for fighting and through osmosis the dog's aggressive behavior must have rubbed off on him.

Now keep in mind, the bird's wings were clipped so his only means of transport were his legs.
Anyway...

We were out for a stroll one day when Frank spots a pigeon on a fence post 'bout a half a block away. Sucker takes off runnin' like a bat outa hell, I mean this guy wants a piece of that pigeon bad. Course I got both hands on the leash unable to get at the brakes, latch onto a tree or do much of anything else to slow us down so it's the two of us, a big fat guy in a wheelchair being yanked down the middle of the road by a budgie on a leather tether in inclement weather. (it was a cold ass winter, and pouring down rain)

We got as far as a rather decrepit whore house in Tijuana, Mexico (Frank knew some of the gals there and got us a great deal on what appeared to be a pair of septuagenarian rodeo clowns.) To this day Frank assures me they were both female, but I'm not so sure. Not that it matters all that much.

So as you can see, I was confronted with the same problem as you. Well, what I did was amputate one of Frank's legs. With only one leg he could only pull half as hard. Much easier to hang on to. Making a walk in the park just that, a walk in the park.
Course Frank's still pissed off. Friggin' budgie sure can hold a grudgie. But what the hell, every once in a while I'll throw him in a room with a few pigeons and let him have his fun. Makes a horrible mess, blood an' guts everywhere, but he gets his exercise and it does calm him down a bit.

Should you decide to try this, I would use some type of anesthetic before hand as the noise otherwise generated will wake up the neighbors. Then ya got the cops bangin at yer door, the PETA people all down yer throat, yadee yaddee yah. An' who needs that shit, right?

Anyway, hope this helps,

E-dog

[twisted_ophelia]

My ex and I share custody of our rottweiler, a very large rottweiler at that. I walk him by looping the leash around my wrist/hand or tying him to my chair when he's with me. He's a VERY strong dog and when he sees other dogs or someone he feels is 'threatening', I need a good grip on him just in case. He has never bolted outright on me though but my ex and I spent a lot of time training him. He was taught to walk beside me and not get ahead of me. When he was younger, we'd take him to a dog park or whatever to let him run around but on the leash, he always has to stay by my (or my ex husband's) side. The times I've tied him to my chair is usually when I want a good workout and push myself around my neighborhood really fast and let him keep pace beside me. I don't really do this with him anymore now that he's getting so old. I've walked other dogs in pretty much the same way. Or, train your dog to walk off leash (unless you live in a busy urban area, then that's not a good idea). Your dog needs to be trained to not pull and to do exactly what you say, when you say it. If you need to get a dog trainer or go to obedience school in order for that to be that case, you should definitely invest in doing so. An untrained dog and using a chair don't mix well. There's that whole Dog Whisperer thing of always being the pack leader and having calm, assertive energy--and he's right about the energy thing. All animals instantly know when they can take advantage of someone who is too passive!

Edited by twisted_ophelia, 15 April 2009 - 04:24 AM.

[ems]

As long as you train your dog to walk to heel or *wheel* (hehe), its not a problem, I loop the lead round my fingers loosely, and use a normal collar and lead. If your dog is pulling thats, different, and its only a training issue. Depending on the dog of course, Halti collars are great, I personally dont like choke chains, but I do use a rope slip lead, as my dog doesnt pull, and its just requirement of the law that I put something round her nck attached to me. I trained both of my dogs off the lead to heel, and the lead is just an addon, not the other way round... but as I said.. it does depend on the dog.. training is everything, and will make your life easier and the dog happier ;)

[greybeard]

Does anybody "walk" their dog? I got my girl Roxy just a couple of months before my accident. She's a Sharpei/Terrier mix, so she's super-stubborn, but I love her and will do anything to be able to keep her. I'm moving into an apartment that does not have a back yard for her to run and go potty in, so I have to figure out how to walk her. I've been warned against tying her to my chair by a friend who did the same and ended up having her pelvis disconnected from her spine when her dog tried to run and pulled her chair over. Roxy is not very big, but she is strong. Do I just hold the leash in my hand while I'm wheeling and teach her to heel? Any training tips? Should I use a regular collar or one of those training ones that tightens when she pulls?

I have three dogs, one a very strong staff/ridgeback cross, Oscar, that wants to pull. I am currently training them all to walk with my wheelchair as a pack. For some time I have been using a mobility scooter by tying their leashes to an arm rest. They are used to that now, but Oscar still needs quite a lot of correcting.

I originally thought it would be great to let him pull me around in the wheelchair because I know I can control him if he gets too carried away, so I bought a couple of attachments made for bicycles/wheelchairs. These are metal tubes about a foot long, that have a short leash on one end and a bracket that fits to the frame on the other. That way my hands are free and the dogs are held away from the wheels. Great, you would think, eh?

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I fasten the dogs to the wheelchair, none of them can, so far, be made to pull and I'm left doing all the work. That was not the idea at all

I think you just need to try your dog. He may react in the same way as mine, but if you do fasten the leash to the chair, do it low down. That way you will get pulled along and not tipped over. You must also concentrate totally on the dog at first and be ready to correct any unwanted behaviour before it escalates. I agree with T_O that your best advice is likely to be found by watching Cesar Millan. Good luck.

[greybeard]

Of course, if all else fails you could follow E-dog's advice, (The hell you been smokin now Dawg? ) as he's an acknowledged expert on animal husbandry (he thinks the world of that gimp parrot and treats it like a wife), taxidermy, organ and parts removal and stem cell research.

You always make me laugh E. Thanks.

[Geezer34]

Hi,

I had a black lab who died when he was 5 about 2 years ago, but i did take him for a few walks using the long leash that was mentioned its a definate it works.When he would run i would pull it close to my cheast and then press the lock button and then i had the extension of my arm to know if i could hold him or not,lol.I was quite early injury then with new steel work in my back and with a few ribs broken maybe a bit silly but i'm pleased i did now.

Good luck!!

Thats the size he was amber.

[ems]

Here's my pup at 12 weeks doing basic heel..



Our trainer trains gun dogs, well, she will train any dog she says. but all our lessons are with other gun dogs, and we do a few private sessions on top of it too, as theres other things I want my dog to do other than retrieve a pheasant!! I'm not sure where in the world you are.. but we use this trainer... http://trainthatdog.com

It really is wise to have your dog trained, A dog that pulls is great, when its asked to, but having a dog pull, just cos it wants to is just bad manners and lack of control ;)

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by ems, 15 April 2009 - 07:10 PM.

[wheelywendy]

hi i walk my two german shepherds and a tiny papillon all at the same time, i cheat a little as i attatch the tiny dogs lead to the larger gsds harness, then i have a wrist strap that i attatch both leads to and walk the gsds from that, leaving my hand free to wheel my chair. (i'd only reccomend the wrist strap lead if your dog is calm and well behaved as its not possible to just drop it if they pull, i also , use ezydog leads as they are shock absorbing and take the strain off my wrist . http://www.ezydog.co...FTOKEN=30715644 one type of their leads has a very comfortable neoprene handle that goes nicely round the wrist, the other type has an easy grip handle, but i found that a little bulky in a manual chair but would be good in electric chair,
or theres another type called bun-gee pup-ee http://www.bungeepuppy.com/

the wrist strap i use is called a hands free leash http://www.zooplus.c.../special/129483



i use the dog listners (jan fennell) methods its all about being the pack leader, shes wriiten some good books on how to train your dogs and a dvd is also available.
if your dog is very strong for your own safety you could either use a halti or head collar if your dog will accept one, or i found when i first got my 2nd gsd a halti body harness worked brilliantly as you lead from a ring on the front of harness giving much better control over the dog and making it less able to pull http://www.companyof...lti-harness.php hope this helps,

[allis53ca]

buy a HALTI halter...affordable and extremely effective

[Geezer34]

Here's my pup at 12 weeks doing basic heel..



Our trainer trains gun dogs, well, she will train any dog she says. but all our lessons are with other gun dogs, and we do a few private sessions on top of it too, as theres other things I want my dog to do other than retrieve a pheasant!! I'm not sure where in the world you are.. but we use this trainer... http://trainthatdog.com

It really is wise to have your dog trained, A dog that pulls is great, when its asked to, but having a dog pull, just cos it wants to is just bad manners and lack of control ;)

OOOhhh Ems 12 weeks old beautiful!!

[Yasko]

I don't have any issues walking my dog at all. As long as dog is well behaved and doesn't pull, you are not going to have any issues. You got to teach him/her not to pull and how to "kneel". Persistency and Flexi Leads is key! Good luck!

Edited by Yasko, 15 April 2009 - 09:27 PM.

[ziggy]

I don't have any issues walking my dog at all. As long as dog is well behaved and doesn't pull, you are not going to have any issues. You got to teach him/her not to pull and how to "kneel". Persistency and Flexi Leads is key! Good luck!

My daughter has long wanted a dog and two years ago i got her one, the first dog i've ever owned. I had to wing it in regards to training. Well, i didn't know what i was doing beyond yelling.

I found the Dog Whisper show and learned many things, including on how to walk a dog properly. Instead of letting Tyson pull and dictate our walks, i learned that i had to control things. So i'd stay in place and shorten his leash whenever he didn't listen. As soon as Tyson would take off before i said he could, i'd stop us again. This stuff needed to be repeated many times, but now when i tell him to stay, sit, or don't pull, he almost always listens. The only thing that makes him pull hard or not listen is if a rabbit or squirrel is by us because then his natural instincts to go after them just takes over.

BTW, this is my leash tip if interested. I bought a 20 foot leash that i twist around my arm as we walk. I keep it short as we walk and then when we are by grass areas that he likes to sniff around, i take the loop on the leash and put it over the push arms on the back of my chair.

[greybeard]

i take the loop on the leash and put it over the push arms on the back of my chair.

Great that you succeeded with the training but attaching to the push handle is a recipe for getting tipped over.

If you've given the dog a long leash to sniff around, if it decides to charge after a rabbit, by the time it gets to the end of the leash imagine the momentum it can build up. Attaching it that high on the chair will give you a hard jerk way above your centre of gravity.

Much safer to pull the leash through the end loop - making it a slip loop - and put this low down on the chair before you set out. If the worse then happens the dog will be pulling below your centre of gravity, pulling you along, but not tipping the chair. You can still hold the slack until you are ready to let it have more leash.

Hope that helps.

[ButterflyInAmbr]

Thanks so much everybody for the advice, this is extremely helpful. Especially the idea of getting a leash that attaches to your arm rather than your hand, seems like it would put much less strain on the wrist and not jerk back as much while wheeling. Thanks again!

[andypool]

I have two dogs. A black lab and a yorkie. Both are fine and at the moment iam clicker training the labrador to do tasks like picking things up and opening doors. If your in the UK, then there are places like dogs for the disabled and dog aid who will train your dog up for what you need

[ziggy]

i take the loop on the leash and put it over the push arms on the back of my chair.

Great that you succeeded with the training but attaching to the push handle is a recipe for getting tipped over.

If you've given the dog a long leash to sniff around, if it decides to charge after a rabbit, by the time it gets to the end of the leash imagine the momentum it can build up. Attaching it that high on the chair will give you a hard jerk way above your centre of gravity.

Much safer to pull the leash through the end loop - making it a slip loop - and put this low down on the chair before you set out. If the worse then happens the dog will be pulling below your centre of gravity, pulling you along, but not tipping the chair. You can still hold the slack until you are ready to let it have more leash.

Hope that helps.

My dog is small, a Toy Fox Terrier, he's not strong enough to tip me. If he was a bigger dog though, yea there could be a tipping issue.

[wheelywendy]

I have two dogs. A black lab and a yorkie. Both are fine and at the moment iam clicker training the labrador to do tasks like picking things up and opening doors. If your in the UK, then there are places like dogs for the disabled and dog aid who will train your dog up for what you need

hi dogs for disabled dont train owners own dogs they only train spcefically sellected dogs then place them with handlers, as do canine partners, the only two that train your own dog (providing its suitable) are dog aid http://www.dogaid.org.uk/ they train to three levels the third being full assistance dog level, the other oneis support dogs http://www.support-dogs.org.uk/ (last i heard they had very long waiting list and dont usually start training with dogs over 3 yrs old,
hope this helps

[Kev-O]

Just had the best idea ever!!!!!! brake your dogs back an put it in a wheelchair to!! how hard could it pull?

[longhaul]

Thanks so much everybody for the advice, this is extremely helpful. Especially the idea of getting a leash that attaches to your arm rather than your hand, seems like it would put much less strain on the wrist and not jerk back as much while wheeling. Thanks again!

A small dog is big enough to tip you over if everything is right so connecting her to you is a bad idea. Using Velcro to attach the leash to an arm band would let the leash break free from you if the dog got spooked or chased something. I had the leash on my dog wrapped around my hand when he went after a Quail and the next thing I knew I was laying in the road it happened so fast there was nothing I could do.

[Rolin]

I prefer to not leash my animals, but that's probably why I just finished a small claims court case due to my dog severely damaging a cat. That and I don't want to take the chance of getting pulled from my chair.
I use an electrical stimulus collar now. A very good quality one that has varying levels of stimulus.
I've found the lowest of settings get her attention when needed.
They aren't cheap, but I can't afford to be injured by being yanked out of my chair either.
Some people have mixed emotions about electrical collars. If improperly used, they could be quite frightening to your pet. When mine sees me get her collar, she sits down in front of me with tail wagging while I put it on because she knows she's going for a walk.
My Chesapeak Bay Retriever took to it very quickly, but they are an easy dog to work with.
You may want to talk with a professional trainer first. I suppose some breeds, especially the high strung types could have difficulty with this type of stimulus.
It has made life much more enjoyable for both of us. And yes, I have experienced the collar myself!

[Wobbly]

Just adding my thoughts to this thread, i have three dogs two labs and one cross all very large dogs and the chocolate lab, Hudson scares rotties away he is that huge. He's also a puller and the only thing i have found effective is this :- http://www.dogmatic.org.uk/.

[ZEN12many]

I trained my dog first with an electric scooter. After we had walked about 400 walks and she had habitually learned to stop & wait at intersections and stay on the sidewalk and stop when I stopped and look for the ramps to go up and down instead of off the end of the curb. then I dressed her in a harness & hooked her up to my wheelchair (low in the front between the legs). I also had a training leash and pronged collar on her. I attached the training leash to an "elastic necklace" so I wouldn't drop the leash. Even when she was excited by seeing a rabbit and starting to speed up, I found that I could yell "whoa", grab the training leash with one hand, and bring both hands back to the wheels and slow that puppy down.

Once I knew that I could bring her to a stop, I knew I could train her. I wanted to train her to pull me (fast) so I do use and recommend a Freewheel (crashed a couple of times without one when the casters hit a rough area).

Re getting your dog to pull, it is one of the most frustrating things. When I was a walker, I could never get my dogs to NOT pull. Now, hooked up to my wheelchair, she won't pull. What I found is that the dog is confused re where you want to go. When you walk the dog (even with a wheelchair) the dog gets clues which way you want to go and will even walk in front of you (as long as you keep giving clues re which way to go). When you want the dog to pull your wheelchair, though, you aren't giving the dog any clues and he gets confused and just stops and sits waiting for a clue. I found that you can go in front with your wheelchair and lead your dog if he won't pull. This will give him a clue re the direction you want to go. Eventually, he may go in front and start pulling (or just in front). Good boy him a lot when he goes back in front. After I had struggled to get my dog to sort of pull me a block (or so), I gave up and turned her around to go back to our vehicle. She pulled like crazy back to the vehicle. I later started calling this behavior "homing pigeon syndrome" and I used it to teach her to pull. I started parking in different places and head her toward a place we had once parked. For a moment, she would forget where we had parked and thought the vehicle was in it's old place. When we got there, I could turn her around and head her back to where we actually did park the vehicle and, once she realized where it was, she pulled real hard again. You start teaching your dog to pull by creating targets. My dog loves the dog park; so I park about a mile away and she pulls me to the dog park. And then pulls us the mile back to the vehicle (homing pigeon syndrome). While still taking her on walks with the electric scooter, I also used all the verbal commands for starting, turning, slowing, etc. It takes awhile of actually pulling you before they realize the verbal commands are now their direction clues. Then it gets fun.

[roo]

I take my dogs for a walk every day,4 dogs on 1 lead and 2 split chains they even help us up the hills haha you must train them from a pup thou ,with the wheelchair now when i take off the lead they all follow us behind in a row looks so funny i'll try and find i pic of them ,

Edited by roo, 23 April 2012 - 05:01 AM.

[jayinva]

i try to always keep treats so if they pull to much u can bring em back , my issue with a aprtment is when the dog walks all the way to the back of the grass and you have to make a choice between rolling thru poop filled grass or just leave it.

[samanth919]

Awww Yesss I Absolutly walk my dog in my chair, almost every day. We go for miles up hill then when we reach the top and turn around to go back down, i have her run while I ride! She loves it! She's a 15 pound Boston terrier tho, just a lil thing but I love to do it!