That's it!

[Meggie]

We're taking Hubble to get some leash training. He's so very well behaved and smart, the dog of my dreams in all ways but on walks. Even though he's better on the leash, it isn't tolerable!

I have not mentioned but I have a genetic disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which among many things makes me VERY prone to dislocating/subluxing joints (daily, sometimes minor, sometimes causing permanent damage).

Well I have an extremely high pain tolerance due to growing up with this...except for one part of the body that makes me nearly pass out from the pain...my shoulders.

Well guess what?

Yep, Hubble dislocated my shoulder...trying...to...chase...a... ...leaf! His 13lbs yanked it right out.

Due to how relaxed my muscles/tendons/ligaments are, it can't be reset. It just has to heal on its own.

We called a trainer and she made a very good point...if Hub yanks me during the winter and I slip...it's pretty serious (falls are capable of literally changing my lifestyle due to the damage).

So my pup is now officially a health hazard the little punk! (Mind you this is the same dog who visits an old folks home and is so gentle with the residents EVERY one asks when he's going to become a therapy dog nowadays!)

Anyone else have a dog that's caused them an injury?

[Islander]

I haven't had an injury, but I do have a leaf chaser. I think leash training is a great idea; Gus' puppy class trainer also recommended a harness that fastens to his leash from his chest rather than neck or back. It counteracts the pulling to a certain extent - but Hubble will still chase leaves. Leash training and strategies will be pretty important for him and you.

I really like these harnesses - Gus takes a small, extra small is too flimsy for him.

http://www.softouchconcepts.com/product

[josie&holly]

Holly pulled me over on one occasion on uneven ground when another dog bounced up to her and she decided to wrap the lead round my legs! So that cause me pain in an ankle and my shoulder but not actual damage.

[pindrop]

I am so sorry for your pain and do agree that leash training is an absolute must. Our steps that lead from the porch to the ground (5 steps in total) are made of wood and face north and thereby do not get any sun on them. First thing in the morning there is frost on them and Layla will attempt to run down and drag me after her - however, I keep the leash tight to my side and make her walk slowly down as it is both her safety and mine I am worried about.

[pkcrossley]

i've known a couple of people without any special problems who have had dislocated shoulders and sprained wrists from rambunctious dogs, including little terriers. getting hubble trained to behave normally on the leash is clearly in order, but there will still be incidents in which he will be possessed by the impulse to bolt. is there any alternative for your to walking him on the leash? do you have a yard you can fence in and let him have supervised potty sessions?

[kjwarnold]

When I know I want Kirby to behave perfectly with no pulling, I use a prong collar. We tried everything before that, but it's the only thing that keeps him from pulling. And yes, he could pull me off my feet and has in the winter on the ice and snow! Be very careful this winter and hopefully you'll have a solution by then. By the way, my niece has Ehlers Danlos and is going through the same thing with the shoulders.

[bradl]

Anecdotally it seems like quite a few older dog folk are injured eventually, attempting and failing to step over ex-pens or baby-gates or tripping over underfoot dogs. Lord knows I've nearly crashed more than once doing both already. Although I may just be more clumsy than average.

A Cairn person whose dog was tragically killed when a flexi handle was yanked out of her hand began to advocate a method that seems potentially useful - a belt or waist loop to clip the leash to. I don't know it that would just move the dislocation to a hip, but from a body mass standpoint it seems like it might possibly be a more stable and injury resistant arrangement.

Certainly an abundance of caution is called for!

[tomatosandwich]

Ouch! I'll be eager to hear how this training goes and how much it helps. It is the one thing with Divot that frustrates me to no end--he'll be walking on his leash beautifully until he decides a squirrel in the distance, or chipmunk, or leaf, just might be fun to chase. Then the nice walking is done for a bit. Please keep us posted on how you're recovering and how the training is helping!

[FL Frey]

Meggie - So sorry to hear about your injury. Baylee is also a leaf chaser, and I broke my ankle in April when she was only 4 months old. Now that Barnum is almost 4 months old, I'm a bit nervous about another accident! Barnum is starting puppy class tomorrow, and I'm going to see if I can arrange a private class for them both. It's like hearding cats when i walk both of them together. Our fensed yard is pretty small, so I need to walk them through the neighborhood and we have a lease law. If I pick up any good tips I'll pass them along. Take care. Kim

[Meggie]

We have no yard...we live in NYC (although this occurred upstate...still no yard). I wish!

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I know elderly people are prone to dog related injuries (especially underfoot dogs!) but I'm 28 So I felt a little mopey about it.

Thanks for the idea, Bradl. It would be awesome to fashion the leash to my side when we're not in Manhattan (then he'd just trip or hurt other people!)

Thank you for the link, Islander. I think we need to move him into something exactly along those lines!

And thanks to everyone for their stories...at least now, Hub being my first dog, I know I'm not the only one with a dog who behaves like a bullet!!

[_whits_]

I've been having very similar problems with Addie: an almost perfect angel most of the time and a complete terror on a leash. She likes to flop on the ground. More than anything, she packs one heck of a pull. Which is especially difficult because I have an injury to my pelvis and my hip joint. I'm waiting on surgery and in the meantime she was making my pain a lot worse with her leash issues, which made me feel ridiculous since I'm only 25.

My trainer and I have tried everything: harness, easy walker (like the one islander suggested) but her legs were so short she kept wriggling her way out of it, gentle leader (goes around the nose) but she screamed (literally screamed) the entire time it was on and started bucking like a bronco. My trainer (after much head scratching) finally settled on two options that have really, really improved things.

Option 1: I take her to PetSmart (or really any pet store) for her walks. Because of the linoleum floor, if she flops on the floor I can drag her around 1) without hurting her and 2) without hurting me. The trainer swears by this method with Maltese because eventually the dog gets sick of being dragged and finally gets up and walks on her own.

Option 2 (My preferred option, especially with my back): I bought a martingale collar for Addie. It's a regular nylon collar, but with an addition of a loop of chain. Every time Addie pulls, the chain shortens and pulls the nylon tighter around her neck. It doesn't choke her (which makes choke chains so deadly), because it can only get a certain tightness (you have to make sure you fit it properly - I asked my trainer to do it) but it does put some pressure on her neck. She has very quickly learned that when she pulls and pulls and pulls she has to deal with an uncomfortable collar, but when she walks like a good little girl the collar gets really loose and she can hardly feel it.

The martingale was my last choice because I know it's recommended that Cairns wear harnesses. But she was pulling so hard that my pelvis and hip were suffering to the point that I couldn't even take her on walks. I still keep the harness on in addition to the martingale so I can bend over and grab her if she starts to chase after another dog or squirrel, and I am planning on transitioning her out of the martingale once she really understands how to walk properly on a leash. But as someone with an injury, the martingale has been a lifesaver for me. Addie is walking 90% better, and it's only been about 2 weeks.

You just have to make sure to take the martingale off when you take the leash off, because it can get caught on things around the house.

Good luck with Hubble!

[pkcrossley]

i'm an advocate for harnesses because of the back and cartilage issues that are always present with cairns, but in these cases it is clear that special needs of human companions can also be paramount. a harness sacrifices some close control for overall comfort and safety for the dog. but a cairn whose human is at risk of injury will have to make some compromises. find whatever is best for the two of you, and go from there. there are several varieties of martingale collars and harnesses, and the ones i have seen are clearly kind enough to the dog. i hope you find solutions that work very well for you!

[Meggie]

All awesome tips! Thanks so much!!

It's also great to know I'm not the only 20-something with these sorts of issues struggling with a small dog

Hubby was supposed to go Thursday for his consultation with a a trainer whose specialty is leash training (which I find amusing btw, apparently everyone sucks at leash training on their own) and harness shopping but obviously due to his little pill popping session, that didn't happen.

Next week we're determined to go!

[sanford]

Sorry to read about your ailment. I've used the martingale as well as the prong collars mentioned above. Both gave me much more control over Ruffy. In your case, I think the prong would be best. In my experience it gave me more control. Whichever you go with, I want to point out something that may seem obvious... but here goes: For the sake of your own stability, be sure to use a short leash and definitely don't use a retractable leash. A long leash will give Hubble too much slack and enable him to build up a head of steam when he bolts, pulls ahead. A short leash prevents this.

I like to walk Ruffy along the river, even during the winter. I don't know the conditions where you live, but we often encounter icy patches of ground. I'm thinking of getting some slip-on cleats for the bottom of my shoes/boots. I've seen them online and they're not expensive and seem easy to put on and take off. Just something you might want to consider.

[pkcrossley]

i have the cleats, they are inexpensive for what they do, not too hard to get on and off, and really do work like a charm (you can walk across hard floors with them if you have to.

[_whits_]

It's also great to know I'm not the only 20-something with these sorts of issues struggling with a small dog

It is really nice to hear that I'm not alone having to deal with joint and pain issues in my 20s in addition to having an over eager Cairn. But I do wish neither of us had to be in pain.

Best of luck addressing Hubble's leash-walking. it will get better! And I do hope your little one is feeling much much better after that pill scare.

[Tami]

Sorry to hear about your shoulder injury.

Earlier this summer my husband tripped over Fearghus' leash and cracked a couple ribs. There were also a couple little girls and a 20' leash involved in addition to a fast-moving-eager-to-get-to-the-park cairn. He's not 20 but 40 something (my husband, not the dog .. the dog is now 1 1/2 years old). Still, you just don't imagine on getting hurt over a little 14 lb dog.

Hope your shoulder heals quickly!

[Meggie]

Ooof cracked ribs??!! Hope he's all healed up now! I know all too well the "omg the park!" mode.

It's funny because my shoulder still feels a twinge of ouch. Part of me is like "that little monster!" but then he high fives me and I can't stay mad.

I think he knows high fives are his get of jail free card, because it is the ONLY trick he'll do with no reward.

[Kathryn]

I am a great advocate for "yak tracks", as they call the cleats here in Minnesota. I have been ever since I fell on ice -- walking forward while looking backwards to call a reluctant dog. I ended up in the hospital with a concussion. The cleats slip right on over shoes or boots, and don't take any time at all to get on or off. I highly recommend them.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Sorry about your injury. Hope Hubble gets better with his training classes. The only injury I have gotten from Demps is when he insist on sticking his head out the car window and I put my arm up to #1) guard him #2) guard the paint on the car but unfortunately while doing this his sweet little toe nails dig into my aging arm. I even have scars from this little ritual.

[Meggie]

Well no training update.

We went to one of the locations of a fancy NY dog boarding/training place for a "consultation" but essentially it was just to be pressured to book a session.

I asked the woman numerous times if we could sit for a few and discuss stuff (we also wanted to see how she interacted with Hubble and vice versa) but she was dismissive each time I suggested it.

She didn't even look at him, ask his name...anything! Although everyone else on staff did, even a few getting on the floor with him.

The place is pricey and I even said to her (after she had rubbed me the wrong way for a few minutes) "I'm not willing to give you hundreds of dollars for just a chance your way will work" She said "we" could figure it out at our first session. Uuuuum, No.

I called her manager (who I have a positive repoire with) and said I'm not going to entrust my dog's training to someone who didn't acknowledge him or someone I wouldn't want to spend time around or couldn't give us 3 minutes where she observed him.

Onto the next!

[_whits_]

I know not all trainers are the same quality, but I have had a wonderful experience with PetSmart. I found a trainer who has a Cairn and has been great with Addie, really understanding how to get the best out of her. And they let me walk around as many stores as I wanted and watch training sessions to figure out who I thought would be the best match.

That being said, my trainer and I have realised that the nature of Addie's leash issues meant that the best way to deal with it was the find the best harness/collar, and for Addie and I just to practice, practice, practice. So it really only took one session to figure that out. If that is Hubble's only issue, it might save you money (wherever you go) just to sign up for a one-off lesson.