In spite of the casualties, the new dog is coming along with his leash manners. It’s not perfect, but progress is progress. While Ronin isn’t very considerate of Lucky’s need for frequent potty stops, when I am walking the two dogs together, Lucky isn’t a gem in this area either. If there is any thought of the other dog, on these group walks, it would be to dominate the other in a way so subtle that I didn’t notice.
Well, I DO notice. When one dog wants to stop, the other pulls onward. They cut each other off constantly. Ronin pushes Lucky’s nose away so that he can get a wiff and when Lucky wants to pee, he doesn’t let Ronin’s nose stop him from going. Fortunately, Ronin has quick reflexes.
On solo walks, however, each dog has their merits. Lucky is a lot better behaved but his running days are history. On Christmas Eve, I nearly had to drag him home when I got freaked out with numerous police cars on my route. We were only going around the block. My old man just couldn’t do it.
Ronin, on the other hand, has plenty of energy. He is learning to stay at my left side and not to cut me off. Tonight, we ran around three blocks. I haven’t gone running in nine days now, so running with Ronin was awesome…even if it was only three blocks worth.