I have this one-year-old Newfoundland dog, who is in need of some training; not a lot, mind you, because he is a typically good-natured Newfie, but at 130 pounds and still growing, I need him to stop pulling on his leash when we approach a kid or another dog whilst out on a walk. Everybody tells me, well, you need to get a choke chain collar for him, and he’ll stop pulling you.
So, I went to the pet store and bought a chain collar, only I can’t figure out how it works. The collar consists of a chain connecting two larger metal hoops at each end of the chain. How do I put the collar on the dog? Is there some way I am supposed to be able to slip one of the hoops through the other hoop? They seem to be the same size. Or am I missing another piece of equipment which is supposed to go with this collar?
You may find it less of a struggle if you use a trainer loop instead.
These have a loop which goes around the muzzle, and when the dog pull you just move the strap to this backward and it turns the dog’s head to one side.
He will learn to stop pulling sooner and its is much gentler on the dog.
Be sure that the loop is such that the chain “falls loose” when the leash is slackened. The ring (that you slipped the chain through to make a noose) needs to go under the dogs neck. The leash end goes over the neck, otherwise the chain will choke until your dog lays down ('course, he won’t pull after that). Can’t remember the breed, but if it’s a long hair, the chain might get tangled. As another poster said, the “haltie” works very well, if the dog tugs, it pulls his head to one side. I have a bull mastiff, I gave up on the choke chain, he’d pull 'till his neck bled. A radio collar, now that’s the way to go (My wife vetoed that, though)
You should be standing with the dog at your left side. The loose end of the choke chain should hang down from the dog’s right side. Someone looking at the dog from the front would describe the chain as “p” shaped rather than “q” shaped. You can now pull up/back on the leash to get the dog’s attention. When you stop pulling, the tension will go out of the chain and the dog will be more comfortable.
There is also the pinch collar. Many people do not like them because they look like they would be painful. But I have tried them on my leg and it does not hurt when yanked. It does however get our dog’s undivided attention. I have read that it is easier to use correctly than a choke collar as well. Whichever collar you use be sure to find out how to use it properly.
You got to post this before I did, ChromeSpot, and did a superb job.
If I may, though…
When you DO pull up/back on the leash, do so with a short, quick movement. Just enough to get the pooch’s attention. Even though it’s known as a “choke” collar, please don’t use it to choke the animal.
PetSmart has, at least in my area, a very good training program for doggies and their owners. Because, not only are the dogs being trained, their owner’s are as well!
I thank you and my two Olde English Sheepdogs thank you.
Thank you, everyone, for the information and advice. I will put it to good use. Jeff is already pretty good on a leash, he just needs that little bit of attention-getting when the dogs and kids are near. [sub][sup]Jeff says:[/sub][/sup]Kids! Dogs! Too exciting!!!
That slipping-the-chain-back-through-the-hoop is a neat trick, especially for those of us with mechaniclexia. I’m going to enjoy showing my husband the looped collar, since he couldn’t figure out how to do it, either.
g00g00fish – Re: *Can’t remember the breed, but if it’s a long hair, the chain might get tangled. * Yes, Newfies have longish hair around their necks, so I’ll have to be careful. Jeff will only be wearing the chain collar during active training sessions. You can see photos of Newfies here.
Duck Duck – you are the MASTER of websearches and links. That was very helpful.
I just want to reemphasize the importance of the P versus 9 distinction explained in the link, if I can do so without any illustration (which may be doubtful):
This assumes you walk and heel your dog to your left (the dogs right).
If you put the collar on in a P formation as you face the dog, then when you stand to the dog’s side and “check” him/her, you have to pull back against the loop around his/her neck. (Imagine that the leg of the P breaks almost all the way off, and is pulled back to the left of the rest of the letter.) This will release as soon as you let up on the leash. In contrast, if you have the collar on as a 9, it may not release and may – well, if not choke the dog, at least not let it breathe comforatably.
If you look at a P and a 9, maybe you can see what I’m talking about: Pulling the tail up to the left of the P will not make the hole in the P smaller (at least not with a lot of effort), but pulling the tail up to the left on the 9 will make the hole a lot smaller, and it will stay smaller (ie, will not release).
Does that make sense? Always put the collar on as a P as you face the dog, assuming it walks to your left. Only put it on as a 9 if the dog walks to your right.
Let me put in my $0.02. I would highly recommend taking the dog to an obedience class. In our area we have an excellent programs thru the city Park and Rec dept. and it isn’t that expensive. It sounds like you need to socialize your dog, this class is great for that. I have a dog that before this class would see another dog and go “hey I can take 'em”. Now she is better behaved, though not perfect, but it did help in getting her around other dogs, learning the basic commands while having an instructor there to help.
Please don’t use a choke collar…it is exactly what the name infers “choke” collar. If you want a collar that looks mean but is wonderful for controlling a dog get yourself a “cinch” collar. It has blunt end prongs that squeeze the neck muscles of your dogs throat. You can get them at a Pet’s Smart Store or any dog supply store.
You want the collar to be snug not tight…it has links that can be removed. If you use this collar correctly your dog will learn after only a few corrections to watch you before pulling or running from you.
You can talk to some people who train dogs but beware because some of them like to file the prongs to points which is unacceptable and hurts the dog.
You main goal is to have your dog obey willfully and not out of fear or pain.
No, it is not. When used properly such a collar does not choke the dog. The name “choke collar” is a misnomer, to be sure. The point is to get the dogs attention by putting pressure on its neck, which dogs do not like. These collars work very well for this purpose.
I’ll chime in with FRIEDO. A chain collar can just as easily be called a “check” collar as a “choke” collar. Not to belabor the point, but the difference IMO is how you put it on – correctly or incorrectly (see above) – and how you use it – firm quick tugs while training or prolonged yanks to drag your dog along as you cut off its air supply.
A check collar is a training tool and a pretty effective one. When I was training my dog, I used a check collar and she suffered no damage from it and, I think, more quickly learned that if her wishes and mine conflicted, she was better off doing what I said. Ever seen a dog straining against its collar, towing its owner down the street? A dog trained with a check collar won’t do that, because every time it strains against the leash it pays a minor and momentary penalty for having done so, and it learns not to do it.
That said, I never left the check collar on my dog because it presented a choking hazard (a minor one, but still). So she had a check collar for training and a soft collar for the rest of the time. Now she hasn’t had a check collar on for years, but I’ll certainly use one again if I’m ever training another puppy. I’d certainly use it before a pronged collar which, filed or not, work by poking your dog in the neck.
I guess the bottom line IMO is that check collars get a bad reputation from people who misuse them. And if they are misused, the reputation is deserved. But it’s not deserved if they’re used correctly and responsibly.
“Please don’t use a choke collar…it is exactly what the name infers “choke” collar.”
Better you choke them then they choke you. That NewFoundLand is a very large animal & the sooner you get them in control, the better it is not just for you but for them too.
LOL