Walks & Prey Drive

[krissn333]

None of my dogs are very prey driven (we have cats), and I walk all 5 at the same time. I loop all of the leashes around my right wrist, then bring the leashes of the 4 greys together with my left hand, so they each have about 2-3 feet of leash. I keep the italian greyhound on my right and use my right hand to steer him around so he doesn't tangle himself up underneath the greys.

 

I do take dogs from our adoption group's kennel to meet and greets on occasion, and I always volunteer to take a dog that doesn't have a lot of leash manners, or is very strong and/or prey driven...I realize that not all of our volunteers are comfortable taking dogs like that out in public, but I feel it's important for them to get a chance to be out and about so someone can fall in love with them I always keep them on a short leash though, and I'm on alert for anything that might catch their fancy

 

I would suggest separate walks so your girl can learn some leash etiquette and you can tune in to what might catch her eye without having to keep an eye on your boy as well

[KF_in_Georgia]

I use 4-foot leashes, my hand(s) through the loops, and I often walk with one leash on each wrist, at least until we reach a point where we're going to stop while the dogs potty. (Then I'll put both leashes on one wrist, and use my other hand to clean up.) My two have displaced aggression, and if they detonate, I want to be able to separate them easily. With one leash in each hand, I can just stand with my hands straight out from my sides and keep the dogs apart. (They calm down quickly, thank heavens.)

 

Don't let the leashes go slack when you walk. If the dogs spot prey, your dogs are moving before you have tight-enough control to try to slow them down, and when the slack in the leash is removed by the dogs' lunging, you're more likely to be yanked off your feet. If there's no slack in the leashes, you're putting on the brakes at the same time the dogs are trying to accelerate--you're not doing it after they've gotten themselves in gear.

 

I don't have problems spotting squirrels on our walks, and the dogs tend to ignore squirrels since they know I'm not going to let them get close. Cats that squirt out from under parked cars as we go past are more of a problem. Fortunately, the dogs often are as startled as I am. One time, my dogs looked at each other as if to say, "Did you just see what I saw?" That gave me a second or so to react. But my guys are often not good about other dogs in the neighborhood. If I see trouble coming, I can distract my dogs, or just turn around and head in the other direction. The dogs don't immediately go ballistic at the sight of other dogs--they both tend to stop and stare at the approaching dog--so as long as I see the trouble coming, I have a chance to prevent my dogs from reacting badly.

 

So my only real worry is the cats (and neighborhood Yorkies) with a death-wish--the ones that are outside and off-leash (against condo policy and the law). And here's the bad news: if an off-leash animal is coming at your guys, the likelihood is that you won't be able to stop your guys from getting their heads down to the ground--no matter whether you're using a collar or a harness, slack or no slack in your leash. (Even if you actually hold your dog's collar, the dog can still get his head down far enough to snatch at a small dog.) Since Sam is my riskiest dog, if I can see the Yorkie coming, I tighten up a lot on Sam's leash and get my hand under his jaw, holding his head against my thigh. That is the only way I've kept Sam's mouth and teeth out of the squabble. I hold onto Sam and scream at the Yorkie's idiot owner to get his dog under control. (And often, shouting at the dog itself makes an approaching dog reconsider what it's doing.) While Sam understands "Leave it" and "No," when he sees dinner-on-the-hoof heading his way, he goes glassy-eyed and drools and his brain totally disengages from his instincts. He's safe only with grown greyhounds that are standing still; running dogs--of any size--trigger all the wrong instincts in that boy.