Lead, follow, or get out of the way

I took Della and Chase on a hike today. Chase isn't bad on a leash, not bad at all. Oh, and I think his hearing is just fine. As soon as we got into the woods I saw him alert to sounds just as Della did and he didn't seem to be taking cues from her. I got out a squeaky toy last night and he definitely reacted to that. So I think he had can hear, but I'm not convinced that the dog knows his name because I get zero response from him when I call it, even if he's nearby. Some dogs, Della is a prime example, will look at me when I call them and give a look that says: "Yeah, sure, I'll come when I'm good and ready." Chase doesn't respond to his name and I think the reason is his dependence on his more dominant and outgoing brother, Winston. He doesn't respond to humans, he responds to Winston. If these two boys do get adopted together, the adopter is going to need to do some one-on-one work with Chase to bond to him and to let Chase develop into his own dog. Winston is crate bound for a few days post-surgery, so that will give me a chance to spend time with Chase as we did today.

Although Chase didn't really pull on the leash, that doesn't mean that he had a clue about trail walking etiquette. Della was in the lead and that's fine, although she was pulling more than necessary today, competing with him for position, I suppose. Chase walked next to her. One time I saw him try to push past her and she turned her head and gave him a look or something but he never tried to take the lead from her again. So he walked next to her or slightly behind. That was fine until the trail narrowed to the point that we all needed to walk single file. Chase dropped back more but then he was constantly in my way and I was kicking the back of his legs as I walked. 

At one point Della even tried dropping back behind me, as Maya often does, to alleviate congestion in the front. But then Chase dropped back with her and the two of them had to compete for space on the single lane trail. In most places there's enough clear space on the sides for a dog to walk if they would step off of the beaten path but that doesn't seem to occur to them.

I was getting tired from Della's pulling so I put the short leash on her Gentle Leader and used that for a while. She doesn't really mind that and it keeps her at my side with no effort on my part, and my arms and shoulders appreciated the break. Chase dropped back with her, so I had both dogs walking on my left, which was fine when the trail was wide enough to allow it. I moved Chase over to my right side, making myself the center of a Great Dane sandwich. That was our best arrangement and it looked like I was walking two very well trained dogs. However, by the time we landed on this configuration it was getting dark and the park was emptying out, leaving no one to appreciate it. 

Next time I may put a Gentle Leader on Chase and we'll start out with a well controlled walk from the beginning.

This picture gives a good idea of the relative size of Chase and Della.

Here is Della when she dropped back behind me.

You can see Chase's blue and brown eyes both in this picture.

Here they are both on my left.

And this is the Great Dane sandwich.

It was definitely good for Chase to have an experience with a dog other than Winston.

Four miles, mostly in the woods until the last stretch.

In other news, Winston seems to be recovering well and Journey passed a cat test today with flying colors. Cat lady Rose brought over a cat who has no fear, and cares nothing about dogs. Journey was scared of the cat lady but was intrigued by the cat and came over to give it some sniffs. He was unrestrained but made no aggressive move at all. It was what I expected from him. I bet he's fine with all living creatures. I could see him befriending a mouse or any wild creature.