My Back Is Out Of Whack Because Of My Teenage Dog

1100 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by desmetval, Apr 20, 2016

Turtle11

Discussion Starter · Apr 19, 2016 (Edited)

My lower back hurts like a ***** today and I am walking like a hunchback.

Yesterday, we took our 1 year old, 95 pd mastiff mix to a local field for some play time. We had him on a long 30 ft lead. He was playing just fine, and then a couple girls come with their off-leash husky who just ran up to play with our dog (there is a leash requirement at the park, but oh well). Our dog just loves other dogs (a bit too much) and played and played like his usual crazy man self. After some minutes, the girls started walking away and their dog followed them. We called our dog and he obediently came.

BUT...our dog was still very excited about this other dog and their fun encounter, and his eyes looked longingly at them even though they were already far away across the field. I couldn't distract him well enough, and before I could do anything besides yelling Leave It! Come! to deaf ears, he took off and ran full throttle. Of course, I was holding the long lead and once he reached the 30 ft end, I was yanked pretty hard. I didn't hurt much yesterday, but today, it's terrible back pain. Grrrr. The good thing is that I'm glad the incident served as a good training opportunity for my teenage rascal (fyi he was much more obedient and good on his recall when he was a puppy!! and when he was a puppy, he never would have thought of taking off long distance like that!! how I miss those days)

Question -- Our dog is strong. The lead I use is 100% cotton. There is no 'give' or extension, no shock impact once the end is reached. Does anyone know of a lead that would kind of resemble a bungee cord, so it'd be a little easier to use for recall practice? I have a strong dog, and looking for ways to not have my back go through that again.

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mathilda

· #2 · Apr 19, 2016

i don't think using a leash out of elastic material is a good idea.
if you dog can pull the leash to get more length and go after another dog, you have less control over him and if he comes the end of the extra length the danger of being pulled off your feet by him is still there.
Plus the dog shouldn't even get used to tension on the leash in my opinion.

personally I wouldn't let a leashed dog play with an unleashed dog, because they can get tangled in the leash and hurt themself or they can't avoid the unleashed dog as well as if they were without a leash.
I think it is much easier accept for them that there's no contact with other dogs when on-leash than when it's sometimes allowed and sometimes not.

I'd try to find an area where he can play safely with other dogs (preferable adult dogs of which you know they've got decent social behaviour) witout the leash.

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Turtle11

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 19, 2016 (Edited)

mathilda said:
i don't think using a leash out of elastic material is a good idea.
if you dog can pull the leash to get more length and go after another dog, you have less control over him and if he comes the end of the extra length the danger of being pulled off your feet by him is still there.
Plus the dog shouldn't even get used to tension on the leash in my opinion.

personally I wouldn't let a leashed dog play with an unleashed dog, because they can get tangled in the leash and hurt themself or they can't avoid the unleashed dog as well as if they were without a leash.
I think it is much easier accept for them that there's no contact with other dogs when on-leash than when it's sometimes allowed and sometimes not.

I'd try to find an area where he can play safely with other dogs (preferable adult dogs of which you know they've got decent social behaviour) witout the leash.

Yes, we are aware, we dropped the leash when we saw the off leash dog coming at us and pay attention to it not getting tangled. Sometimes you can't help when an off-leash dog comes running at you, even at a leash required park. However, the off-leash dog didn't bother me and it's not the issue here...it was actually a good situation in which to practice recall training with the long lead since the other dog was a distraction.

The long lead doesn't have to be super rubber-band like, just a wee bit of give to lessen the shock impact.

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desmetval

· #4 · Apr 19, 2016

Long leashes are never a good idea. It's always more difficult to control your dog if he is 30ft away from you. And def. not if your dog is about 95pnd mastiff, they are so incredibly strong (if your dog is a little Chihuahua, you’ll always be able to pull him back)! Next time your injury might be worse!

Aren't there any enclosed dog fields in your neighborhood? So he can play freely?

Love xx

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Turtle11

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 19, 2016 (Edited)

desmetval said:
Long leashes are never a good idea. It's always more difficult to control your dog if he is 30ft away from you. And def. not if your dog is about 95pnd mastiff, they are so incredibly strong (if your dog is a little Chihuahua, you’ll always be able to pull him back)! Next time your injury might be worse!

Aren't there any enclosed dog fields in your neighborhood? So he can play freely?

Love xx

Hmm...long leads were used our training classes for recall training. His recall has gotten shaky since he's become a teenager, so I think I unfortunately need to use it for training for now, even though my body may not appreciate it.

Yeah, no big fields where he can play off leash. Well, we used to take him to the big off leash multi-acre state dog parks (a dog's paradise!) and he ran freely. But since his recall is no longer 100%, we stopped taking him for now until we trust him again and his recall improves

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Turtle11

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 19, 2016

@mathilda and @desmetval I forgot to say thank you for your replies! I appreciate your comments.

By the way, it's late at night, and I can't sleep because my back is still hurting, Lol.

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Gnostic Dog

· #7 · Apr 19, 2016

As the owner of a Mastiff (twice the weight of your young dog), I can totally relate. I have suffered a skinned hand and a broken finger from him taking off after a rabbit while on a long lead. The lead that caused the damage was nylon, so I don't recommend that material either. I now use a biothane long line which is a synthetic fabric that feels more like leather, so easier on the hand and does have some give.

I do have a bungee lead that is made from dogs that weigh over 150#s but it is modular (comes in sections) and is for regular walks. I don't use it because I prefer a leather multi-function lead for day to day walks.

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desmetval

· #8 · Apr 20, 2016

I hope you feel better soon!!

Lots of love! xx

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