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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

No More Pulling with Walk in Sync

by Carrie Boyko, CEB
© AllThingsDogBlog.com
A Loose Leash Walk
 from Start to Finish--Dreamy!

As much as Tanner is a fairly well-trained dog and a great walking partner along with Oliver, he does have his moments. Recently when I met Holistic Dog Trainer Alecia Evans at Blogpaws, I shared my challenges with his occasional bursts of excitement over seeing a bird or a dog or a friend down the street, as we take our daily walks. Mind you, "friend" is a very broad term for Tanner. He defines this word as the old saying goes, according to my mother-in-law's rendition:

"I never met a stranger I couldn't call a friend"

When 70 pounds of exuberant dog comes barrelling down the street at you, one tends to look for a hiding place, or otherwise get the heck out of the way. Tanner just doesn't quite understand why anyone or anything would want to avoid him. He's a perfectly nice dog; why not wait up and let him get a good greeting in? He's clearly baffled by all manner of avoidance when he's enthusiastically trying to make friends.

courtesy Walk in Sync

That said, Alecia shared the science behind her Walk in Sync system. Apparently, dogs don't like pushing against pressure with their chests, so a front hook on a harness is ideal for pups who pull or want to take charge of the walk. I was ready to put this new tool to the test immediately. Why?

Why not! We're talking about a harness that doesn't choke, tug or otherwise potentially harm a dog. It's well-fitted, so as not to slip and slide, and easy to put on with connectors at both sides instead of the single snaps you find in most pet supply shops. I selected a beautiful robin's egg blue for Tanner and excitely looked forward to taking my first walk with him, after arriving home.

As instructed, I watched Alecia's videos that show off the system so well.  I found myself wondering how it could really be that simple. Just a few easy steps and Tanner would be under control, even when the ducks come out after a rain? No way!

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Ready to Go, Mom?

Way! Our first walk was like an immediate turnaround. This is tough to admit. I bravely took Oliver along right after a shower left puddles all along the roadway. This is a favorite time to walk, when Florida temperatures drop and I can tolerate the heat. Surprisingly, Tanner was able to tolerate the birds splashing about in the puddles, as well as one new canine neighbor that normally would have sent him dragging me to meet the new fella. Who knew?!

I'm sold. No more pet shop harnesses for this excitable pup. I'm a Walk in Sync lover now. And there's more. My story continues as I've now acquired another Walk in Sync to assist my mother with her challenges at walking her energetic pup. I'll be back soon to share this story of Jacque's turnaround also. Be sure to join me. 

Learn more here:
Walk in Sync
Purchase your own Walk in Sync here
Walk in Sync on Facebook
Walk in Sync on Twitter
Get-a-Grip Leashes
Train Humane



8 comments:



DawgBlogger said...

Gotta check that out. JD can get pretty excited too and the harnesses we tried? He ate one of the and the other one keeps falling off the snout.



Notes from the Pack said...

Thank you for that article. It's great to know about the Walk In Sync - when you have hounds who are compelled to follow their noses everywhere, you need all the help you can get!



CD McLean said...

Hi, I found you on the blogpaw hop! What a great blog and such useful info. Thanks so much!!



My Retriever said...

Yep, the momentary burst of excitement could send your dog charging down the street. I will definitely check out the Walk in Sync, sound like a winner to me



Anna Galanos said...

Amazing! I am trying to get used to my boyfriend's dog Sami. His sister had her, but moved into an apartment so now he has her at his condo. I have always had small dogs, I think my largest is 13lbs. Sami's 51lbs and she has those bursts of excitement too. Crate training a 10 year old dog is not fun. Or easy. It's like I'm the evil stepmom and am at war with the dog. But that's another story. I would love to get my hands on this! I can control her as I am 4 times her size with just a collar and a leash, but one day I hope that she will just walk by other dogs or squirrels or birds without a problem.



Dawn said...

I'd like to give it a try but I have to admit I'm a bit skeptical. Maya has used walking harnesses before and pulls as hard as ever. We will see.



Jennifer F. said...

This is a great article, very informative. I just finished writing one about how I prefer harnesses over collars. However i'll have to check out this Walk in sync, i've never heard of it before but sounds like a miracle.



Unknown said...

Thanks this is a really informative article. I have always used the harness that clips on back and that would explain why there is so much pulling. Think I might try one of those ones that clip in the front.

Dogs Harness

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