Dog walking/collars - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 05:59 PM

Anyone have any collar preferences? I currently use a special harness for my dog but he still pulls me everywhere. Any tips on walking him?

PorschaLei · 01-19-2013, 06:09 PM

I use a prong. Kratos is a big puller. Are you using a regular harness or an easy walk.

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Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 06:15 PM

It's not an easy walk but it's a similar idea. There is a leash that goes in the front and on the side and the idea is when the dog pulls it turns him towards me. It worked for awhile but he eventually started overpowering me. I've used the gentle leader, that didn't work well for us. I am a bit leery of the prong collar bc he is a skiddish boy and I'm trying to build up his confidence and make him feel more secure.

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PorschaLei · 01-19-2013, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dobiemom33

It's not an easy walk but it's a similar idea. There is a leash that goes in the front and on the side and the idea is when the dog pulls it turns him towards me. It worked for awhile but he eventually started overpowering me. I've used the gentle leader, that didn't work well for us. I am a bit leery of the prong collar bc he is a skiddish boy and I'm trying to build up his confidence and make him feel more secure.

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Gentle leaders arent the best for dobes some of them dont like it causing them to shake their heads and can lead to future neural issues. Try a prong with the plastic caps, or a martingale style collar

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Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 07:43 PM

That is what I found with the gentle leader. I had a trainer suggest it but I could tell he hated it. It ended up making him pull his face hard and I didn't like it whipping his head around. He also was more apt to keep his head down which seemed to lower his confidence. He does have a martingale collar but I can't use that for walks BC he is way too strong. He's about 90 lbs. I will look into the plastic prong. I haven't seen those before. Thanks for your input.

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PorschaLei · 01-19-2013, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dobiemom33

That is what I found with the gentle leader. I had a trainer suggest it but I could tell he hated it. It ended up making him pull his face hard and I didn't like it whipping his head around. He also was more apt to keep his head down which seemed to lower his confidence. He does have a martingale collar but I can't use that for walks BC he is way too strong. He's about 90 lbs. I will look into the plastic prong. I haven't seen those before. Thanks for your input.

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http://www.petedge.com/product/Guard...Dogs/44229.uts
Heres a link for them

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Juno · 01-19-2013, 07:57 PM

We use the easywalk. It helps me out alot.

Rouleaux · 01-19-2013, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dobiemom33

It's not an easy walk but it's a similar idea. There is a leash that goes in the front and on the side and the idea is when the dog pulls it turns him towards me. It worked for awhile but he eventually started overpowering me. I've used the gentle leader, that didn't work well for us. I am a bit leery of the prong collar bc he is a skiddish boy and I'm trying to build up his confidence and make him feel more secure.

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I used and easy walk in the beginning because my boy is a HUGE puller. I was not a fan EVER of prong collars... HOWEVER, due to how sensitive my boy is, the prong was the answer. I do not use it EVERY TIME we are out, but in intervals. I am trying to work on his pulling and reinforce positive loose leash walking. So far I have seen improvement. It is worth a shot! You just need to use it properly.

Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juno

We use the easywalk. It helps me out alot.

How big is your dog and how old?

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Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rouleaux

I used and easy walk in the beginning because my boy is a HUGE puller. I was not a fan EVER of prong collars... HOWEVER, due to how sensitive my boy is, the prong was the answer. I do not use it EVERY TIME we are out, but in intervals. I am trying to work on his pulling and reinforce positive loose leash walking. So far I have seen improvement. It is worth a shot! You just need to use it properly.

Did the easy walk stop working? What are your tips for the positive leash walking?

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Rouleaux · 01-19-2013, 08:18 PM

Dobies are SMART! He wouldn't pull that hard, but the easy-walk harness would loosen as he pulled. It was a pain to constantly be adjusting it back to correct size, and making sure it "sat" where it needed to. He also knew when it was on, and when it was off. I would recommend that harness above all other harnesses- even of the same idea/type. But for some- like Rou- it just wasn't holding up and the bottom line is he is getting bigger and bigger steadily - 2 weeks into 7 months and 66lbs... very leggy.

Basically, when we are out we use the prong collar, just for control and reinforcement. When home and being walked in the neighborhood, he is on a martingale to keep the same idea of tightening, without the sharp prongy pain. I don't want to hurt him...

He has been better... TREATS TREATS TREATS!! I keep him on my left side, and we have been working on "heel".

Are you and your pup currently enrolled in classes? It is an excellent experience and you get to learn in an environment with distraction, and socialization with other people and dogs.

Dobiemom33 · 01-19-2013, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rouleaux

Dobies are SMART! He wouldn't pull that hard, but the easy-walk harness would loosen as he pulled. It was a pain to constantly be adjusting it back to correct size, and making sure it "sat" where it needed to. He also knew when it was on, and when it was off. I would recommend that harness above all other harnesses- even of the same idea/type. But for some- like Rou- it just wasn't holding up and the bottom line is he is getting bigger and bigger steadily - 2 weeks into 7 months and 66lbs... very leggy.

Basically, when we are out we use the prong collar, just for control and reinforcement. When home and being walked in the neighborhood, he is on a martingale to keep the same idea of tightening, without the sharp prongy pain. I don't want to hurt him...

He has been better... TREATS TREATS TREATS!! I keep him on my left side, and we have been working on "heel".

Are you and your pup currently enrolled in classes? It is an excellent experience and you get to learn in an environment with distraction, and socialization with other people and dogs.

Finley is almost 4 and he is tall and about 90 lbs. I am more on the petite side so it is definitely a challenge at times but I have been very hesitant about a prong collar. I have used a couple different trainers but I think we may need another class/personal training sessions to work on things.

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Rouleaux · 01-19-2013, 10:03 PM

If he will tolerate and is good with other dogs, I strongly recommend group training, but it is just my opinion. Any training is better than none.

If you want to just try it, bring him to a Petco or Petsmart and try one on him and walk him down a few aisles. See how it works. Make sure it is fitted and sitting properly. He may fight at first- Rou was bucking and shaking at first- but once they realize it isn't coming off, they calm down. Once he realized when he just stood and walked like a normal dog, and that is didn't hurt, he calmed down a lot.

Adara · 01-20-2013, 04:24 PM

I train to walk on a flat collar. For times I don't want to train and a dog pulls, I use a Sensation harness.

jessewills · 01-23-2013, 05:00 AM

It’s important that dogs wear personal identification tags and collars. Though you will find various types of collars, choose one which is suitable for your pet. Flat collars usually attract attention from a distance.

Amelia_ · 01-23-2013, 05:10 AM

Mine all work on flat collars or half check pretty much every day. I think its much more about the training techniques you use rather than the equipment

Sometimes I use a front clipping harness to, though mine loose leash walk, I think they're great when you want more control for pullers.

ajp240 · 01-23-2013, 05:57 PM

I use a prong for my puller. I took a private lesson with a trainer to show me how to use it properly. HUGE improvements!

kmbeach22 · 01-23-2013, 07:56 PM

I use an easy-walk harness. It pulls from the front instead of the back. Jasmine is horrible on a leash, and so so on a regular harness. She's really strong, but the easy-walk harness does the trick so far! I hope you find something that works for you!

KoaRad · 01-23-2013, 08:00 PM

I use a prong - excellent tool when used properly.

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LaurenNova · 01-23-2013, 09:38 PM

When I first started training Nova on the leash she mostly ignored the prong collar and I did not want to hurt her, so what I ended up doing was letting her exercise in the yard romping around and then when going for a walk every time she started to pull I stopped walking and made her sit. At first it was really slow going, but she got the idea after awhile and improved greatly. That combined with obedience classes got her to the point where it did not matter much what collar I used she did not pull. However, I am no expert, so just a suggestion for some thing to try.

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Dobiemom33 · 01-25-2013, 08:36 AM

Thank you everyone for your responses. I went back to the pet store and it appears I wasn't using the harness correctly. It needed to be tighter and they explained to me that by pulling the front part for corrections it turns the dog and is much more affective that way. And since, its been working amazing! Here is the link for the harness if anyone is interested. http://wiggleswagswhiskers.com/No-Pull-Harness/

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Rednec_13 · 01-25-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajp240

I use a prong for my puller. I took a private lesson with a trainer to show me how to use it properly. HUGE improvements!

I was not a fan of prong. I seen them use incorrectly so many time I didn't like them. When to a trainer and she show me the right way to use it. When you start using a prong praise praise when they fix the pulling. I have to so say that private lesson was money well spent.

BrunoNBuggers · 01-25-2013, 09:31 AM

Both my dobies have prong collars. They wear a flat collar at all times and prongs when we walk. I don't always snap the leash to the prong, it's just them wearing it that helps. Bruno is almost 3 and had just turned 2 when I got him, he is mixed with Great Dane and HUGE and STRONG and had no leash training. Prong is all that helped.

The key is to use it properly, but more important than this tool is teaching proper loose leash walking. I use treats and the "stop and turn around" method. It works very well but for more stubborn dogs takes a lot of training and consistency. My maltipoo/chi mix learned it in five minutes and has been fine but Bruno is still giving me issues. And Buggles pulls like crazy being that she's only 6 months old.