A rumble in the berry and stickers yesterday

Oh I love my fourlegged pals but one Dane is a handful when on a leash and lately his showing some protectiveness in the homestead too. I headed out to the woods after teaching my class at Mayslake Peabody Estate yesterday and had a very embarrassing moment.. Carl the elder of the two walks Ok with out a leash and pretty much follows along. I know Hank would do that but having a big black great Dane off a leash out on the path is not a good idea...people see him and run and he hasn't done any thing but look at them...well we came around a bend and headed  up the hill and see a familiar face and his dog and I pulled my two off to the side to let him pass, as I can't walk Hank pass other dogs he goes into high gear of growling and jumping and lunging...150 pounds of pure muscle pulling and who knows where Carl is at this point, he's on his leash but when Hank gets like this it's hard to handle..we as the man walked by I thought we had it and then Hank goes and gets tricky on me and lunges at the man after he walks by and nips is back of his upper arm. I pulled back even harder and Hank came into me and I went down in to the raspberry bushes and some kind of nasty stickers.  I held on tight and the man asked if I was already I didn't move because I was dead weight and though it best to stay still and Hank then came to me and seen if I was OK..funny and then turned around and lunged at the man again when he asked if I needed help getting back up...I said no and he said well I'll get going then and I said yes why don't you do that... Oh my gosh...I can't control this gentle giant on a leash...
 I looked down at myself and seen I was covered, no really covered with the stickers and was shocken up and decided to head back home and not complete the walk...I was afraid because Hank as nipped two other people recently in the past month as they came into our house...He nips first then checks you out.

a few things...I was using the technique of the small bones in the pocket to keep his attention as we walk by people and dogs so he switches the energy and focuses on me and the treat...I stopped that...note to self keep that up.

Second.. I can't handle walking both dogs at the same time till this is handled in a better way..which I don't mind at all more work on my part but good exercise...takes about 1 1/2 hours each day to truely tend to the fourleggeds as I should for their exercise.

Third, continue taking him to the dog park because he seems to need to know other dogs are not a threat.  Now if I could let Hank mean on his own terms everything would be different...as some dogs don't want to be met and he senses that and lets them be...others seem to do the dog sniffing body things right away and all is good.

fourth thing is I'm determined to get past this and work with him...hard as it is and a awkward feeling...as an dog owner not able to control their dog..  we also have to get him to stop being nipping door greeter too. So work is cut out for me...and the family..

Otherwise he's a gentle sweetie...walks right up to you and greats you with a good slobber wet kiss.

I do remember that Our Great Dane when growing up was a bit protective of the homestead too...scared away all the door to door people quite easily..

just a bit of my own drama going on who needs reality TV..not this girl..