Dog Obedience: Domino Gets A Prong Collar
Posted in The Dog by CujoAugust 31st, 2006 - 10:31 PM
So we finally broke down and bought a prong collar for Domino. Jes actually purchased one on the weekend but it was too big so we exchanged it today for one that fit.
Back when we had Domino in obedience training we were taught techniques on how to teach your dog to walk without pulling. Domino didn’t finish obedience training as he tore his ACL in his second week so he never fully perfected this technique — to heal the ACL we basically had to stop walking him for about two months. Before we found out about his leg though another couple in the class loaned us their dog’s prong collar to try out on Domino — we were leary of getting one before as we thought it’d hurt him and we didn’t want to do that but they assured us that it was safe. We never did get to test it out on him however because the vet told us to stop exercising him immediately so we did — and we also took him out of obedience.
Fast forward to now.
We’ve been trying to get Domino to walk without pulling using the technique taught in obedience but he is stubborn and just continues to pull. Considering he’s about 75 pds and has a low centre of gravity the strenght of his pull is quite a bit. Usually when we are finished walking him my hands are sore and red as I have the leash wrapped around my hands to give a bit of leverage for myself so that he’s not pulling me down the street behind him.
Jump to tonight.
Tonight was his first outing with the prong collar on. As soon as we left the house he pulled then yelped, we walked a couple of more steps and the same thing happened. I thought we wouldn’t make it much further but set out to at least test it out for a walk around the block. As we made it to our corner he once again pulled and yelped. I wasn’t sure if we were going to make it but continued on. By the time we made it to the next corner Domino was walking at a steady pace and right beside me with the leash quite slack.
At this point I decided to take one of our regular routes of walking fully down Pim St. to Queen then down Queen until we decide to turn up and head down Albert St. to make our way back home. Domino was close to perfect on this walk and we actually went further down Queen then normal just because he was acting so well. We stopped at the Downbeat Lounge as he has learned that he can get treats there, he then decided to invite himself inside the bar making it the third bar that he has been into. I’m thinking maybe we need to start him on the twelve step program if this behaviour keeps up.
So to wrap up, the first outing on the prong collar has been a success. Ã? Hopefully in a couple of months we will be able to get him back on his regular collar for his walks and he can be just like all the other good pups we see when we’re out and about.
Possible Related Posts:
September 1st, 2006 at 8:11 am
We bought Odin the prong collar. Yikes! It scared me the first time I saw it. But Odin doesn’t pull as much either. We’ve tried to walk him a couple of times without it and it’s fine, if you want to run down the street with him.
Hopefully, Odin will learn to walk right beside me. He tends to try and run ahead then sit and wait for me. He’s just so curious of whats going on around him, he just wants to sit and watch.
September 1st, 2006 at 9:10 am
I use a halti collar on Copper. Used to have the same problem as you. Copper was so big and strong, no-one could walk him. The halti is a head collar that works like a horse halter. It fastens around his head, and the leash attaches under his chin. If he pulls, his chin goes down. He’s learned not to pull, and walks along happily beside me.
I don’t think the collar cures stopes behaviour though. Copper just doesn’t pull while wearing it.
September 1st, 2006 at 11:47 am
We had a halter type thing for Dom in the winter/spring time. We thought it’d work but he’d just run with his head tilted sideways. He definitely fits the stubborn basset hound role quite well.
Now we have neighbours (on other streets beside ours) complaining about his barking — gotta love those bassets!
September 1st, 2006 at 5:29 pm
How well I remember the barking! Copper is a quiet basset, but it’s taken years of shushing. When he was a pup, we could never leave him outside no matter how much he wanted to be out there, not even if I was just walking around the block. He would HOWWWWL! We’d leave him inside, where he would still howl and bark that hound dog bark, but the house acted as a bit of a muffler.
These days he doesn’t howl. Howling would get in the way of his napping.
September 1st, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Oh the howling… Domino has a deep pitched howl but he only really doesn’t it when Fozzie starts barking at him. It’s actually quite funny so we let them go for a bit (which we probably shouldn’t do). But it’s almost like Domino is howling for Fozzie to stop.
September 1st, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Haha! I can just hear it. Silly bassets