Sometimes people have dog training or behavior problems which seem completely impossible to solve. Sometimes we just put up with unwanted behaviors such as aggression, fear of fireworks, barking or whining, or think we can't train a special trick or useful behavior just because it seems too difficult.

Today I've got a special treat for you, step-by-step instructions [1] for tackling "Mission Impossible". There's a saying "if you can believe it, you can achieve it" - and I'm going to make a believer out of you!

One person who had her own "mission impossible", a Giant Schnauzer who would get crazy around sheep, is Sue Ailsby. I interviewed Sue to find out what the biggest lesson she learned solving this problem was and you can find the interview here. [2]

In that interview, Sue also tells us exactly what we need to do to achieve "mission impossible" for most dog owners -
walking on a loose leash!

Loose Leash Walking is perhaps the most difficult thing for a positive trainer to master without using some sort of management aid such as a head halter or no-pull harness. Traditional trainers have aversive collars which makes the task somewhat easier (although not always), but at the cost of inflicting pain upon the dog at some point (or continuously). If the thought of walking your dog on a prong collar seems less than ideal, check out this interview [3] with Sue Ailsby. If you've already learned positive methods for loose leash walking and still don't have a dog who walks nicely on leash, you will undoubtedly find out exactly where you have been going wrong.

Don't forget to check out the blogs at http://positivepetzine.com There have been tons of questions about pups who chew, house training frustrations, Tamar Geller on Oprah and 20/20, how to speed up a slow "come when called", and several posts regarding aggression towards other dogs.

Until next time...

Regards,
Aidan
Editor

Positive Petzine