I am a SUCK

I am a suck. Yes, you read that right, I am a BIG suck. Today we went to Pet Smart to enroll Jinx in puppy school. We also had to get her a new harness because the one we originally bought is already too small. The dog trainer we spoke to recommended that we get a type of leash called a Gentle Leader. It's not a muzzle, I would never do that to her. It's a leash that goes around her snout and her head with the lead attached at the bottom of her chin. It's suppose to help us with corrective behaviour including her pulling when we go on walks. Jinx is going to be a big dog so the last thing we need is her pulling us along. As you can see from the picture above, the dog is able to open it's mouth entirely.

Well, our Jinx does NOT like it in the least. Shawn and the dog trainer were trying to get her to walk and she was trying to get it off. She kept her head low to the ground and whined the whole time. My heart just broke. I went to her, sat on the floor and pulled Jinx onto my lap and cuddled with her right in the middle of the pet store. We both got up after a while and she was still crying and trying to get it off. Jinx then just lowered herself and wouldn't move. I started crying in the middle of the pet store. At this point I'm not sure who was having a harder time with it, me or her. Even the store manager came over and explained how in the long run it will help her be a better behaved dog. All I kept saying was that we broke our dog. She went from being a loving, puppy kissing dog to one that just sat and wouldn't move.

As soon as we took it off, she was back to herself again. I felt so guilty about putting her through that so I bought her a new toy and new treats. I know she will be a better dog for it in the long run and we'll be better owners for it as well, but it's still hard seeing her like that.

Now I have to wonder, if I have such a hard time doing this to my dog, how am I going to be with a child? This will make things easier, right???