Right now we have 2 great danes, we just love the breed bc of their size and temperment. I usually walk my male everyday, but since i'm having a mild flare and don't want to overwork my joints(the first five min he pulls) I haven't walked them in about 10days. Right now my ra is manageble with a motrin here and there, every other day, and some natural supplements, but i was wondering if anyone here has to take care of a large breed dog with more severe RA, and how that works out for you, or if you ever had to adopt out a dog b/c it was just too hard to handle?try getting a run line in your yard for them. then you cabn be out there with them but dont have to hold onright now that's not possible. we live on post, and one of the perks is no leads and the dogs have to be kenneled or on a leash while out. unfortunately we didn't get a house wirh a fence. oh well we'll have our own house by the time if and when my ra ever becomes really bad.I imagine this would be a big problem if you had two big furry babies and RA. Now I know why I have a cat. Can you put an invisible fence in your yard? It takes a very little bit of training for your dog, it's not too expensive if you do it yourself, and it was pretty easy. I'd have to say it's one of the best things we've done. Now my dogs can run and play and get lots of exercise even when I can't walk them.have the dogs been through obediance training. They should be taught to NEVER pull you. A well trained dog can maintain a loose leash heel from the time you guys go out until you come homenewbb- I did have to adopt out a dog because he was too much to handle for me with my RA. I had him, another dog, 2 cats and a 2 yr old. A lot going on. When my hubby and I separated he couldn't take any of the animals to his mothers. It was a hard thing to do but the dog is in a good home and much happier. I keep in touch with his new owner so I know how he is. He wasn't a very big dog but he was strong and very alpha dog so it made it difficult for me to walk him. I have a female black lab who is completely the opposite. She doesn't need a leash to walk from the door to the back yard because she heels. Doesn't leave my side. And she'll wait for me to take her out instead of just peeing all over my floor. These were some of the biggest reasons I had to adopt out my other dog. I was worried about that too when the dog we adopted turned out to be younger than we thought and grew bigger than we expected. He's very high energy and we haven't been able to stop the pulling yet. We purchased a special head piece called "Gentle Leader" and there's also another similar one that does the same thing. It's a nylon head piece that has a hook to attach the leash near the snout. If the dog pulls, the leash pulls his head toward his tail. Dogs don't like that feeling (though it doesn't hurt them at all) and it really curtails the pulling. Be warned, your dog will hate it at first but will adjust if that's the only way he gets to go for a walk. It was either that or give up our dog because he was really hurting me. Yeah, do they mind well? Maybe there's a dog park you can take them to, where you can sit and let them run a muck for a while. My friend in Philly does that with his dogs, it's not so much that he can't walk them, it's that they're pit bull/lab mixes and they just want to run SO MUCH. With him living in an apartment, they don't get much space to run around. He slingshots tennis balls for them and stands in one spot in the park the whole time. LOL It works though!!
Hi newbb,
Have you tried a gentle leader or gentle halter. They are supposed to help with dogs who like to pull when walked. I've seen them at Pet Smart, and online at pet stores. I've never used one myself. Try googling Gentle Halter and see if this might work for you. Hope this helps.
Lori
Well I got ra pa & oa besides a couple other problems, but am doing well.. Right now we have 1 dog, 6 cats and, 2 rabbits and I have informed my, soon to be dead, husband that if he and the daughter bring home one more pet they and the animal will be homeless!!!! I do work with horses and I work with my brother's newfoundland, she is about 150 lbs, you just got to learn when you need to rest if you are having a hard time walking the dogs then see if someone on the base would be interested in earning a little bit of pocket money by being a dog walker for you. This way you can enjoy your dogs still and on your bad days have some help. meme