The leash as communication device,etc.

I saw a show on PBS years ago (maybe Barbara Woodhouse).Two dogs on
leashes were brought toward each other, and they began barking,raising
their hackles, showing their teeth and lunging toward each other. When
they were simultaneously unleashed, though, they ran to each other,
sniffed, and began PLAYING! I tried it when other dogs on leash
threatened my leashed St, Bernard, and , when unleashed, EVERY TIME,
he ran to them to PLAY. Even when he stayed on the leash, I found that
if I kept my body and voice calm and relaxed, it was as if that calm
traveled down the leash to him, and HE was calm and relaxed. On the
other hand, when a nervous Nellie saw us coming, as soon as she
reacted in fear, screaming at her dog to behave, to get behind her,
whatever, her DOG was afraid. My Saint would just saunter past,
because I was calm, and so, then, was HE.

<GOLLEEE.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:c0634063-0c68-48f0-8c26-70b8f9ec913e@t1g2000pra.googlegroups.com...
>
> I saw a show on PBS years ago (maybe Barbara Woodhouse).Two dogs on
> leashes were brought toward each other, and they began barking,raising
> their hackles, showing their teeth and lunging toward each other. When
> they were simultaneously unleashed, though, they ran to each other,
> sniffed, and began PLAYING! I tried it when other dogs on leash
> threatened my leashed St, Bernard, and , when unleashed, EVERY TIME,
> he ran to them to PLAY. Even when he stayed on the leash, I found that
> if I kept my body and voice calm and relaxed, it was as if that calm
> traveled down the leash to him, and HE was calm and relaxed. On the
> other hand, when a nervous Nellie saw us coming, as soon as she
> reacted in fear, screaming at her dog to behave, to get behind her,
> whatever, her DOG was afraid. My Saint would just saunter past,
> because I was calm, and so, then, was HE.

I think this is a good point. A leash and collar are unnatural, and a dog
reflexively opposes a restriction on movement, which results in leash
pulling. Such restraints also inhibit the dog's ability to present normal
body language to another dog, and it can be dangerous to the dogs and the
handlers if the leashes get entangled during a meeting.

Unfortunately, I and many others live in a situation where having a dog
off-leash is dangerous. I live close to a very busy road where drunks and
amateur race car drivers test their high speed and cornering skills (and
often fail when rocks, utility poles, and cars parked in a driveway jump
out in front of them). And there are squirrels, foxes, and deer that
Muttley would find irresistable to chase. So even on my own 2.5 acres, I
must keep him on a leash.

I have a fenced area about 30 x 60 feet, but he is not that much interested
in running around in it. It was useful when I had another rescue dog,
Lucky, so they could interact normally. But their play got rather rough,
and I think Muttley was jealous of Lucky, so I had to find another home for
her.

Also, Muttley did bite a handyman friend who was working on my house 1.5
years ago, and also he attacked another dog in his fourth week of obedience
class, so there is some concern about what he might do if allowed to be
off-leash. There were issues that probably caused those incidents, and he
has not shown that level of aggression since then, but one cannot be too
careful, especially with a powerfully built 80 lb dog.

You have some good points about Koehler, and also you were spot on about
JH. I actually tried his methods for a while after he called me last May,
but Muttley did not react as he told me he would. It makes no sense that
all dogs (and cats and kids and spouses) are alike in their response to a
training method. He is like a fanatical religious zealot in his totally
black/white attitude, and his extreme attacks on those who do not choose to
be his unquestioning disciples indicate his own mental instability, while
he plays the mental illness card on all those he seeks to discredit.

I have intentionally crossposted this to the other R.P.D.B. NG, as it is
much more about behavior than breeds. That NG is also more active, so you
might want to move your discussion there.

Paul and Muttley