petorama

Ask Yvette

Dear Yvette,

My dog pulls. What type of collar should I get to stop it? I'm ready to buy a choke collar because I do not enjoy the walks.

Bob

There are many different collars on the market, and many are training collars. Choke collars fall into this category. A choke collar placed on a dog will do nothing on its own. Most dogs simply continue to pull, gasping and gagging the entire way. Response collars are almost identical to choke collars except they are made of cloth, nylon or leather. They look softer, but the net result is the same.

Prong collars are the large collars with spikes and they work based on pain. It hurts when the dog pulls.

Head halters were very popular about five years ago, but I see fewer and fewer of them in recent years. These collars loop over a dog's muzzle and act as power steering. They reduce tension on the leash because it controls the dog's head and neck.

During the past several years, there is another new aide called a “No pull harness.” Popular brands are the “Easy Walk,” and the, “Sensation/Sensible” harness. These work through a number of ways, but neither involve pain.

Which do you choose? After all, many dogs seem to do just fine in a flat buckle collar or working harness. Why is it so tough to teach a dog to walk nicely?

Part of the problem can step from socialization. Dogs that crave social contact might seem like a traveler in a desert. “Water! Wow!” A person living beside a mountain stream would react differently. Under socialized dogs often pull because they are like the thirsty and deprived traveler.

The second factor is training consistency. People decide to fix the problem. For a couple days they do some work, but then they get sloppy. The weather is bad, or they are late for work. They let the dog pull. The poor dog is left to guess at what the rules happen to be that day.

There are finally some studies that examine leash tension to health issues. A European study found that regardless of collar type, 91% of dogs that had their necks jerked developed spinal problems. The study went on to suggest that pain from spinal injuries resulted in a measurable increase in aggression and fear based problems. Another study by the American Animal Hospital Association finds that, “the pressure created by the use of neck collars significantly increases IOP (Intra Ocular Pressure) in dogs.” The full study is available at http://www.jaaha.org/

Used incorrectly, any collar type can potentially hurt an animal. But some seem to do more damage than others. Case in point, Cesar Millan of National Geographic's show, “The Dog Whisperer,” is being sued to the tune of $25,000. The lab was allegedly placed on a choke and exercised. Allegedly, severe damage to the dog's trachea resulted in life threatening injuries.

In a nutshell, owners need to carefully evaluate tools and methods to reduce the potential for harm. My personal preference is that clients get consistent, do their homework and choose tools that use the least amount of pain. The body harnesses are one of my favorites. With consistency, they produce some really great results.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

Previous Questions

• Dear Yvette Our dog ducks his head when we rea...
• Dear Yvette, We back onto a large green spac...
• Dear Yvette: Our dog is prejudice. I know tha...
• Dear Yvette, I am about to get married and own...
• Dear Yvette Our puppy is taking her toys and p...
• View All Questions