Norris is very high strung, and he will suddenly jump and try to run when we are outside on a walk. This is very unpredictable, as I never know when something is going to startle him. It could be a car door, or a child yelling something from somewhere, or the wind blowing on a wind chime. And lately, he's started flipping out about something when we go out my back door to pee in the common area. I almost lost him again yesterday because of it. Two of my friends were sitting on the couch, and I took Norris downstairs to take him to pee and when I opened the door, he bolted outside and down the wood steps and I had to let go of his leash, because he was pulling SO HARD it was either that or go face-first down the stairs. He stood in the yard and I called him to me, and he started dancing around like he wanted to play. So I said "Norris here!" while holding my palm face up (like when we work on hand-targeting) and he ran up to me. There was lots of praise. I have almost had to let go before on the front stairs, which are concrete, because I'd rather not go to the hospital.
But I can't just keep being told "give it time" because it is NOT SAFE for me or him the way he pulls and the way he flips out. I don't think I could use a prong or a starmark collar on him, I think the Something Different on his neck would make him flip out. Norris does not do well with change. Norris is STRONG and I need something or some way to deal with the pulling.
The other irritating thing Norris does on walks is constantly trying to pick up and eat things. I live in a poorer area, so I guess nobody here knows how to use a trash can and there is trash everywhere out by the street where we walk and he's always trying to pick up tissues, wrappers, moldy sandwiches, and I even had to fight him for a mummified squirrel carcass once.
Help! Please :cry:
But I can't just keep being told "give it time" because it is NOT SAFE for me or him the way he pulls and the way he flips out. I don't think I could use a prong or a starmark collar on him, I think the Something Different on his neck would make him flip out. Norris does not do well with change. Norris is STRONG and I need something or some way to deal with the pulling.
The other irritating thing Norris does on walks is constantly trying to pick up and eat things. I live in a poorer area, so I guess nobody here knows how to use a trash can and there is trash everywhere out by the street where we walk and he's always trying to pick up tissues, wrappers, moldy sandwiches, and I even had to fight him for a mummified squirrel carcass once.
Help! Please :cry: