Puppies

[Guest Speed Racer]

I should bottle my stank, like the Kids in the Hall Skit.

 

I know, right? The first time I used that trick with the cats I wasn't sure if I was calming them or offending them to the point of speechlessness.

[jenbobblehead]

Sunshine: if you want a calm dog thing about an adult, 2 years old, not a puppy. A shelter dog of any age may still have some issues, but puppies will be puppies whether you get them at the shelter, or buy one from a breeder.

[Winston Legthigh]

Just got back from the shelter. No go on the dog we had liked. We got her out of the cage and it was a total freakout. She was so docile in the cage. She was jumping, barking, nipping. Scratched Maddie on the face and Tim on his hand. Ugh. Our house would be destroyed in a week.

 

Oh well.

I would be wary of a dog who DIDN'T go apeshit when let out of jail.

[Winston Legthigh]

New question: Does anyone have experience or opinions on prong (pinch)-collar training?

 

We just enrolled in obedience class - and the teacher insists on the metal prong collar for training, rather than a food-based-reward training.

She explained it'a all about establishing yourself as the pack leader, and the collar simulates the type of neck nip an unruly pack member would receive from the alpha. And then she demonstrated on a couple of the bigger unruly dogs in the class.

 

The first dog - can't remember the breed - was out of control. She tried walking it on a leash, and the dog didn't comply at all. Then she put the collar on it, and the dog only needed to get to the end of the leash twice before he started following her everywhere obediently. It was an effective demonstration.

[Spawn's dad]

Christ. Look out. Isadorah is banging on her computer with authority. Pop the corn.

[isadorah]

New question: Does anyone have experience or opinions on prong (pinch)-collar training?

 

We just enrolled in obedience class - and the teacher insists on the metal prong collar for training, rather than a food-based-reward training.

She explained it'a all about establishing yourself as the pack leader, and the collar simulates the type of neck nip an unruly pack member would receive from the alpha. And then she demonstrated on a couple of the bigger unruly dogs in the class.

 

The first dog - can't remember the breed - was out of control. She tried walking it on a leash, and the dog didn't comply at all. Then she put the collar on it, and the dog only needed to get to the end of the leash twice before he started following her everywhere obediently. It was an effective demonstration.

 

 

I took my dog to obedience training and they insisted on the prong collar. Shelters I had volunteered at had always hated the things. The first time I had it on her she whimpered and got very upset. It definitely helped keep her under control, but in my humble opinion and after all the various things I have done to train my dog, I would vote against the prong collars. If they insist on a special collar get a gentle leader. they make a special harness called the easy walk harness that buckles in the front, if the dog tries to pull, the dog gets thrown off balance. there is also a type that goes over the snout that redirect their attention. as long as you walk and keep the dog beside or behind you, this will help keep them under control infinitely easier than pinching their neck every time they get out of control. the other problem with the prong collar is that there is no effective way to transition them off of the collar. as soon as you take the dog off the collar they tend to go right back to the bad habits. think of it as constantly being pinched in the neck and being told to behave. in my humble opinion there are better ways. just remember don't let the dog walk in front of you and don't give them a lot of leash space to start with while training. i still highly recommend reading Cesar Millan's books.

[Winston Legthigh]

I took my dog to obedience training and they insisted on the prong collar. Shelters I had volunteered at had always hated the things. The first time I had it on her she whimpered and got very upset. It definitely helped keep her under control, but in my humble opinion and after all the various things I have done to train my dog, I would vote against the prong collars. If they insist on a special collar get a gentle leader. they make a special harness called the easy walk harness that buckles in the front, if the dog tries to pull, the dog gets thrown off balance. there is also a type that goes over the snout that redirect their attention. as long as you walk and keep the dog beside or behind you, this will help keep them under control infinitely easier than pinching their neck every time they get out of control. the other problem with the prong collar is that there is no effective way to transition them off of the collar. as soon as you take the dog off the collar they tend to go right back to the bad habits. think of it as constantly being pinched in the neck and being told to behave. in my humble opinion there are better ways. just remember don't let the dog walk in front of you and don't give them a lot of leash space to start with while training. i still highly recommend reading Cesar Millan's books.

thanks.

[Edie]

We use the harness variety of the gentle leader on our lab and it's great. You could not pay me to put a prong collar on my dog.