# collars and pulling puppy



## kellange123 (Apr 13, 2007)

What is the best type of collar to have on a puppy that is pulling on her leash? From what I read on here a choak collar or prong collar (isn't that the one that looks pinchy or am I wrong)?? Some say halter? Then I have seen the ones that put preasure on their nose and back of the neck rather than the front? What are my options and what does the research say? 

She is almost 4 months old and I don't want to shape too many bad habits. When we walk near other people or where there may be a car or bird or anything else that may scare her (sometimes airplanes freak her out) she is on a short leash. 

When she pulls instead of heals, I say no then I make her sit to refocus and then we start walking again. Is that what I should be doing or am I secretly reinforcing her pulling? 

Double questions there.


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## Bailey & Bentley (Feb 25, 2007)

I found the Sporn Harness to be great. There are little pieces of soft wooley material that goes under their arms. When they pull the fabric tightens under thier arms causing them to stop pulling. I used this on Bailey when he was about 5-6 months old. It worked great then he outgrew it. I really need to go buy another, I can't find anything else that works.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I think most of the training collars and anti pull harnesses work if used correctly. The key is to do things correctly. If you can find one nearby an obedience class is a lot of fun for both of you. 

As for training heel it is best if you try to do it as a 10 to 15 minute training session rather than on your daily "walk". One method is to start walking with your dog with a pocket full of tiny treats and just start walking and changing directions often. This will force the dog to pay attention to you. When the dog is paying attention to you say "Yes" and treat. (you can substitute anything for the "Yes") I still try to catch Oakly walking perfectly and treat him for paying attention even on our evening walks (He's 1.5 yrs and does pretty well) but I like to reinforce the "Perfect Heel"

I'm sure there are no fewer than 100 methods of training this so I'm sure others will chime in.


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## marshab1 (Aug 28, 2006)

I used a prong collar and had great results and didn't need it any more in a quick amount of time. But then we stopped walking so I have had to go back to it. It is the pincher looking one but Tinkerbell has never acted liek it hurt her in fact she seems more comfortable in it then she does in a regular when she is pulling. And I tried it on myself, my mom, & my daughter before i would try it on Tinkerbell. Here is a great site that talks about it.

Leerburg Dog Training - How to fit a Prong Collar for Dog Training

There are also a lot of threads on here about prongs, chokes, haltis, and harnesses. Everyone has an opinion and a liek and dislike but you have to do what is best for you. If you decide to use a prong pay the little bit extra to get the clip on type. So much easier to put on.

PetSmart - Top Paw® Chrome Snap-On Collar


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## Alpenglunen (Apr 4, 2007)

I've got a puller too, and it's been a bit of a battle, because it's easiest to work on when they are tired from a good walk, rather than all wound up and ready to run. The more exercise they get, the better for a training session that isn't 100% frustration and correction for both parties. The best time to practice good leash manners is after a good off-leash session, or fast-paced on-leash session of some sort. Whatever you can to burn off the energy will help before you start an exercise in discipline, and the more often you do that, the less problems you'll have the next time out the door, on or off leash.

Within the details, you have to stop and get a sit with attention first. She needs to know that the purpose of the walk is on your terms and that it's not just a tracking session, but real migration-type exercise. When you get the attention before you leave the house, by controlling the exit and terms of leading, that's when it starts, with the collar postioned up just behind the head. If she starts, and the collar slips down, it's too late, and you need to start over, with you leading with the leash. She follows from the first step, and the collar is used for simply to redirect back towards your lead. At that point the type of collar is really meaningless, because the slightest snip at the neck that any of the various training collars will do the trick of getting her attention back to the exercise. I like choke chains, and don't ever find it neccessary to get to any point of real "choking", which only happens if you allow the dog to lead with the collar slipping down the neck, which makes any collar ineffective. At that point it's time to stop, get a sit, and re-take control of the walk with the dog coming back to you and starting out again. Attention can be had in many ways, simple touch and voice is the most effective. I don't find constant treats to be neccessary or neccessarily the right way to keep a dog following orders in terms they understand for the long term. It's inconsistent to ween them from treats when they are continuing to produce the desired behavior but they do understand it as a discipline issue without the neccessity to continue correction. Food treats may work to great effectiveness in many situations, I just think it's unneccessary to create food-based negotiations for attention and discipline issues that can be handled by established roles that a dog truly understands within the pack mentality. Food is the reward at the end of the walk.

The good part about training issues with goldens, is that everything is relatively easy with them, and it takes very little input to get desirable responses. Mostly, it takes exercise.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

In my opinion it doesn't matter what collar one would use, because I think this is heavily dependent on each individual dog as well as method used for training. A plain buckle collar will get you the same results if trained properly to begin with if one has the right dog, the tools are only as good as the owner that is using them as well as how they are applied. Remember, the tools are only for reinforcement of being able to give a correction when needed, and it must be consistant or else they too will fail and not give you the results you want.

One must first teach what they are asking, and it is best to begin inside, then move outside and do yard work under very low distractions. Once this has been done, then you move out a bit under a bit more distractions and be consistant in corrections as you were in the yard. 

The biggest thing to remember of all is.....don't just put any tool on your dog, you personally need some training in the use of that tool first if they are used! The tools themselves will not give you the perfect walker, it is you applying the corrections in a timely manner that will get you the results and being consistant. All dogs naturally pull, this is a learned behavior they pick up from us and the lead.

I think the secret is too know your dog, there are no two the same. I hesitate to tell you which collar to go with because I want you too get some training in the one you choose first. But no matter which one you decide on, do the yard work first for a good amount of time twice daily, both about 15 minutes sessions at his age and through in some fun in there also so as he doesn't get bored.

The only one I haven't had any real hands on work with is the halti, i've seen them used a couple of times and feared them a bit do too them slipping off with some dogs out there that I have come upon. I've also seen owners allow them too pull into them, and that too scares me! Even using the pinch or the choke a dog should not pull into them. I totally hate some of those no pull harnesses with the ring in the front, i've seen a dog flipped back over one of those that the owner didn't know it would happen when they pulled back on it over a high distraction there dog came in contact with. My favorite would have to be the pinch, although my trainer works mostly with the choke collar, I had my choice of either collar to use. The tool doesn't cause the damage, how it is applied does. And I have used the choke at times only because I could get it to stay up higher without it sliding down to break focus. But do get help with any one you decide on, don't just put one on your dog. 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.


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## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

If your dog has a high prey drive, is prone to distraction from things to chase, like mine is. I would probably recommend the prong. However, it's not a substitute for an obedience class. My dog is too smart and if treats are used, he will refuse to work without treats so we have to use compulsion/compliance training with a choke collar or prong collar.

The link provided to leerburg.com has a great article and picture of how to use the prong collar and you can even order it from them.

In order for a choke collar to be effective, it has to be in the same place as the prong, behind the ears and most of the time if you need the choke collar to be large enough to go over the head it is too loose to sit up high on the neck. The solution would be to use a snap around training collar that is a choke collar but you wrap it around and snap it on so that you get a better fit. You can find those at handcraftcollars.com or the dominant dog collar at leerburg.com.

Goldndust is right that you need to know your dog before you start the training. Although my dog is food motivated, he is also motivated by prey and the chase...even more so when outside. No high value treat can replace a bunny chase in his mind.

What causes your dog to be distracted and pull? Other people? dogs? squirrels? cars? rabbits? Be honest...who's the boss in the family. You or the dog? Do you go through the doors and stairs first? Do you eat first? Does your puppy try to guard toys or food? Does he demand attention or jump on people?

The reason I'm asking is to get a better idea of what you are dealing with. I used the flat buckle collar with treats and clicker, martingale collar, Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness, choke collar (only successful with trainer), and finally the prong collar. I was dealing with a puller for over 6 months and my arms/body were paying for it.

Finally fed up, I signed up with this trainer in my neighbourhood that had a really good track record, and he put my dog in his place the first time they met. He showed me how to do a proper choke collar correction/pop on the leash. In fact, my dog was pulling so far ahead it was difficult to correct him.

I've used the prong collar between training days with the trainer and it helped a lot, so now I use it for every walk and switch collars during the walk to test the dog every now and then.

I hope this helps...let us know if you want to know more about the prong.


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## thegoldenjoyride (Dec 18, 2005)

At excited moments, we have a puller

- We have been to puppy kindergarten and beginner's 

- When she pulled, we stopped instantly and waited for her to calm before we continued. We never got anywhere.

- We got her a Halti Headcollar but she was always too busy trying to get this thing off her face and it only tore apart during a walk (yes, it snapped). :doh: 

- We got her a Martingale Collar and combined it with pull? stop! wait and continue, but she only choked herself so we stopped frequently. 

- We realized if we drive to parks and walk through the trails there, she doesn't pull since she only gets excited when she knows that home is closeby

- Finally, we got her a SENSE-ible Harness: SENSE-ible Dog Harness, Dog Training Equipment | Softouch Concepts, Inc.. It is a bit more expensive (we paid $40 CDN) but it allows for an enjoyable walk around the neighborhood. I attach the leash to both the collar and the harness for general safety. According to the web site Frequently Asked Questions | Softouch Concepts, Inc., the harness affects a *dog's sense of touch* where the *leash ring is located in front* it helps *prevent the signals that cause dogs to pull* so the chest strap *is moved in different directions to apply body cues*. I like to think that she is redirected?? towards me or discouraged?? from continuing to pull when there is applied pressure or sensation on her chest. It is also easier to place on or take off -- I always struggled with the Halti :yuck:.

- Since we've had the harness, on our walks around the neighborhood we stop, she sits, we look both ways then we cross the street  when before, she always pulled me across :no: 

Best of luck :wavey:


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

At first we used the Halti and it worked great for a while, but everytime we stopped to talk to someone or at a stop sign he would drop to the ground and try to get it off. I was scared he would scrape his nose on the cement. 2 weeks ago we switched to the anti pull harness and so far it is working really well.


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## PerfectlyGolden (Apr 23, 2007)

*He doesnt give me much trouble*

yep i have a slight puller. Pulls only at other dogs.


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