Extra dog

[bigmamma]

I rarely take my dog out as she weighs more than I do and , while she is good on the lead , I can't risk her pulling me over if she was to get distracted. Well , silly me , seeing the sunshine I decided to take her to the park . She is a 47 kilo one of these btw :- http://www.upstatebreeders.com/images/DSC00017 .JPG All was going well until a loose dog took a great interest in her , mainly her neck and rear end !!! It looked like this so I should have applauded it's attempts to climb onto her , given the size difference .:- http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/photos/staffbull2 96x265.jpg My dog was frantically wanting to play but at the same time turning circles trying to get the little dog off her. It was a hard job getting out of the park and not helped by 3 young men having a good laugh at my expense. I thought I was going to end up with 2 dogs at home but the terrier finally gave in half way home . I gave her a good wash when I got home , to get rid of all the saliver, mainly...ugh Do you know the going rate for a dog walker ? , think I need one xx

[cruella]

Awe. What a time you had today bigmamma.
It is horrible when you take your dog out for a nice stroll and it being spoiled by unruly dogs running around and not an owner in site.
If the three lads who were laughing were the owners of the dog I certainly would have given them a tongue lashing.
They could have at leat tried to help you.
What a size of a dog you have.
My Westie only weighs 7.5 kilos, reason being, I am short and did not intend to have a dog that I was unable to lift up if anything happened to it.
Sorry your walk was awful.
On a serious note, you could advertise for a dog walker. Some people I know do it but only charge to cover their expenses. Mostly all done through my colleagues at the Social Work Dept.
If you are serioes, then give them a call.
Hopefully your big friend is feeling all clean and relaxed and hopefully, you are too.

[bigmamma]

I will give the Social a call cruella , I am in reciept of disability so they may be able to help.
Your little Westie sounds gorgeous , yes that size is what I could better handle eh? xx

[Kleiber]

AW, bigmamma - I do sympathise! I'm sorry, I had a wee smile, though, imagining the scene - Porsche with a terrier hanging round her neck! I've had the same problem - my GSD bitch is a sweetie, but always seems to get hassled by little dogs - especially Jack Russells. They're a bit like little men, really, aren't they? Always wanting to show who's boss?? Yours looks such a lovely dog - I'm sure that if you advertise for a dog walker, someone would be only too happy to oblige. If I lived closer, I'd do it - I'm sure she'd get on with my two! K xx :)

[wolf63]

I applied to do some voluntary work with the WRVS and doggy walking was the main thing that I wanted to do.

The people are vetted and it doesn't have to be anything on a regular basis - maybe a couple of good walks per week.

I decided to work in an Oxfam shop instead - which I love, but doggy walking can be such fun. And it can be a complete nightmare. I am sure that you will agree about the latter.

I am considering getting a dog - but not too sure the two feline gods that I work for will agree to it.

Is yours a big dog bigmamma?

[Kleiber]

Wolf - hiya - from what I've heard about Frankie & Merlin, any dog would certainly be put in its place in your family!! Same as mine are by "the pride". (Seriously, though, they'd get used to it - noses might be put out for a while....!!) K :)

[leelapops]

Oh bm poor you! That sounds like quite an ordeal. There are a lot of absent owners where I live and it's really intimidating-I worry more for Jack's safety than mine, and it's not nice to be alone and frantically searching for an owner to remove a rowdy dog! I have given a few people iece of my mind when they eventually saunter over to collect their pet! Hope you and Porsche are OK now X

[bigmamma]

Hello Kleiber , yes I guess it sounds funny really and you could put it to some funny music had it been caught on vid, dread the thought ..lol . Thankyou for your answer. :-) xx

Wolf , it's nice that you used to dog walk and now work in Oxfam , very commendable . Yes , any dog walker I do get will have to know that she is a big dog indeed , she isn't fat , just big for a labrador , her parents were big when I saw them at the breeders , beautiful parents though .
I laughed at the thought of your feline godesses btw :-)xx
Thankyou for your answer.

Hi leelapops , it was an ordeal , we were both exhausted by the time we got home .I had to wash her so that meant I was even more tired , still at least we can sit down the rest of the day .Hope you are well and thankyou for your answer too love :-) xx :-)

[mich_590]

take her to dog classes where you can worked together & get more respect from her when your out walking,training for a recall and heal when your out so you dont have to worry when your out theres lots of expert people to help you with your dog it would be a shame not to walk her and enjoy the walking together you'll have a better relationship after that,my dogs brill since i tock her to mandy blake in portishead bristol she much perfures to be with me than other dogs now as we have lots of fun together making walking diffrent every time

[Carakeel]

Hi bigmamma XXX. If you aren't able to take your dog to doggy classes, you could always try to train her at home using a clicker. Most pet shops have the clickers and accompanying booklet showing how to use them. The dogs learn quickly (all ages!), with quiet commands and they love it. It is also an easy way for the owner. No yelling and screaming etc. The other thing you could do, if you cannot get a walker (some here take �5 for 30 -45mins) is to buy a "Halty". This is a strap that goes over the dog's muzzle and is connected to the lead. The dogs can't pull much with it on and once she is used to it and understands that pulling is not an option, you might be able to stop using it. It doesn't hurt the dog in any way, although they do take a little while to get used to the idea or their heads being controlled by you. Hope this is of help. Best wishes :o)

[bigmamma]

Carakeel , hi there , and mich , thankyou both for answering :-)
My dog is actually very good on the lead and doesn't pull me , she seems to know how to go slow when I do. She is never off the lead with me but when we are at my sisters in Cornwall , she has good recall off the lead.
My problem is if anything untoward made her pull away . I would be down.My problem at the park was the other dog hanging off her and my dog , still at heal on the lead , was trying to get him off by turning circles. Bless her , she still looked after me otherwise her turning body would have knocked me .:-)