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Yes, believe me I know that! After training dogs for over 12 years I usually whole heartedly go against harnesses for that very reason.
I was adamant with Max that from the day I got him I was going to start training him how to act and so far it has paid off already. I had the advantage because when he left the breeder he had NEVER even had a leash on! So I taught him from that very first day that if you pull on the leash Mommy will make like a tree and we won't be going anywhere until you return to proper position at her side. He was very insistant on walking on my right at first so I had to take a couple of days to clear that up but he is just beautiful on leash! If he gets 3" in front of my left leg all I have to do is slow down and he gets right back in position.
I have had him what? 10 days and I have only had to verbally correct him for anything he's done and that was chewing on a toy of my kid or chasing my cat and a strong Ehhh Ehhh is all he needs.
I have started crating him for periods during the day and at first he was horribly screaming to get out (he had never been crated before either) but I just ignored him like I usually do with puppies and now he will go into his crate on his own with the door open and take a nap, when he's not following my every move!
My husband was amazed yesterday when I had him outside in the backyard off leash, he still never left my left leg, figure eights, runs and abrupt stops, he's right with me.
Now to work on auto sits when I stop!
I have never had a CKC registered dog before, do they do obedience trails like AKC? I am thinking he might be a very good dog for it. The focus he shows me and the intelligence is mindblowing. I never figured such a small dog to be so smart.
I know you can register a dog AKC by sending in pictures and stuff. I might just go for it if he continues to be such a good dog. I would LOVE to do some musical freestyle with him!
I have trained so many dogs. My lab who is my retired Service Dog and now a reader dog at local libraries knows over 100 commands easy and can do some really neat stuff. But even he wasn't like Max as far as speed of picking things up and focus. Reese (my lab) was always pretty hard to motivate unless food was involved. Gryffin (my Newfoundland) is not food motivated at all but is very toy driven. Max seems to work for anything whether it's food, toys, even just affection. I love his upeat attitude about everything too, it really lifts me up.
The thing I love most about him is that no matter what he acts like I hung the moon. He wants nothing more than to be with me every moment of every day. I have never had a dog ever that was that devoted to me. If this is a preview of what's to come in the next (hopefully) 15+ years, I am in for a real treat!
