Collars for training

[Sherry Miller]

I just wondered what type of collar you all use for on leash training for your Irish Setter?

[Jo Ottinger]

The Sense-ible harness you hook the leash in the front not on back and works for me just as well as the gentle leader.  I like both.  I do not use a flex lead as I do not like them. Only time I use a long lead is if we are just walking and not training.  Hawk loves to pull and will pull with the gentle leader, he does not pull with the Sense-ible harness. 

[rosie beere]

hi,

with regards to choke collars they are well named. i have seen the terrible bruising on a shaved neck of a GSD that had one on. they are barbaric.

get a sporn they are very good.

cheers Rosie

[Sherry Miller]

Rosie I am not familiar with a sporn?  is that the name I could look it up by?  Thanks for any information on these.  Just want to do what is best for our Molly.

Sherry

[rosie beere]

Hi Sherry,

yes that is their trade name in OZ.  i have found them great on pullers while training older dogs.

in all cases was able to have them walking to heel or on a loose lead. most ended up on a soft collar.

patience is the key in a young pup.

good luck Rosie

[Peter Hennig]

Hi Sheree 

I use a martingale show lead, it stays up at the top of the neck which gives plenty of control and has a limited

(choke) effect. If your dog is pulling stand still do not move forward until the lead is slack they soon learn the quickest way to get where they want to go is by not pulling you may only move a few feet for a while so you have to be patient. Also they have to be calm before you head out the more excited they are the more they pull, some very yummy treats at your side helps 

[Teresa]

I really think you missed my point!!!

I do not agree with chokers on pullers, in fact if I have any reason to believe one of my dogs may eventually try to pull for some reason it's either gentle leader or a soft nylon collar. I DO NOT want any of my dogs pulling on a choker!!!

Plus, you may notice that there are two rings in a choker - the normal one makes the choker choke if your dog pulls, but if you strap your leash to both rings, or just the other ring, even if the dog pulls, the lenght around the neck is not diminished. My chokers do exactly the same as a nylon collar, and if the dog is not pulling (my case, fortunatelly) it hangs low on the neck - it's actually very confy for the dog, but I point out again - NEVER in choking mode, and NEVER in a pulling dog - it is a chain, after all!

PS- yes, I have also seen what it can do to a dog, I've actually helped a vet pulling one OUT of a dogs neck once, so I am aware that it is not a tool to be used without a lot of care and in responsible hands!

[Ilona & Gina]

I know, it's not the most common training method, but I used a Sporn harness, that padded one. It worked just fine. We go jogging together, and I don't want Gina to pull on a collar, when we run, as I fear that it can cause damage to the cervical spine.

 

Gina is so good now, I have our lead on one finger, and we dont' even notice that we are connected by the lead. But harness or not is a matter of taste, and most people don't believe in it.

[Sherry Miller]

Thankyou all for the helpful information.  Where I am at with Molly is trying to transition her off the Gentle Leader to regular soft collar.  Faking her out after a block of walking here as I then attach the leash to her regular collar(gentle leader still on but not attached to leash and after a few blocks I remove it from her muzzle ) and she continues to heel and sit in neighborhood she knows well ( and I have my pocket full of yummies for her)...goal is to have her walk anywhere using a regular collar.....I have used training collars in the distant past on my boys and usually used the part of the ring that did not pull once they were trained to walk.  My last old gentleman I could walk with leash thrown over my shoulder or with one finger as he had it down so well. He would heel off lead but as we have leash laws here that was not an option on most walks.  Molly had no training when she came home to us ( including inside the house) so we have come a long way in our year with her....to be honest she is so much easier to train than the males we had while my girls were growing up.and loves to work on her tricks  and learning new things so it is always a fun time for the two of us..and  she is surpassing my first IS that was my standard for what an IS should be(never thought another IS would surpass him!) We often go to different places for our walks and in those places I strictly keep the gentle leader on ( and Molly does lunch at outdoor cafes with us in summer ) but had wondered if there were other options I should look into...have so much food for thought now so thankyou to all of you.

[Sue and Cash]

I use the Easy Walk harness by Premier. 

It is the only thing that has worked very well for us.  I can take Cash anywhere with this one and he walks really nicely.  I also have used the command firmly "walk nice" since he was little.  I stop if he shows any signs of pulling.  We don't use our harness when we go to the dog park everyday and he can pull like a freight train to get in the gate and play.  I will stop over and over again saying "walk nice" or he doesn't get to go in.  I also due to icy walkways, will hold onto his regular nylon collar, on the top, and I force him to walk slowly next to my leg.  If he pulls we stop again.  I find that just holding his collar next to me with the command already has him creeping along next to me.  After months of this he walks like a gentlemen most of the time now with command only.  I have been surprised how well this has worked for us.  But that harness is a godsend since it goes across the upper front legs so that if they lift up to get some momentum to pull, it stops them and turns them towards you.  I recommend it all the time and everyone has success with it.  Our puppy class trainer had us all get one.

[Sherry Miller]

Well I guess as soon as the ice is cleared off the roads here we are off to the dog store.....I already have a martingale I have not used and a regular chain training collar but will try the harness and replace the destroyed gentle leader and work from there.  I think it is the look of gentle leader and comments ( and I do explain them) that bother me as she really is a sweet, friendly dog!  Only thing I will pray is that the the rabid dog trainers do not show up at the store while I am trying to fit her with a harness...two on shock collars and they decided ( not asking) to position them on either side of us while I was fitting her last collar and kept telling me I needed both a shock collar and pinch collar for complete control of my dog!  grrrr....Thanks for all the help and it has helped me to feel better about using the gentle leader...she never pulls on it but I am thinking a harness is coming home with us....will look for the one Sue and Cash mentioned as should be available here by that name in Missouri. Come on spring so we can really get walking again here! 

[Howard Glansfield]

I hate shock collars and would never use them.In fact I think they should be illegal.I know someone with a lurcher and,on one occasion, the dog chased sheep .The owner instead of not walking the dog off lead where there were sheep present used a shock collar.And now uses it all the time.That disgusts me.

[Peter Hennig]

I agree Howard shock collars or prong collars should be banned.It strikes me that it's laziness to use one and cruel instead of showing some patience and learn how to train your dog . We have two afghans and when they're on lead you can barely feel them My boy Elton was a terrible puller it just took some time and patience and any time he starts to pull we stop till the lead goes slack, he works it out very quickly