No-Pull Harness - My Take

Maybe I'm overly determined to find the most perfect no-pull harness for Lucy because of my terrible fall that I had with Ralphie a couple years back.  That fall tore my rotator cuff and I suffered for months and months in pain with minimal movement.  So now I'm on the search for the harness that will make our walks more pleasant and at the same time train Lucy not to pull.

To begin with I just cringe when I see a dog on a prong harness.  This actually looks like a torture noose.   LOL  I believe there is no need to have metal digging in your pups neck to train him...there are too many other choices out there that are more humane.

I trained Ralphie to walk without pulling with the Lupine No-Pull harness.  This harness worked for him and I still use this for Ralphie.  So I ordered a harness and leash for Lucy.  With the combination of the stiff material and the 5/8" thin harness, this harness cut Lucy raw under her front paws.  Ralphie's harness was wider because he's a bigger dog and the material seemed softer.  The worse part was dealing with the Lupine company.  They advertise very heavily on their website...satisfaction GUARANTEED even if chewed!  So I wrote to the company and called their customer service department and explained my concern on how this harness was cutting Lucy's under paw...they didn't care!  They would not honor their 100% satisfaction guarantee!  I didn't want my money back, just a replacement with a softer material or wider harness.  They said the guarantee is only if the harness was chewed.  How ridiculous is that!!  Their customer service is horrible and rude!  I would NEVER do business with this company again!

I tried the Gentle Leader on Ralphie.  He hated it.  He did not like the harness over his nose.  But I do understand this is a harness that works great if your pup can get used to it.  Ralphie would keep trying to paw it off.  I never tried it on Lucy.  I just think it would be annoying for the pup to see that harness draped over his nose.

Then I tried Walk My Dog With Love Harness on Lucy.  It's okay, but she still pulls a lot and I feel a strain on my arm and shoulder.  I still use it for short walks, but that's about it.  I did have a communication with the owner of the company about my concerns.  He sounded like a great guy and was willing to give me a refund but suggested that I give it some time before returning.  I never returned it because it somewhat works and there's no sign that it's hurting or cutting into Lucy.  I ordered the leash with it as well...I suggested that the leash should have a padded handle.  I really don't use the leash because of this reason.  I love the color choices they have!  Lucy got hot pink...you can see it a mile away.  LOL

Then I was recommended by a dog walker from the dog park, the Sporn No-Pull Harness.  I ordered one for Lucy.  This one actually works!! I like the padding under the paws making it more comfortable for her.  I feel minimum pressure on my arm and shoulder.  She pulls very slightly.  I can see her being trained with this harness.  I would recommend giving this one a try if you have a serious puller.  The only thing is that it comes in black, red, or blue...no pretty colors.  Also it was a challenge to learn how to put this harness on.  I had to watch a youtube video a few times to understand how to do it.   I got the black one for Lucy and use her pink leash.

There it is...my take on no-pull harness.  There's no better feeling walking your two well-behaved Vizslas and someone walking by that shouts, "Beautiful Dogs!!"  And YES they are!!
Happy Walking!!!

Happy Birthday Lucy!!

Happy 1st Birthday Lucy!!

Lucy had her first birthday this past Sunday!   "Her" day full of long walks, dog park, bones, toys, and lots and lots of hugs and kisses!

It was a quick decision to get Lucy, just seemed like it was meant to be.  Her previous owner had very little time for her.  Then seeing a short little ad on craigslist, no picture, "Vizsla needing new home".  That's where it all began. I'm in love with this little girl.  Ralphie loves her.  They are inseparable.  They're my "kids".

Happy Birthday Little Princess.
Ralphie and I are so happy you are in our lives!  Love.

Dog Park Woes

My local dog park is a popular place to be.  More and more pups are joining the group each day.  At one time I've counted over 25 large dogs in relatively small fenced in area.  With more dogs comes more drama.  Dog fights lead to human fights.  The last time I was there was a small dispute between a mature dog and puppy.  That wasn't so bad, but then the humans got into it...bickering, yelling, swearing and even threatening another's life that he'll shoot him!!  Crazy stuff!  This crazy stuff is NOT for me.  I take my pups to the dog park to socialize, run, and play not to experience an hostile environment.

Yes, Lucy is a little snarly girl.  I have no idea why she simply does not like some dogs especially dogs that are not fixed and she seems to discriminate on how they look...she does not like dogs with short noses like pugs, bulldogs, boxers, pit mixes.   She's very possessive over her stick, ball, or toy.  I know people are concern about her behavior at times.  She would never bite, but very persnickety.  I now know a busy dog park with a lot of dogs is not for Lucy.

With the combination of Lucy's snarly behavior and my fear of hostility at my local dog park, I've decided to take the Ralphie and Lucy to the nearby county park dog park which is quiet, larger area to run, very few dogs and much cleaner!  It's a bit sandy but too me I can tolerate the dusty sand for peace of mind.  Ralphie and Lucy LOVE it!  They actually get all excited in the car when I'm turning into the park!  I've also noticed that Ralphie plays and runs more.  Maybe he doesn't like a crowded dog park either.  After their playtime in the park, I leash them up and we take a nice leisurely walk throughout the grounds watching the sunset.

Now that's what I call enjoyment at the park!!

Climbing trees!

"I know there's a squirrel up there somewhere!"

Vizsla Challenges

Oh my I haven't written in awhile!  My daughter recently married so busy, busy with preparations and visitors.  Now it's time to get back to normalcy.

I've been thinking about some of the challenges I'm having with Ralphie and Lucy.  To begin with, they are wonderful for each other.  They've connected so much that they would be lost without each other.

Lucy has been quite snarly at the dog park.  I just can't break her from showing her teeth to other dogs and sometimes even snappy but I know she wouldn't bite.  But obviously dog owners get alarmed because they don't know what she's capable of.  I'm going to have to research this behavior problem more and implement a training plan to get this under control.

I'm still having a dog food dilemma.  I changed both Ralphie and Lucy to Canidae All Life Stages, but not sure if this is the right dog food for them.  They seem to be eating sticks and mulch more since changing them to this food.  Just wondering if it's lacking some kind of mineral or something.  So I have more homework to try to figure out what's best for them.

Lucy is still pulling when we walk on leash.  I purchased a no-pull harness that doesn't seem to be working.  Today I was recommended to Sporn harness.  I'll have to research that.  More than likely I will order one and see if it makes a difference for her.

Lastly, they both require a lot of my lovin'.  Every evening I have to sit in the middle of my sofa with one pup on one side of me and the second the other side.  Yes, they both lean on me squishing me in an uncomfortable and awkward position.  Every. Single. Night. A sure sign of a velcro dog.  But if this didn't happen each evening, I would miss it.  They give me a sense of security and comfort.  Love.

Vizsla - Dog Food Dilemma

About a week ago I took Ralphie to the vet for his annual heart worm check.  Negative...which I knew; it's Florida law to have your dog checked yearly.  But what really shocked me is Ralphie weighed in at 75 pounds!!!!  This can't be...how is his weight gain happening??!!

I started analyzing Ralphie's lifestyle and diet.  Well, he has become more of a couch potato as he's getting older.  He definitely doesn't have the puppy energy he once had.  Lucy does a pretty good job keeping Ralphie somewhat active with her puppy play.  She does get him running at the dog park.  Then I researched the dog food that I changed him over to when Lucy came into our family.  I changed him over from Zignature to a more cost effective food, 4Health Performance from the Tractor Supply store.  I did a lot of researched on the quality of the food before switching him over.  Dogfoodadvisor.com rated it 5 stars...so I went with it.   I went deeper and checked the nutritional stats...this food has a whopping 20% crude fat.  It seems most other kibbles have 12% to 14% crude fat.  That 20% crude fat now shows on Ralphie's body with ripples and dimples.  So I started all over again, researching different kibbles that both Ralphie and Lucy can eat...a food for all stages of life.  I am now converting both dogs over to Canidae, with 14% crude fat.

I like to see Ralphie lose about 8 to 10 pounds...that's a lot of weight for a dog.  It'll take time, proper diet, and exercise.  I can't believe how ignorant I was just to look at the star rating system of dogfoodadvisor.com and not the fat levels and other stats.  Lesson learned.

Happy 2016 New Year!!

Happy New Year from Ralphie, Lucy, and Myself!  

It was a bittersweet year for me...my little 'ol man, Ollie left me this year but Lucy came into my life in 2015.  Ralphie now has a sister...his soulmate.  They truly are.  I see the love Ralphie and Lucy have for each other every day.  They seem to know how to read each other...they can play and play but they know when to give each other their own space.  Lucy respects Ralphie as the alpha in our home and on the other hand Ralphie tends to give in to Lucy making her feel like a princess.  LOL  It's amazing to see this connection and so many times I think why can't us humans be more like our pups.  We certainly can learn a lot just by observing their behavior.

Happy New Year from the 3 of Us! Sporting my new Vizsla sweater! 

Smooch!  From Ralphie.  Love.

Christmas - 2015

Well this is Ralphie's 3rd Christmas and Lucy's 1st Christmas.  Ralphie and Lucy are very lucky to have each other ... they're each a gift for each other.  There would be no possible way I would ever be able to separate the two of them...they are very close but at the same time they give each other their own space.

It was fun reminiscing when Ralphie was Lucy's age...his first Christmas.  I can honestly say, Lucy is a handful, but Ralphie was much naughtier at her age.  He was fixated on the Christmas bulbs, destroying many.  The Christmas tree really didn't phase Lucy as much.  She plucked a couple of feathery snowflake ornaments, but once I said 'no' she didn't touch the ornaments anymore.

Ralphie and Lucy had a much enjoyable Christmas eve and Christmas day.  Of course Santa brought them some toys ... DURABLE toys.  I just love the Tuffy toys...very durable for aggressive chewers.  They got treats from their Pug cousins, Diva and Bubba.  I had also ordered a new walking harness, collar, and leash for Lucy.  I'm trying a new company called Walk Your Dog With Love.  They seem to have very customer-friendly service unlike the Lupine company that I previously purchased from.

Here are some Christmas pictures from our 2015 celebration...

It was impossible to get Lucy to sit still for a photo. Just love the look
on Ralphie's face. 

Of course, Lucy and Bubba go swimming on Christmas Eve...85 degrees!

Playing with some toys that Santa brought.

They do love that tug-a-war toy!

Merry Christmas!