As many of you know, Panzer is difficult. The first time I put her on lead, she transformed into a 45lb king salmon with claws and teeth. It took me 30 minutes to pack her in the car, after trying to coax her in for an hour. She had never lived in a house, been on a leash, or been in a car before. She was afraid of people, dogs, sound, light, movement, etc.
I've had her for 5 months now, and we had come as far as she loves dogs, accepts me, unless we are outside and she cornners herself, leash walks, and knows what come.here and sit mean, though come here is a lost cause in the yard.
So, I finally gave up, and made her a 50ft longline for our yard. Normally you use it for recall excercises, and never as a leash, but I know my dog, so it became a long line/ long leash. Sometimes I tie her out and then use it to reel her in with praise (you reel in the line so she can only move closer, but don't correct her or drag her. Coax her to come on her own with treats or praise). Othertimes, it's midnight, the dogs need to potty, she likes some space to poop, and I don't want to have to spend 30 minutes getting her to come back in.
Also, I bought this luxury 39x57 palace, for my bedroom:
It fits all 3 dogs at night, until I build my bedframe, but its Panzer's private kennel when I have to leave. She picked up on "go to bed" and "out" in about an hour, as the commands for going in or out of the kennel.
Either way, Panzer loves her kennel, and has spooked herself a couple times while on 50 ft of lead, enough to have found out there is an end to the rope, and you're plenty far from danger if you actually reach the end. Self-correcting Panzer. We also practiced my walking up to her from 50 ft away (obviously reeling in the line so she can't run) so she realizes that if she sits and waits when I'm coming to her, she gets praise, and if she tries to run, she gets tangled with a rope.
The end result so far has been that Panzer is now usually (3 times in a row) the 3rd or 4th dog in line when I let the 5 in from outside, and when I approach her from any point in the yard, no matter where she is, and how much escape room she knows she has, she will sit and wait for me to come up and praise her, and waits for the "okay" release too.
Its been heaven for the past 36 hours of off leash time.
