How do you walk a dog? - Page 2

[thekimballs]

Originally Posted by pjlioness

Well, you aren't supposed to yank on the headcollar. That *would* cause injuries. The FAQ (http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=21) has this to say:

(Emphasis mine.)

My guess is that the statement from the manufacturer is VERY old, because this is becoming more and more of an issue that vets are seeing. My own vet is seeing major injuries from them, and I know that Shannon's orthopedist is preparing a major paper on the danger of headcollars. Just think about it--they don't make any sense biomechanically. When you control a horse on a halter, your hand is under their chin. When you control a typical dog on a halti/gentle leader/whatever, the source of force is typically far above the dog's head. The dog hits the end of the lead and his head goes up and back. This is not a natural or a safe movement. And this is how the halters ARE RECOMMENDED TO BE USED--that your hand should move up, closing the mouth and correcting the dog.

I felt that I could use them correctly and safely on the Great Danes, and I owned one (though I never felt it worked as well as a correct collar, correctly used). But my Danes' heads were above elbow level, so I could lead them like a horse. There was no movement up.

The FACT, medically, is that the prong is the *safest* collar for the dog. Safer than a choke, safer than a flat buckle.

[gealach]

Prong collar user here as well. Vet/trainer recommended it and also pointed out the problems with gentle leader type harnesses. I already knew the danger of choke/slip collars. I thought the prong collar looked like a torture device (I was new to dog-owning). So, I tried it on myself.

On my much less tough, much less furry neck, it didn't hurt. As long as you have it sized right and use it correctly (a quick tightening and release) it doesn't hurt. It gives a quick pinch - well, not really a pinch if you have it sized right - a quick poke (and not an excessively hard one) to remind the dog that you are at the end of that leash and you are in charge of the walking. How, may I ask, is that crueler than letting the dog throttle themselves on a regular collar at the end of the leash?

I wish more people would become aware of prong collars. I hate the fact that some people see them and think you are walking a dangerous dog. Sure, my dog is dangerous - in the sense that he might smother you if you give him permission to crawl up in your lap for snuggles. That's a lot of fluffy dog hair up your nose.

[pjlioness]

thekimballs:

Hmm, interesting. I hadn't thought of the dog doing the yanking that would cause the injury. Duh.

We used the Gentle Leader on an extremely dominant older Pomeranian (the below-named Bubbles, whom we adopted at 6yo) who hated listening. He didn't hit the end of the lead trying to run off, but he often wanted to go his own way and pull. He would start to feel the pressure from the nose loop and go back to a heel very nicely. We didn't have to pull with much more than a finger, and never quickly. It worked very well for our particular situation, but I can see that it might not be the safest choice for the OP.

Okay, then, I second my suggestion for the Easy Walk Harness. It has worked well for our Papillon, who is nearly 1&1/2. I didn't want to use the GL on her because I didn't want to leave it on during the day and have it get wet/messy from water and food, nor did I want to have to put it on and take it off several times a day. (When I decided to get something to help control her, she was still on a puppy feeding schedule.) The EWH worked very well on her. I suppose she might have been one more prone to injuy from the GL, as she had/has a tendency to run and bounce around while on the leash. In fact, I think it's time to start using the EWH regularly again.

Our new Pomeranian, Jack, is nearly 8yo and very calm on the leash. I think we might get a GL for him only because there are times when we are walking that he gets interested in a smell and refuses to budge. Jack weighs around 5-6lbs, whereas Bubbles weighed 12-15lbs, so we will have to get Jack his own GL, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't feel right using Bubbles' stuff with another dog anyway.

[blsilva]

Wow, what a response! Thanks for all the ideas! I really had no idea that it was so complicated to walk a dog.
It looks like I have a lot of research to do, both online and at the pet store. I tried some of the gentle suggestions (treats, stopping when he pulled, etc) and it went a lot better, but I'd like to look into the other suggestions.