Update on Talia -
It's been a few months now and while she is a delight about 90% of the time, we are having an issue and I thought I'd see if any of you have a hint or two.
Within a few days of getting the carpet runner she learned to use the sliding glass door out to the deck. She mastered the steps to the yard and LOVES THE YARD!!! We were so thrilled to see her out there, she even loved it in the bitter cold and snow. She runs, she plays with sticks, she waits for the neighbor dog to come out and sometimes she just sits and watches the birds. She wants to stay out so long that we set a timer in the kitchen to remind us to check on her. On a rare sunny day she slept out on the deck in the sun. Happy girl, very adjusted to us.
She rarely barks, usually it's if someone comes to the door or if she can see a dog passing by the house. Often she runs to the front window to see what's going on outside but she is calm.
In the house she is playful and loves her toys and bed. She doesn't drink from the toilet or get into the garbage or destroy things which is great. We've left her alone a few times and I think she slept most of the time. Really, no behavior issues inside. Very well housebroken, no bathroom accidents!
I mentioned earlier about pulling on the leash when going for a walk. We looked into harnesses and DH's sister recommended the Walk In Sync
https://www.dogwalkinsync.com/ harness and leash. We've had a it a few weeks and she (and we) do well with it. We take her on short walks and she learned quickly not to pull and she gets lots of "good girl!" praise.
Now, here is the issue we are having. She walks well with the harness until she sees a distraction. Things like a car driving by or the mailman or a bicycle get her completely rattled and she jumps and pulls and twists. I try to keep her under control until the distraction passes but she is very strong. She has almost knocked me over a few times and while I've stayed upright she is wildy jumping and pulling. Once the distraction is gone she calms down enough to resume walking.
Today was awful! I took her for a short walk down the block and she saw a person walking toward us, 3 houses away. I tried to turn around and head home and she was uncontrollable, wrapped around me and jumping. Just bonkers! As the person walked toward us I walked up someone's driveway and held her as close as I could and asked the pedestrian to pass us. After they walked ahead a few houses I could finally get her under control.
By the time we got home I was in tears, and very angry. She is such a wonderful dog in the house and in the yard. And we've seen a lot of progress using the harness on walks. This out of control behavior with distractions, especially people, is intolerable.
So I'm looking for a few suggestions. Anyone have a training system (website, book, videos) to address this? I don't think she's trying to attack a person outside, but I'm sure it looks like a crazy dog and clueless owner to a person on the sidewalk.
We want to be able to take her for walks and maybe to a dog park when the weather gets nice. Also, DHs elderly mom lives out of town and if we need to leave the dog to travel I don't know if a boarding kennel would take her.
We are so pleased with her most of the time but this is an issue we need to fix, and soon.