I get out and about quite a bit. I am the first ADA dog to be raised in Sydney's Inner West and with that has come the responsibility of teaching my community about my organization. Many shops, pubs and restaurants in my area don’t know about my organization and my goals. They don’t know that I need practice behaving in the community. Mommy and Daddy have to explain these things to people all the time. We get to meet a lot of managers. Fortunately or unfortunately, so many puppies have such cute outfits these days, my ADA Learner coat is often just thought to be fun fashion and not as an indication of my association with ADA.
Another thing we have been teaching other people about is my training halti that I wear around my face when I am out walking. Some people seem to think it is a muzzle or something horribly inhumane. I guess it is sometimes hard for people to embrace new technology. My halti is very gentle and I can still eat, drink, yawn and so on, while I am wearing it. When I pull ahead or start heading away from where I need to be, there is a gentle pull on my face. It is a gentle reminder that I need to focus back on where I need to be walking. Before I got a halti, I had my lead attached to my collar during walks. When I pulled ahead, my collar would hurt my throat. I would cough and cough. That was really unpleasant. Choke collars can cut off the air supply and can do serious damage to the esophagus. The halti is a more gentle training tool but alas, it is not foolproof. If someone were to pull on my lead violently when I am wearing my halti, I could get whiplash. But fortunately, my parents know that a very gentle pull is all that it takes to remind me that I need to make a correction.
Another thing we have been teaching other people about is my training halti that I wear around my face when I am out walking. Some people seem to think it is a muzzle or something horribly inhumane. I guess it is sometimes hard for people to embrace new technology. My halti is very gentle and I can still eat, drink, yawn and so on, while I am wearing it. When I pull ahead or start heading away from where I need to be, there is a gentle pull on my face. It is a gentle reminder that I need to focus back on where I need to be walking. Before I got a halti, I had my lead attached to my collar during walks. When I pulled ahead, my collar would hurt my throat. I would cough and cough. That was really unpleasant. Choke collars can cut off the air supply and can do serious damage to the esophagus. The halti is a more gentle training tool but alas, it is not foolproof. If someone were to pull on my lead violently when I am wearing my halti, I could get whiplash. But fortunately, my parents know that a very gentle pull is all that it takes to remind me that I need to make a correction.
2 comments:
Oh my gosh. I am so impressed that you can use your halti. My parents tried one with me and I(they) couldn't figure the thing out. I read that if the parents are following the directions and the dog still can't get it, then it is a "type A" dog-the kind that really needs one. I think that is rubbish...I blame it on the parents. Either 1. they got so self conscious about everybody thinking they were hanging out with a mean dog that needed a muzzle or 2. they can't read the directions. Either way, I got sick of their trying to deal with it and I decided to make them move to a place where there are tons of trails where I can go for walks without a leash at all. I think this has been a much better solution for all involved.
Hi Quinta!
I have to wear that hateful thing sometimes too,like when I'm around other dogs and animals, because i get really distracted by them, but mom says that since she's started using the training collar(choke chain) on me,I've walked very nicely on a loose leash!
But whatever works...urgh!
Good luck educating the people of your town!!!
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