Check, Prong & Eletric Collars - time for a re-think

What type of training collar are you using? Here is a quick review on popular types of training collars and what can go wrong with them when it comes to dog training. I urge everyone to start to think about the devices that they use on their dog - I have one simple criteria when it comes to training devices - would I be happy to use it on me???

Check Chains & Prong Collar: Check Chains can do cervical spin damage to your dog, the constant jerking to correct your dogs behaviour has essentially resulted in your dog having whiplash, they can also result in trachea damage. Prong Collars may result in injury to the back of the dogs neck, bruising, puncture wounds or lacerations.

The reason that these devices are often used on dogs considered wilful or stubborn. The issue is that when you go walking with your dog you are expecting it to behave at the same level as it does at home, when the dogs doesn’t, because it is over-stimulated and extremely distracted – possibly even pulling on the lead. You then jerk the chain – which may already be choking the dog, in an attempt to regain it’s attention. Inadvertently, however by pulling on the chain while your dog is excited you are actually increasing his stimulation towards things external to you. I would suggest that we start to work with your dog to firstly reduce the excitement that your dog is experiencing, which generally starts before you even get to the front door. Secondly, as dogs don’t generalise well, begin to add training, using a clicker and an extremely motivating reward to help your dog behave on cue in environments external to your home.

In reducing the excitement I would suggest a front clip harness, it takes the pressure away from the neck and redirects the dog back to you if it does pull. Before we even go for a walk however we have to begin the process of reducing the importance of the lead. For most dogs the only time they see a lead is when they are about to go for a walk – it becomes very exciting to them. So while supervising your dog begin to put on the harness and lead on for up to 1 minute without taking the dog for a walk. You can do this a few times a day – varying the time period for attaching the lead – this reduces the importance of the lead as a gateway to a walk.

Then begin to put in the process of loose lead walking by stoping when your dog begins to pull, turn in another direction – say to your dog “let’s go!” and begin walking in the new direction. This refocuses your dog and makes you unpredictable and therefore more interesting to your dog.

Now we can look at re-teaching your dog on the outside world what it already knows in your house. You can start in your back yard with little distraction, then moving to more and more distracting environments – remember to keep these sessions short and interesting. Overtime your dog can learn to remain calm and stress free by gradually opening it up to new life experiences. Best of all it is easy and fun, and there won’t be any damage to your dogs spin.

Electric Stimulus Collar: There seems to be two main reasons that people are using electric shock collars at the moment – for barking control or for containment to stop a dog running away. The biggest issue with using a positive punishment device like a shock collar is that your dog can associate the shock with what it is focused on, which may result in fear and/or aggression towards something it was originally just interested in. Both of these barking and containment are best dealt with first by management, and then by training.

Management involves creating an area for the dog to relax in, removing/minimising stimulation that creates the desire for the dog to bark or run away. This is really essential when there is no one at home to supervise the dog. Dogs sleep 18 – 20 hours a dog, generally this should be what they do when we are not at home. Giving them a relaxing space with little interruptions will enable your dog to do what comes naturally to it. During those 4 to 6 hours that your dog is awake, this is the time to entertain, physically and mentally exercise your dog. You can train your dog not to bark, by teaching it to speak on command, and then teaching it to be quite on command.