... was my initial reaction.

Coondog pulls on her leash like a 22lb atomic powered locomotive. I've been surprised she hasn't seriously injured her neck pulling so hard... its definitely uncomfortable on my back!

So.... took her to a professional trainer. Nice young lady. She spent a few minutes with Coondog and then explained to me what a "training collar" is and pulled one out of her box of stuff. I looked at that thing and said ain't no way that's going on my dog! She chuckled and explained that's what most folks say. She wrapped it around my forearm and pulled pretty hard. It was uncomfortable but didn't poke/stab like I thought it would. However, I told her that Coondog pulls a LOT harder than that. She explained that's the point, dogs won't pull very hard wearing the training collar. So I relented and said ok. Sure enough, Coondog was soon like a totally different dog. Never yellped or struggled or anything like I thought she would, but a little pressure on the leash immediately kept her right by my side.

Coondog immediately went back to pulling hard when I got home and used the regular collar. I ordered the training collar from Amazon. Got it today. Trainer showed me how to properly adjust it and how to keep the leash loose when she's doing right and what to do when she isn't. I'm guessing it'll take quite a while to train her to stay by my side when walking off the training collar, but I think it will be worthwhile project.

Horrible looking thing.

Use one exactly like it on my 80 lb. yellow lab. It works a little, but he still pulls when he wants to sniff a "pee mail" spot.

I know there are ways to train them to not pull at all, but this way I am getting an upper body workout as well as exercising my legs.

Power steering for big dogs of draught nature, such as a rottie. And much less dangerous than flat or choke collars.

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NHI, 10-8.

My uncle used one his Rottweiler when my aunt would walk the dog.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Yep! If I was Coondog I'da done the same dern thing. Pain is a great teacher.

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Real men love cats!

I've got some young boys in a Sunday School class could use some of that training! But I like the idea of a 6 channel shock collar set better! But their mothers would not like the idea of someone teaching their little darlings to sit still, keep their hands to themselves, and not to run around the church during their class!

Ivan

Years ago, Ruthie bought one.

No sir, I didn't like it.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Yeah but tell us the truth now Rusty, you DO mind better when you wear it don'tcha?

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Real men love cats!

DELETE,quick DELETE...my wife is coming in the room and if she sees it,she'll wanna use it on me...WHERE IS THAT DARN DELETE BUTTON!
Qc

a pinch collar is a great training aid.
come, sit, down, stay, heel, are all easier using one.
of course, the human needs to learn how to use it first.

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susie

Would never use one, especialy on a serial puller...

Images in the link are not nice, so please ask yourself if you REALLY want to see what damage a prong collar can do.
There is a reason they are banned in a great many countries.

Amazon UK Bans the Sale of Prong Collars

no damage is done if used properly.
a quick jerk n release is all it takes.
if the UK bans something, you know they were just being stupid,
as usual.

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susie

I would never hurt my dog and can guarantee he isn't being hurt even on his hardest pulls. That pic is pure BS.
Pretty obvious to me you've never actually used one.

Dogs neck is one of their strongest parts. You are not gonna hurt them if used correctly.

Every AKA registered training class I have taken my dogs to they give you the regular chain "choke"/training collar. After a few times they :hear) the links start to move,

No you do not "choke: them with it.

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Still Running Against the Wind

So the one with the spikes on the outside is more your speed?

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Ukraine -- now more than ever

I've used pinch/training collars on dogs with heavy thick coats. They do work and if used properly do not hurt the dog.

Most of the time I train my dogs by remote control but they need to mind even when a few hundred yards away. Electronic collars also when used correctly don't hurt the dog and that train might just save there lives someday.

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Bill Bates

A pet peeve of mine. It might look like something Torquemada wold have used but the prong or pinch collar like Chatt Phil posted is by FAR a safer and more effective tool than the the chain type "choke" collar. No comparison.

I cringe when I see a choke chain on a dog, and I can tell by the way a dog sounds when they bark if they've been "trained" with one. I hate the bloody things.

It's basically impossible for a dog to get hurt when properly using a pinch/prong collar. It's more likely than not that using a choke chain WILL harm a dog even when used the way they are supposed to be. Any "trainer" that advocates the use of a chain does not know what they are doing.

Never leave any training collar on a dog--use it for training and remove it when done.

Well that picture is awful but simply doesn't apply here. That looks like the collar was way too tight, dog abused/abandoned tied up or something.

While walking... when Coondog starts to move ahead of me she gets gentle pressure on the leash, (I keep walking) she slows and the leash is then slacked and we continue as I tell her good girl as she's properly walking along side me. Repeat as needed. That's how the trainer taught me.

The article talked about "repeated strain on the throat can cause internal damage that affects dogs’ abilities to breathe and swallow as well as damage to the vertebrae." Thats precisely what Coondog was doing with the regular collar. Now she's not doing that with the training collar. So... I think there's some misunderstanding about dogs pulling on leashes and collars in that article, at least how it applies to my dog and what we're doing.

Then you need better glasses. We used one for a year, mostly on a super-pulling barrel-chested Labrador. He didn't get the holes as shown, but he DID get welts from it. My feeling is that the photo in the link was on a dog that was tied up with one on.

If you think the pic is BS, that's your prerogative - all I did was provide the link.

Whoa, Dark Ages stuff...choke chains & prongs?!

Get one of the halter-leads/gentle leads...work
better & easier on the dog.

My daughter bought one of those when her wolf hybrid was training, as a normal choke collar wasn't working on her. She was smart enough to realize that when she felt the discomfort of that horrible looking collar tightening up on her, she would immediately slack off on trying to go ahead or to the side and follow along with us on the walk. After just a few sessions with it, she learned to walk along correctly while on leash and didn't need it again. Now, she walks with us off lead and doesn't wander off either.

I think you have taken the correct path with your Coondog, Phil. That should cure him of his incessant pulling without harm.

Started Gracie with one at 5 months. Now, when I pick it up she goes nuts knowing we are going somewhere. She no longer "needs" it (she's coming up on 3) but it signals that she is "on" and has to use her manners.

Highly recommend them.

Ps. everytime I try to post a picture it comes out upside-down.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I also thought those collars looked inhumane.
I have to say I have had a dog pull against a choker collar till she was frothing blood. Never used chokers after that with that dog anyway. Most dogs I have found will fight against a choker collar. I seldom ever use them.

Sorry...OCD

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

A pinch collar MUST be used properly .They are great my collie acts like he is getting a bacon snack when i pick it up. The idea is that a mother dog will grab her pups by the neck when they misbehave, this is what the squeeze (pinch )collar reproduces . Good mothers don't hurt their children, Another advantage is that the dog can't back out of the collar . Just jerking on the squeeze collar with all your might ain't the way to use them.
As far as being BANNED in the U.K they must be correct they did ban guns and look how peaceful their country is.

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age is just a number

The "collar of death", as my wife and I call them, is a great and useful tool for a pulling dog. The dog will learn very fast and in a short time you won't have to "deploy" the prongs at all any more. It's actually more humane than using a regular choker and having to fight with the dog over and over and over.

Another example of how looks can be deceiving. It looks ugly, but a little use makes it so you won't have to use it.

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Freedom isn't free.

Use one on my 75 pound GSD .. no doesn't hurt her but she knows she is suppose to behave with it on .. most of the time .. she broke the first cloth leash at 6 months and I went to a 5 foot leather leash which she soon had stretched out to almost 6 feet .. I have a 6 foot leather one that is an 1 1/2 inches wide now and she has it stretched about 5 inches in just over 2 years .. Have a new one ready for when its needed .. I check the thread where its sewed to insure its still strongly held ..

She still will pull on it to smell a spot in the grass but if used properly she handles much better .. she is very strong headed though and strong as an ox .. I've seen her pull my wife across the snow with her feet braced and Eko was just digging in wanting to run in the snow ..

And she will pull with out regard to how tight it is if there is a child near that she wants or thinks she needs to play with .. one of the friendliest German Shepherds I've owned .. and loves kids

Thanks. That's the plan.

Coondog is very intelligent and seems eager to learn. Just 4 months she'll sit, stay, come and get her ball on command. But outside she's distracted and pulls on the leash until ya think her neck is going to break or pass out from strangled breathing. That simply had to stop.

Having had the training collar on my arm, I really don't think it will harm her during walks. On a scale of 1-10, she used to pull constantly at 10. Now when she tries to pull it's about a 2-3 and that's only for a moment till she returns to my side. Hopefully this is going to be a successful training exercise... we'll see.

Never tried a prong collar but have used choke chains in the past with no success. Thunder Leash, though, worked wonders in seconds. I was actually shocked. Please give it a try.

No Pull Leash | Shop No Pull Dog Leashes | ThunderShirt

So I went through this whole thread, and there's no picture of Coondog. That ain't right.

Here she is after a few minute walk. Not a perfect walk, but she did pretty good.

"Helpful hint from Heloise"

Actually from dog training.

When walking the dog if he/she pulls on the lead, simply stop walking until dog stops and or sits.

Dog will soon get the idea that pulling gets them "no where"

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Still Running Against the Wind

She is a beautiful looking girl, Phil! We also have a mutt that obviously has quite a bit of Coondog in him and he is another of those high energy dogs too. He was a rescue dog from the Parish Animal Control Center and we got him at around an estimated 6 months old. Like your girl, he was a definite puller on lead at first but behaves pretty well nowadays.

Right. That was the technique I used with the regular collar... but she just pulled and pulled. Yes she would eventually stop, but the moment we started again she immediately pulled. I don't think she cared if she was getting anywhere... just a pulling machine.

When I was a Petco last week with Coondog a young lady stopped me and asked if I had got her at Petco from the rescue operation. She said she got one from the same litter that looks exactly the same. She made special mention of how much her dog pulled on the leash. At the time Coondog was sitting at my feet... go figure.

Right now I'm as surprised as I am pleased how well she is doing and more enjoyable to walk even though it's more of a training thing than a leisurely walk. Of course the real test is how she'll do once back on the regular collar. I think that's going to be a while but we'll see.

Wait till your dog is 13 like my Dixie. you'll miss the pulling. She wants one of them collars for me now.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

I haven't used the pinch collar and I don't think I'm going to. My german is 9 years old now. She still pulls when we go for a walk, but not hard any more.

We have a regular choker on her. We've discovered if we keep it up by her ears it's more effective. Of course gravity moves it down from that position.

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Freedom isn't free.

Found it to be the only way to get the message across to our loving little pit girl.

Sweet little girl, pulls like a locomotive.

Only use it when we walk, never hurt her in any way.

When I got my Lab puppy, I quickly realized a regular collar/harness was useless. So I got a choker (took a lot to do that) and it did zip, I was told a pinch collar would help. After a month of indecision, I pulled the trigger and got one. Holy Cow! Cody started responding and I was able to get him to stop trying to sprint away on the leash, but to stay within leash range. I was able to train him to do most everyday commands, but I hit a wall and had to resort to taking him to a trainer.

She told me only to use the pinch collar after she was done with him ( 14 days) when he was in strange situations, and I believed her. I was able to teach him everything I wanted. I only had to resort to using it once afterward at an event where there were a massive crowd. Other than that never used it afterward, he adapted.

Lesson being: It was a tool I regret having to resort to, but it was effective!

With my balance issues, pulling is an absolute no-no. By the time Gracie was 6 months old (pic below) she realized that putting the pinch collar on meant she was "on". She had to be calm, walk at heel, and walk at my pace. During training one sharp tug, followed by the command being worked on, was usually sufficient.

She shops with me at local stores that are dog friendly, thinks the truck shouldn't go anywhere without her, and is a pretty fair lifeguard. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her.


(RUSTY! Fix these PLEASE!!!)

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

I've seriously thought about just getting a wheelchair and letting the dog drag me down the street. I'm sure she'd be happy to do it.

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Freedom isn't free.

At your service:

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I tried one of those for Angus. He looked at it and gave me that eff that look.
My son got a shock collar for his Catahoula "puppy" 65 pounds It has a vibrate selection and a shock selection. He mainly uses the vibrate and it seems to work pretty good. He's too much of a softy to use the shock on him.
I tried the vibrate on Angus and he gave me that "What in the hell is that" annoyed look and went about his business once he realized that it was just an annoyance. I'm afraid to use the shock mode as I think that it would only piss him off

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Forum consigliere

I will never put anything around my dog's neck. Harness all the way.

When I walk my 2 pit/labs together they can pull me thru loose dirt, but I can manage to hold them on asphalt or cement.

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9tenz

Besides my guys, my neighbor has a smallish german shepherd. I love her as much as my own. She howls at me when I visit.

What an awesome dog you got there.

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9tenz

well, you guys are free to have dogs that don't behave.
pulling on lead is a FAULT!
it is a BAD THING!
it is something to be corrected.

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susie

It ain't the dog and it ain't the collar.

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Dum vivo cano

I had a 140# German Shepard named Pounce. Pounce did not like other dogs, cats, or people coming into his house. When friends came to the house we would meet them with him on a leash with a muzzle on until he calmed down and accepted the intrusion. Once he let you in you became his best new friend - and wanted to play! I tried to use an electric shock harness on him for training; turned up all the way to stun - he basically looked at me and said "is that the best you have?"

Enter the pinch collar - it worked, as advertised, and did not cause him any problems what so ever.

I use it now on our 80# Pit Bull, a rescue, who was abused and was used as bait for fighting dogs. She has definite fear issues with other dogs - manifested as come any closer and she will kill them. The pinch collar is a great tool.

Just about every bird hunter I've ever known used a shock collar to train their dog including me. I'm just saying that because a little force is warranted when used in the appropriate manner to train a dog.

That collar is appropriate to train a dog if you also get training. It looks like you did so good on ya.

Some people look at me like I'm Attila the Hun when I tell them it's a shock collar. They've obviously never trained a dog to hunt.

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That's just somebody talkin.