Usually first thing each morning my canine kids and I take a walk through the hill country of central Texas. Mousse, my chocolate Labrador Retrieve, has been trained to walk on a lease. This beloved canine kid is also a ‘momma’s boy’ meaning he will never leave my site unless there is food or other creatures within the area. Due to his training he never wears a collar during our morning adventures.

Chester, who is two years older and Trump who is three year younger than Mousse are always on a lease. Chester wears a harness while Trump wears a collar. These canine kids have never been trained to walk on a lease. Of course, I take full responsibility for not attending classes so when my wrist or arm aches I have no one to blame but myself.

Every Wednesday afternoon a small local pet store offers free canine massages. When I noticed the advertisement I thought Chester and Trump would enjoy a massage. As for Mousse, he prefers not to be touched by anyone other than his loving mom. My canine kids usually don’t shop with me as it’s easier to get what I need and get out as soon as possible.

A few minutes after Chester and I arrived for the free canine massage a retail associate walked up to me with a ‘Easy Walk Harness’ package. She indicated this harness will prevent the dog from pulling. Yes, Chester went wild once we walked into the store. Due to his height he could see the rabbits within glass containers, smell dog food in bags sitting on pallets, check out all the toys both hanging from displays as well as in baskets and let us not forget all the treats in open containers.

This friendly retail associate informed me that Chester’s current harness forces him to work as he walks. At the time, the harness sounded like a wise decision but I wasn’t sure what size to purchase for Mousse since he is short and husky. The next morning Mousse and I ventured over to the pet store. Once Mousse walked in he went crazy. He checked out all the toys then treats then made a fast dash for the caged birds.

Once I was able to get Mousse away from the birds, two associates came over to help me fit him with an ‘Easy Walk Harness’. This was no easy task for Mousse was eager to shop around the store. Once this new harness was on Mousse he wanted nothing to do with it because the leash hooked in the front. We were both having trouble comprehending this new device.

As we were removing the harness to replace it with his collar a woman walked into the store with one leash and two small dogs. A coupler was attached to the leash allowing one adult to walk two dogs. After watching them I noticed the dominant dog would dictate in direction they traveled. I thought a coupler would never work for us because Chester walks on the left side of me while Trump walks on my right. Mousse walks behind us or right in front of me.

Chester and Trump should be trained to walk on a leash and I have thought about taking them to Lexington Correctional Complex in Oklahoma. At this prison, inmates are carefully selected to be dog trainers. For a small fee and a month’s supply of dog food the inmates train canines’ basic commands.

I believe my solution is to continuously have one canine kid with me when I go shopping at this small local pet store. This way they will become familiar with the store and hopefully not pull me around to see what they want me to purchase for them.