Sled dog in the making

Let me just start by saying that the harnesses were everything I had hoped for, and more! The folks over at Alpine Outfitters really outdid themselves. The harnesses I ordered are durable, very well-made, and look super comfy with the fleece padding and wide straps.

I spent the morning working on the basics with Willow. Willow will likely be my main lead dog; of the two, she's the one with more drive, enthusiasm and mental toughness, not to mention a major puller.

First, we worked on line-out, a command that tells the lead dog to stand and hold the line taut while the other dogs are hooked up behind him. Willow wasn't too impressed with that portion of the lesson:



To be honest, I'm not quite sure how to teach this yet. She did learn that a taut line equals yummy treats, but she didn't exactly learn how to hold the line taut in the right direction. Or hold it for longer than half a second. I guess that's our homework for the week.

The rest of the training went better, though! I've spent the last six months of Willow's life trying to teach her not to pull, so today I was faced with the dilemna of teaching her that it's OK to pull in the harness, but not on her collar. So, armed with the Gentle Leader collar, the harness, and the tugline, I hooked up a large piece of firewood to the back of the tugline, and proceeded to take her on a nice walk. She did amazing, kept the line taut at all times without worrying about the big noisy log dragging behind her, and kept her leash manners intact. It seemed to really satisfy her to be able to pull with her chest, but also walk nicely on her leash! I was amazed to see that her zig-zagging and general distraction level on the trail was greatly lessened. Instead, she focused on the task at hand, and did beautifully.

She earned herself quite a jackpot of treats when we returned home.