So Astro and I had a fairly disastrous walk today. The problem is, he's a 40 pound 8-month-old puppy, and he is STRONG. Big in the front, with a thick, fleshy neck that doesn't feel squat. And we've been going on shorter walks because NYC is an ice pit right now.
I have an old Achilles injury that I just can't afford to upset - rerupture (for the third time) would mean months and months of bedrest and surgery. Just can't risk it, so Astro has had to be entertained with puzzle toys and training and bully sticks. But that isn't enough for a bouncy puppy.
Today was nice and sunny, so we took him on a longer walk, and OMG. He literally almost pulled me right off my feet, on a patch of ice. He was struggling to get to dogs, he was struggling to go greet people - this is a dog who passed his CGC not long ago, but he has had it with being cooped up indoors, and he's going through this hellish teenage phase right now.
Basically, he knows "touch" and "look at me" and "leave it," but at the end of the day, he's not completely 100% - especially right now - and I really just can't be falling on my butt on icy streets. He feels absolutely NOTHING when he runs and hits the end of the leash, he will do it a million times in a row if he's excited enough, and he never wheezes or yelps or gives any indication whatsoever that it's uncomfortable. He doesn't really pull hard that often, it's more like he goes from 0 to 60 and hurls himself toward the end of the leash, gathers himself close to me, and hurls himself again, with no warning.
I have never looked into harnesses before - would some sort of no-pull harness help in this situation? What would people recommend? I'd prefer not to use a prong, but I do need some sort of "management crutch," honestly - he needs to get the exercise concurrent with the training, because I don't have a yard or space for him to romp off leash.
For reference, in case anyone doesn't know about him, Astro is a Shar Pei mix. Short muzzle, young, a little too dog-excited - hops up and pulls to greet them sometimes, has a hard time focusing around them, but has no actual dog aggression.
I have an old Achilles injury that I just can't afford to upset - rerupture (for the third time) would mean months and months of bedrest and surgery. Just can't risk it, so Astro has had to be entertained with puzzle toys and training and bully sticks. But that isn't enough for a bouncy puppy.
Today was nice and sunny, so we took him on a longer walk, and OMG. He literally almost pulled me right off my feet, on a patch of ice. He was struggling to get to dogs, he was struggling to go greet people - this is a dog who passed his CGC not long ago, but he has had it with being cooped up indoors, and he's going through this hellish teenage phase right now.
Basically, he knows "touch" and "look at me" and "leave it," but at the end of the day, he's not completely 100% - especially right now - and I really just can't be falling on my butt on icy streets. He feels absolutely NOTHING when he runs and hits the end of the leash, he will do it a million times in a row if he's excited enough, and he never wheezes or yelps or gives any indication whatsoever that it's uncomfortable. He doesn't really pull hard that often, it's more like he goes from 0 to 60 and hurls himself toward the end of the leash, gathers himself close to me, and hurls himself again, with no warning.
I have never looked into harnesses before - would some sort of no-pull harness help in this situation? What would people recommend? I'd prefer not to use a prong, but I do need some sort of "management crutch," honestly - he needs to get the exercise concurrent with the training, because I don't have a yard or space for him to romp off leash.
For reference, in case anyone doesn't know about him, Astro is a Shar Pei mix. Short muzzle, young, a little too dog-excited - hops up and pulls to greet them sometimes, has a hard time focusing around them, but has no actual dog aggression.
