walking with patrick

We try to take Patrick on a lot of walks. Sometimes its fun and sometimes its frustrating. He's pretty smart and has learned some basic commands, but when he's excited about other dogs and people, he could care less. He jumps on people and intimidates other dogs and kids with how excited he is (he gets very vocal and jumps around like crazy). Luckily, everyone is very sweet, understanding, and gracious about his craziness.

One thing that has helped is his Good Dog Collar. My sister in law recommended it to me. She and her husband took their dog, Lady, to some obedience classes and this is what the class used. Lady couldn't really be around other dogs and barked like crazy at everything. They bought the collar after their first class because Lady did so well with it on. They were even able to take her on a walk by the beach right after the class and said it was like she was a different dog. We ordered this collar for Patrick and it has been very helpful. We haven't had the time to go to any obedience classes (and I have to admit that I haven't watched the videos on the site yet either), but just the collar is making a big difference. He still chokes himself a little when we're walking, but he is way more controllable. Walks are a lot more enjoyable and we're not embarrassed to take him to restaurants or cafes.

Obviously we have some more to teach him and learn ourselves. We still want to attend a training program with him, but I think he's doing pretty well with the lack of training that he's had. One of my favorite things is that he's very good with all of the babies on our life. He naps with them and lets them tug on him. He's a good dog.