Taking a Walk

Today we have a few inches of snow outside on top of a layer of ice from freezing rain. The past few days have been like spring. Today is definitely winter. In the past few days when the weather was nicer, I was trying to walk Emme on the leash every day. We started learning this in the late fall, but it got cold and nasty and we haven't walked for a while. She is getting the hang of things but still has a way to go.

It is easier, however, to teach a ten pound dog to walk on a leash than an 80 pound dog. When we got Rudy, he did not walk well on a leash. We tried teaching him to heel, but it was physically demanding and every walk was a work out. In frustration I went to the pet store and bought a Gentle Leader for him. This is a head collar that stops dogs from pulling. It was like magic. After about the first few minutes on the leash, he looked like the training DVD that came with the Gentle Leader. I came home from the first walk with the Gentle Leader and told Ken that I was going to add the company to our Christmas card list and send them a card every year. I was just so grateful. The leader makes all the difference in the world in walking Rudy.

I don't think I will have to buy a Gentle Leader for Emme. I just need to continue to walk her and I think we will work things out. We just need to get back to that spring weather.