Dear Darcy, I had to call you today (Yes, I have her private cell number!) to tell you what I’ve done. I talked to you at the dog expo last week and you showed surprise that I was using a prong collar on my girl. You hugged me and smiled and you were very nice about it but you told me that you were surprised to see me using a prong collar because you know I bought this book from you a few years ago. I admitted that I bought it, took it home and put it on the shelf. You shamed me gently into actually finally reading the book.
When I got home from the expo, I took the prong collar off and started reading. Then we started using the training from the book, My Dog Pulls What Do I Do? OMG! Within minutes of starting the training she isn’t pulling any more! Even my granddaughter can walk her.
Sunday morning, I pulled the prong collar off the shelf to put it on and she sat and looked at me, then she shook her whole body as if to say, “What! Have you gone mad again?!” That made me remember that we didn’t use that nasty old prong collar any more and off we went with her on the cat’s leash, threading it through the handle. On the cat leash!!
I’ll get a pretty new soft dog collar for her and of course it will be from SitStay!
I still can’t believe the change in her, that fast change is hard for me to realize. She’s more cuddly and she’s sitting politely to go out when it’s time. I wonder if that has anything to do with me being smarter than I was last week! I’ll be in town on Monday, I’ll give you a call when I get there. – Beth
Oh Beth, I’m so glad! Yes, our dogs do know and respond differently when we aren’t hurting them any more. Metal hurts. And dogs who pull usually simply don’t know what we want instead. Open the lines of communication and you and your dog will live such a wonderful life together. It doesn’t take harsh training to make it so. You’re a good woman. Thanks for calling and letting me use this in The Dish. And thanks for letting me have some time with your girl, too, she looks so much like our old girl. See you Monday. – Darcy
One of my three shelties has always thought that she was a sled dog. From the beginning, she was in a hurry to get where she wanted to go and I could never walk fast enough for her, she would hunch down and try to drag me faster. I tried everything and was on the verge of trying a prong collar on her, but she had never taken well to forceful training and I did not really want to use it on her. I always got a lot more from her with a treat and praise. Then I found the “Easy Walk” harness and what a difference it made. No more pulling, it was like a miracle. Just changing from a back attachment to a front attachment made all the difference. She still tries to rush ahead occasionally, but a gentle pull and release on her leash and she stops. Linda
Linda, It’s always so good for my heart to hear from people who don’t use metal on their dogs. Thank you! Now that you have control with her, try the book My Dog Pulls, you will be amazed how quickly she understands that you want her on a loose leash no matter what that leash is made of. I love Turid Rugass, the author of the book, she’s pretty darned amazing. – Darcy
Lots of sizes and colors, just search the store for the words ‘Easy Walk Harness’ and My Dog Pulls. Both available at SitStay.com. Get them now, we’re having a big sale that will only last a few more days!
Hi Darcy, I hope you don’t mind this long ramble but I wanted to share my experience with prong collars and my change to a positive approach. I adopted an adult Lab a few years ago and while he had some obedience training, he had terrible leash manners. I went from a choke chain collar to a prong collar because I couldn’t control him. Well, he is also sensitive/fearful and has a hard time getting over bad experiences. So the first year that I had him I jerked him around on our walks. Let’s just say he wasn’t learning what I wanted and I think we were both frustrated. Then I had to travel for business and I left him in the care of a pet sitter for about two weeks. When I returned home I noticed that when I tried to put the prong collar on him, he would not sit still- he moved away when I approached with the collar. What had happened? I felt terrible! I was skeptic about clicker training and kind of embarrassed to carry treats as I walked plus the attention of the noise of the clicker, but from that moment I vowed to use only positive training methods and I began loose leash training on a flat collar. I used the “be a tree” method and I also got the book “My Dog Pulls, What Do I Do?” I just want to add to your recommendations that this is a great book for teaching leash manners. Since I gave up the prong collar I have not gone back – that was five years ago I think. The training took time but it is the one thing that I am most proud of. I walk my dog with a regular harness now just so he doesn’t have the pressure on his neck if he is “on his own time” and pulling/stretching to sniff something. I never go anywhere in a hurry with my dog so I have the time to reinforce the behavior that I want. Any time I am tired or don’t have the patience for my dog’s antics, we take shorter walks! Oh, I don’t mind carrying treats or even a clicker anymore; I much prefer being able to smooch to my dog, have him turn and look at me, smiling, and reward that instead of yelling or leash popping as I see others do. Cara
Dearest Cara, You are so good! Thank you. Amazing how easy it was, isn’t it! If we could only get more people to move away from metal and just give a better way a shot! Thank you so much, I really appreciate this. Hugs to your boy. – Darcy
I’m on the bandwagon for no prong collars also, but took a slghtly different path. I got my rescue Aust. Kelpie when she was 8 months (now, about to turn 6 years), and has always been energetic and rambunctious (pulling) when it’s time to go on a walk or go to dog clases. I was recommended to get a prong collar, tried it on my hand as they told me, and went ahead and got it. I felt no pain, just a bit of a pinch. I only used it to correct, quick little wrist action, and I used it for going on walks and training. I suddenly realized that I was getting two dogs. She was one dog with the prong (obedient, pleasant, etc.) with my not having to do practically any corrections at all and the prong never pinching her. BUT when she was off the prong, she decided that that the prong equated to happy obedience (and she was happy), and with no prong,she could do what she wanted. (I used a LOT of treats even with the prong, also.) So I took the prong off her for ever and started retraining her with a flat martingale. She is EXTREMELY food-motivated, and after 6 years of training, I can’t wean her away from the treats. (I haven’t shown, as yet, but have taken 3 10-week class every year since I got her because she likes the interaction, needed the socialization, and something to help her keep her mind busy, etc.) The family calls her “the mercenary: will do anything for food.” I teach with treats solely, clicker on occasion, and am very pleased with her obedience. (She really enjoys learning new things.) I have a problem coordinating the juggling of leash, treats, and a clicker, so the clicker was the easiest to drop. I’m also not all that coordinated and it’s hard to walk with so much going on.
So, does this book “My Dog Pulls” help one to wean their dogs off treats (always occasionally treating, of course, but for training)? Or do you have any suggestions. I have tried to go 2nd and 3rd time treating, and doing it sporadically, so she never knows when she might get a jackpot, and I praise lavishly both with treats and without. She is just **so** food motivated, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to use the treats only as “treats” or occasional reward for a job well done. Thanks so much for any help direction you can give me!
LOVING SitStay.com and am faithful customer (when I have the extra $$). Sincerely, Donna C
Dear Donna, Yes, dogs are very, very smart. It’s the same for dogs on a shock collar and without. Dogs trained with tools that have to touch their bodies are often taught to be dependable only when the training tool is in place, it’s kind of the way of those things. It’s why positive training is so marvelous, the dog agrees to work with you without hands on, no force or wages and no tools needed after a very short time. Don’t worry if you think you messed up, you can get to the place where you never have to give a treat again ever if you want to. You’ve made the same error that most people make when using treats, they keep using them without fading them and the clicker fast. Don’t give up, you’ll be okay. You will have to work a little harder to eliminate treats from her life because she’s hooked on them but you can do it. Teach her a new trick and fade the clicker and the treat really fast. When she gets the trick, find another new trick and do the same. I think you’ll find that she “gets” it, she won’t need a treat every time because she’ll be having a good time. A great reward for a dog is laughter, never underestimate the sound of human laughter as a dog reward. And play. A good game of chase, you being IT, is always a great reward. Let us know how it goes. And for those of you who have dogs who need some extra control in the beginning, it’s okay to use tools like the Gentle Leader or even a prong for a short time but get started immediately with positive training. Trust me, your dog will not miss the prong when it’s gone. The best way with positive training is to start off leash completely, get to a safe spot like inside of a house where the dog can’t leave. Make an agreement with your dog that she will work with you, whatever it is that makes her tick will show up, you have to look a little deeper with some dogs. Oliver loves paper, he’ll do anything for that and for me to touch his tongue. Don’t know why but I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what works. Yes, the book show will teach you everything about getting your dog on a loose leash. – Darcy
Thanks much for the above reply… Ordering the book tonight!