Stroller Training

For those of you that don't really know my dog, Quincy...he has some temperment issues. He's a cranky old man...and, he's only 4. His biggest issues, lucky us, are with children. We've been working on a training routine to help him get more aquanited with kids. He's doing much better when he's with me and on a leash. But, he's not ready to be free around small kids, yet.

Thanks to the fine people at Shaundar's work, we recently received the stroller from our registry. Part of our "prepare for baby" training is supposed to be focused on the stroller. Today, Quincy and I went for a walk around the neighborhood with the stroller. In the stroller was Mr. Bear, a large teddy bear from my parents.

First of all, I haven't received so many strange looks since I walked around the neighborhood with my McCain/Palin hat on.

I wrapped the lease around the stroller handle so that it was attached. Technically, I only need to hold onto one and I would have both (stroller and dog). It actually worked pretty well.

I quickly learned, though, that I still needed to keep part of the leash in my hand. When Quincy would take a detour to pee, he would cause the stroller to turn when I didn't want it to. Once I got the hang of that, the rest of the walk was pretty mellow.

Hardest part was picking up when he pooped. Juggling the dog, the stroller, and a stinky bag of poop was tricky, but I managed.

Now...Quincy is big enough that, if he wanted to bolt, he would probably be able to topple the stroller, so more training is in order. But, good first round.