Dutch Shepherd Forum

:D . Hello everyone,

My puppy (7 months old) is getting older and stronger. He is not very big, maybe around 50 pounds, but it is getting harder to walk him on a leash. What type of collar do you recommend for him? He has had a harness up till now, but he pulls even more when he has it on compared to a regular collar. I know he should not pull at all, so any training tips would also be appreciated. The leash is just a metal chain leash, but I do not think that is the problem. I have tried to teach him "slow", changed directions when we walk,"heel" with lots of treats as a positive reinforcement. He tried to get out of both the harness and collar ending up getting stuck.If a prong collar is needed what size should I get if he is still growing?. He chews on anything made of fabric.
Thanks

are you in OB Classes? That will help alot with training. I would not recommend a prong until you have had substantial training with it, it can be very dangerous when not used properly. You can use a martingale collar and see if that will help. There are some other posts on here about other collars, search around to see if any of that will help.

I can never understand why people use a harness on a dog. They are designed so an animal can PULL comfortably. Throw it in the garbage and start using a collar. Even a flat collar will give you more control.
Is this your first dog?
dan

there are many valid reasons people use harnesses re: funkyhunky.
both my dogs primarily use them. koda especially being designed to pull, being an alaskan malamute, is much easier to control when wearing a harness and the handle at the back makes it much easier to get her out of sticky situations. she doesnt pull at all on walks which is simply down to training, she always walks beside me/ behind me with slack on the leash. she also has naturally loose skin and can escape out of any harness/collar regardless of how tight its fitted, it takes her longer to wiggle out of a harness so its also the safer option giving me enough time to intervene should she attempt to go awol.
for demon he pulls MUCH more wearing a collar and is calmer and easier to control in a harness, the handle on the back of his again being very frequently used like kodas (in his case for aggression).
not every dog is the same, whatever works works.

re: ralbucks
id second the OB suggestion if youre not already doing it, i cant recommend anything like a halti as ive never used one myself so dont know if theyre safe.
whats worked for me is (very) basically just giving a negative when im being pulled (for koda when she was younger it was an ultrasonic dog trainer she didnt like the sound of, for demon its a spray with water) then i tug the leash back a bit to get them level with me and reward heavily whenever theres slack again. theres no quick fix you just have to be very very consistent about it.

Thank you all, including "Dan form Ontario". My intentions with the puppy, if anybody cares, is to give him a good life (with no unnecessary pulls on his neck). I'm more concerned with his health and the puppy pulling too hard with negative effects on his neck than what's cool or not. Not for anything else, like shows. I mean, he does have only one neck all his life. I massage his neck after a walk. Thanks for the training tips @CordeliaDemon. @ dutchringgirl I actually looked today at the collar you suggested at the local pet store. I started giving him treats that are more interesting to him (like chicken pieces which I took with me on the walk) and he seems to be listening/ following to commands better. Not getting pulled is great when it happens. As whether he is my first dog, the answer is no. :D

Railbucks,
No one is advocating injuring a dog to get it to walk nicely. It doesn't have to heel like a robot, just loose lead.

I did 2 minutes of searching for you and found this short video.
The guy uses a prong collar, which I'm not a huge fan of (because inexperience people tend to misuse it), depending on the dog a simple flat collar might work just fine. As a start on a flat collar, if the dog pulls, give some slack on the leash and turn and go in the opposite direction. This will get the dog's attention even with the flat collar. You won't snap the dog's head off... you probably won't have to do it more than a few times.
It's not politically correct anymore, but its the old, " turn and jerk"
The video shows basically the same thing but with the prong.

Hopefully, you will be walking your new dog for many many years, you might as well do it right.
Don't settle for the harness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t7JgXOoct4

Good luck,
dan

OB is not just for people who want to compete, its for everyone who has a dog. OB will allow you to work together with someone who can see things you may not, who can catch you guys getting into bad habits. Even I did OB with Sadie, and I have years of high end Protection training under my belt. Trainers use trainers all of the time.

I only use harnesses, when I am in an area that they can go "free" but I want to be attatched to them and dont want any punishment when they hit the end of the rope.

You will be getting onto more trouble by not doing any OB work than doing it. This breed is way to smart to let go and give the lead of the group.

You wont do damage by properly learning how to train and correct.

If there is a fav toy he likes, use that. I try to stay away from food treats unless the toy drive is lower.

I would highly advise OB classes asap

I would also recommend OB as nearly mandatory for these dogs. It'll make your, and most importantly, HIS life easier and more fulfilling. You'll also gain a great appreciation for his ability to learn.

As for the pulling, here's something I posted a while back:

Someone once showed me how to use a normal leash on a flat collar to eliminate pulling problems... Basically, you wrap the lead around the chest in a way that provides a very basic slipknot-type action. As soon as the dog begins to pull, pressure is applied to the chest. I tried this a few times with Hilde when she was very young and excitable, and she IMMEDIATELY ceased pulling. It didn't seem to cause pain and she never got above a very mild pull force. She also never turned to give me any "WTF?" look. She just quickly "got it" and continued about her business of examining the world.

The other day I saw a commercial from the company that makes the "ThunderShirt" showing what they call the "ThunderLeash" which is pretty much the same concept:
http://www.thundershirt.com/Product/ThunderLeash.aspx
I'm not sure it's worth buying an actual product for this, but it is probably safer to ensure the lead doesn't slide down over the abdomen where it could cause injury.

You could easily use a ring (like a carabiner or large keyring) to achieve the same effect:

Eric

Thank you @racingiron1 for reposting. That is a great idea which I tried today. It seemed to slow him down and he did not pull so hard. I went to an obedience class today, they told me he is a high-energy puppy, but things will slow down after his "terrible two's" equivalent stage.(after 8 months) :D

Glad that worked!!! Dont really count on him slowing down, Sadie is a high everything and she is 5 and has not slowed down a bit. BUT with good solid OB he will be in control so you can contain the energy.

This breed does not slow down.

Yes, thank you @dutchringgirl. No chance he will be slowing down. We took him to visit family in a different city. It really got to him being in a new environment. Can this be related to him being a rescue dog and perhaps being more sensitive to changing the environment. He usually does not bark too much, but on this trip even little sign posts in the grass made him bark.

its more related to how he handles life in general then being a rescue, although I dont remember his beginnings. For Sadie, she came to me at 3 months old, I think and life in general is scarey to her no matter what. Everything new freaks her out. She is a big nerve bag. It also can have to do with breeding. Thalie is top of the line breeding and she is solid as a rock, Sadie.............well, thats a different story.

He may always be like that, Sadie is. SHe is fine once the new situation isnt new anymore, but every new situation she is a barking nerve bag. Thats just the way she is.

Hilde is quite nervy, too. However, she also has INTENSE curiosity. It's fun to watch her encounter new things... she's compelled to investigate, but she's ready to spring back the instant something spooky happens. Then, of course the cycle starts over...

that is my favorite when they stick their nose out to sniff but are very careful and poke at it, then when it scares them they jump back.

Yes, my puppy does just that when he encounters black dried out leaves on the ground. Once home from his trip he slept a lot and calmed down. I guess he is not made to be a world traveler.Thanks.

Stop playing around with all the "cute" collars that pet stores want to sell you. Put a chain collar on your dog . . . one that just fits over his head. In competition that is the only collar allowed in most sports. Also, get some professional training early and make sure you socialize your dog with lots of people and at many locations.

Good luck!

Linda

Thanks.
As of now he is on an easy walk harness plus chain collar and a chain leash (he escaped his other harness in the middle of an intersection and chews any leashes not out of metal). He is accepting both well.