Why I dont like dog collars

Gag, choke, cough, tongue hanging out, eyes bulging, no control.....these are a few things that can happen when leashing your dog to a regular buckle dog collar, martingale dog collar, choke chain, prong/pinch collar.  You get the idea.  Dexter The Dog has been collarless since 2012 and I have not attached a leash to a collar to him since 2010.

Easy Walk Harness, easy to use with clothing.

As a professional dog behavior consultant, it was pretty easy to teach Dexter The Dog how to walk politely on a leash.  But that didnt change the fact that in the learning stages & even around some distractions, he may pull at the leash for a moment.  And each of those moments I felt sure was causing damage and pain to his body such as his neck, eyes & spine.  Obviously electric shock collars are not an option (click for reasons why).  I began to exclusively leash Dexter to a dog harness at a very early age.

Over the past few years, I have urged my dog training students to switch off of dog collars and transition to dog harnesses.  I have started to do some research and have found a variety of sources that confirm my suspicions of the harm a dog collar can do to a dog and the dogs anatomy. 

According to Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM, some of these issues can include Hypothyroidism, ear issues, eye issues, excessive paw licking, foreleg lameness & neck injuries including whiplash.  A study by Amy M. Pauli, DVM, Ellison Bentley, DVM, Diplomate ACVO, Kathryn A. Diehl, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVO and Paul E. Miller, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVO confirm that "Intraocular pressure increased significantly from baseline when pressure was applied via a collar but not via a harness."  Animal chiropractors like Dr. Sherry Fries are against using collars and a leash combos.  “I implore people to use harnesses as opposed to any collar,” she says.

So what kind of options do I prefer?  Harnesses and headcollars are my personal preference.  More specifically I like front clipping harness to help teach a dog not to pull on his leash.  The Easy Walk Harness, Freedom No Pull Dog Harness and Ruffwear Front Rang are three that I have personally used and recommended.  The Walk In Sync Harness looks interesting too, but I have not tried this one yet.  For headcollars my go to is The Gentle Leader & runner-up Halti Headcollar.

That said, they need to be used as directed to keep your dog safe.  A headcollar that is tight & if you allow your dog to keep pulling & it keeps his head at an unusual angel is not safe.  A front clipping harness that is tight & again pulled to the side is not the correct way to use the tool.  So, please work with a qualified professional dog behavior consultant to learn how to correctly & safely use these dog training tools.

So, I hope you reconsider using your dogs collar as a way to control him.  There are much easier & safer ways to teach your dog how to walk nicely on a leash without pulling.

Check Dexter out here for a demo! 

Need some extra help?  I offer both in person & online, web, video instruction!

Please feel free to contact me for details.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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Please dont stare

Dogs and people.  Two species I work with on a daily basis.  Thats right.  Two DIFFERENT species.  Sometimes these differences can get us into trouble if we dont recognize them.  Today I want to talk about eye contact.

Please dont stare

I did a quick Google search "how to politely greet a person" and here is the first site that came up.  It came from Wikihow.  The first tip:  Walk straight up to the person confidently.  If you recall in my last post-How to approach or not approach a person & their dog, you might remember that isnt the recommended way to greet a dog.  But back to eye contact.  The second tip in the article how to greet a person:  Make eye contact before greeting.

So how does eye contact relate to our dogs?  Eye contact can be a threatening gesture to a dog.  If someone is staring at a dog he can feel challenged or threatened.  In either instance you are likely to make the dog uncomfortable.  Direct, sustained eye contact can be very rude in a dogs mind.

What kind of eye contact should you make with a dog?  Keep your eyes light, relaxed, casually blink & dont have extended eye contact.  Look at the dogs check area & then away.

What can you do to help your dog adjust to eye contact?  Teach your dog a watch cue.  Here is a sample on how I start this behavior.  Dont forget to have a soft face, eyes & smile when teaching this to your dog.  Remember, you want to be non-threatening.

·         Put a yummy treat to your dog’s nose, and slowly lure the treat to between your eyes.  As soon as your dog looks at it/you say "yes!" followed by the treat.

·         Repeat for various repetitions & a variety of locations.

·         Start to add time (one second at a time) before saying "yes!". 

·         Continue with this level until you have 10 seconds of  your dog looking at you before "yes!" and treating. 

So remember, staring at a dog is not something a dog enjoys.

Need some extra help?  I offer both in person & online, web, video instruction!

Please feel free to contact me for details.

Tonya Wilhelm-Global Dog Training http://www.globaldogtraining.com

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