Kaze Uta Budo Kai Forum Archive

Tell me if I am getting a little over the edge with this. I have a 65 pound treeing walker hound (coondog). I have always hated taking him on walks at night because the trashbins in my appartment complex are a haven for racoons. If you are familiar with this breed, most of the time they are lovable and affectionate, but put a racoon in front of them and their pupils turn black and out comes a wild animal. Our walks usually consisted of him pulling on the leash and me putting up resistance about 90% of the time. And I have been pulled off my feet on several occasions, especially when the grass is moist from dew. So earlier this week I realized that I was practicing Karate with my dog (force meets force). I then said "How would an aikidoka walk his dog?" So I started using balance breaks on his stride, started using his resistance against him by taking a different line with a balance break, leading him in figure eights and elipses. I had no idea if it would work or not. I am amazed at how different our walks have become. Now he is responding more to the tension in the leash instead of using resistance. I can only imaging what my neighbors think of me.

I sort of taught my ex-wife's dog footsweep ideas. He was a terrier mix that looked exactly like Benji. He would lay down, grab one of my German Shepherd's front legs in his mouth, then roll over to throw her down. Maybe it's more sacrifice throw than footsweep.