A Breakthrough!

We've been having some trouble with Maple lately, in that her Akita/Saint Bernard side makes her VERY strong and very aggressive toward strangers. We've been having the hardest time walking her, because she lunges, pulls, growls, snarls, you name it. I haven't been able to walk her during the day because she has the strength of a Grizzly and I can't walk Lucy and Maple at the same time!

Last night took her out and she was a nightmare. I was really upset about it, the more I thought about the fact that I just can't afford to be walking a dog that could potentially hurt someone. I bought her a comfort guide harness, and it kept slipping off, so I told Andrew I'd return it and get a different one.

Today we didn't have much to do, so I thought I'd return the harness today. I decided to give it one last look before I put it in the car. Once I realized that Andrew and I missed a step, I bundled Lucy up and went outside to find Maple. I put it on and decided to throw Lu in the stroller and fill my pockets with treats for a "trial run."

Maple did AWESOME. She pulled a little, but the Comfort Guide solved ALL of our problems. We met a lady on the street, so I pulled maple into a church walkway as I saw her coming and made her sit. the lady knew just what I was doing so she stopped and chatted so that maple would have to sit still. maple only pulled a few times and earned a treat!

We also ran into a black lab in his yard without a leash - he's an old dog and doesn't care about anything, so I knew he'd be a good test. Maple freaked, but we got by without more than two bark and a couple of pulls. I am SO proud of our aggressive puppy! She was a dream to walk and had a blast when I let her chase some leaves as a reward. She sat like a perfect lady at every intersection and was incredibly compliant.

I'm so glad I checked the instructions with the harness a second time!