What Dog Owners Do...
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We definitely want to have a dog, but being military, we just don't want to have to worry about a dog. Sounds bad, I know, but I don't mean it in a bad way. I don't want to have to kennel a dog for long flights, I don't want to move the dog every 3 years and have him only have a small back yard to play in, I don't want to leave the dog locked up at home all day because we want to go to the beach, or water park, or whatever. That's no way for a dog to live
That said, my neighbor has a dog, a BEAUTIFUL yellow lab, and she treats him so badly, IMO. I hardly EVER see him outside. She probably only lets him in the yard to go bathroom a few times a day. Again, I never see him, but I know when he's out because sometimes he'll bark once or twice (we have a lot of mongoose here) and she'll SCREAM at him. Sometimes spank him with her slipper. A dog his size should be taken for walks, often!0 -
Possible solution to Kitty poo......I used to have this issue too. So I put a kitty door in a closet and put the litter box in that closet. The kitty door was too little to let my dog in, the cats could do their business in peace, and I no longer had to battle the kitty roca problems.....
That's a pretty good idea. In fact, I could just get a few gates with cat doors, too. It would be cheaper and solve the litterbox problem. In fact, I feel a little extra foolish for not thinking of it.
LOL, everything is obvious in hindsight! LOL glad I could help!0 -
I have 3 dogs. 2 of them are getting up there in age and both have arthritis so walking them is getting rough on them.
My youngin' is a pit. I don't even use a regular collar. I use a harness. I had issues walking him, pulling on his collar only choked him. Why the hell would I want to choke my dog??? As soon as I got a harness, my issues with walking him were gone.
Those poky/spikey collars piss me off.
I am a firm believer that the stigma with pits is BS. It's all in how you raise them. Mine is the equivalent of scooby doo. A big dumb cuddely loveable bear!
I'd love to have a Pitbull but sadly the UK government banned them...but we have the next best thing which is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I agree with you completely about how it's the way a dog is raised. I don't believe that any dog is born mean, it's the owners that make them that way.
Our dog could not be more loving and cuddly...she might give you a nibble every now and again but she's very well behaved. She's 6, we've had her four years and she had at least three other homes before we got her, including a rescue centre.
Her last owners did not bother to use a lead because they only took her for five minute walks at the edge of the woods. She pulls alot whether on a harness or collar but only until she knows if she is being let off to go in the woods or walking at the side of the road with the lead on. Once she knows she is not going to be let off the lead she will stop pulling....unless she sees a cat that she wants to chase! lol0 -
I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!
I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!
As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!
And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL0 -
I have rehab'ed many dogs (and, cats). I currently have two rescue dogs ~ a Yellow Lab and an Australian Shepard. The Lab worked best with one of the 'gentle' leads ~ fits like a horse halter. I'm not a fan of the pronged collars, or any collar for that manner when it comes to pulling. The gentle leads work best for this type of problem. I agree with you ~ there are way too many dogs in the Humane shelters from people who had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. Some dogs, like my Lab and Aussie, need a job. They require daily exercise and challenges to keep them happy and healthy. I really like our Humane Society ~ they interview each potential adoptive family to determine which breed (whether purebred or mixed breed) would be best for them, and then only show them those dogs. People tends to follow their emotions way too much ~ whether in relationships with animals or people!!0
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I have a 5-6 year-old chihuahua that i rescued when she was about 2 years old and i have trained her so well when she starts barking all i have to do is either say her name or tell her to stop (not yelling). I live in a house where there are 2 other dogs who bark at the slightest noise and it drives me up the walls. i am in the process of trying to train one of the others and it's no easy task with him.....0
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It's possibly already in the 6 pages that I haven't read all of but could someone please explain a prong collar to me? I can imagine what it looks like and how it would work but it seems cruel to me. I used a chain collar when I was first training my boy.0
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ive been working with animals for 15 yrs- i dont agree with prongs or chain collars unless you know how to use them correctly. i tell people all the time buy a gentle lead first. those things are amazing!!!!
i worked in mostly shelters and people all the time came in wanting a dog and not researching the types of breeds they really want. gotta look at what you are willing to committe first. and grooming so many people dont realize how often some dogs require to be groomed- yea that toy poodle is cute but are you willing to pay out of pocket every 6 to 8 weeks to keep the fur trimmed or are you up for daily brushings to keep it from matting inbetween.
another note- im currently workin at a vets and little dogs are horrible and its because the owners refuse to properly train them because theyre little- i say fudge that- begin training them to be held and restraint asap this goes for large dogs too.
and cats theyre a different story
I agree with the gentle leads ~ they are amazing! I trained my lab with one and now don't even have to use any restraint on her...she remains by my side.0 -
Prong collars and pinch collars are the same thing.
I use them on 2/4 of my dogs for corrections, and frankly have worn them myself and am UNPHASED. Heheh. Really, it feels like a pinch. I find them great for my scenthounds because they have no real interest in heeling. I don't use a choke collar because I've seen what they do to their anatomy in dog autopsies. I don't use a gentle lead because I've heard way too many stories about people trained properly in their use STILL hurting the necks of particularly spirited dogs. My foxhound is especially spirited. I use a pinch/prong collar because I can give them sharp corrections, fix the problem, and not have to worry about correcting them often at all. I personally haven't found the same thing with choke collars sand large dogs... The 2 dogs that don't require anything are the teensie chihuahua that wouldn't stray from my mother if it could and my rottweiler, who is timid and responds well to "No" and positive reinforcement.
I will say, I haven't figured out how to convince my rotti that stepping on my feet is rude. I've tried stepping on her feet, and she even goes about it very slowly.. and she's very submissive, so I've no clue where it's coming from. Are my feet just too big?
One thing I've really erred at is sending them to their house if they've done something bad and are not wearing a collar. They love their crates and have no problem staying in them especially if they got a chance to eat some particularly tasty catpoo right before. Obviously, eliminating the temptation is the best idea- (what trade can I offer that's better than cat poo?) but it's just impossible in our current home.
Ahhh. Anyways. I feel like if I nipped that problem in the bud I wouldn't be dealing with it so much these days. And I'm a well informed pet owner.. so... even we can suck.
My dogs favourite outdoor treat is also cat poo...gross.:sick:0 -
It's possibly already in the 6 pages that I haven't read all of but could someone please explain a prong collar to me? I can imagine what it looks like and how it would work but it seems cruel to me. I used a chain collar when I was first training my boy.
I don't have a pic of it, but it's basically like a choke collar, only has prongs with rounded tips that will "pinch" or "poke" them when it's jerked. There is a correct way to wear it & will only go so far. I have a shepherd with alot of "scruff" around her neck & I don't think she can even feel the prongs. Used properly they are a training aid. As with anything else, used wrong, they can be considered abuse. Personally I would rather use a prong collar then a choke. A choke will continue to close if not used properly. They look worse then they are, the tips are blunt or rounded.0 -
My husky/border collie cross has never been very good on the lead, despite all the different lead and training variations I've tried. My pure border collie walks perfectly to heel off of the lead, so it's slightly frustrating she just doesn't 'get it'. I started off with a regular leather collar and have tried Halti's, gentle leaders, two different harnesses, and a half choke collar. I'm not sure prong collars are even legal here in the UK, but if they are I've never seen one used. The only thing I have left to try with her is a full choke but I'd really rather not.
She's attended dog training weekly since she was 16 weeks old, and training started as soon as we got her home as a pup. One day, one day...
On another note, she recalls and obeys distance commands perfectly fine off of the lead. She's a free-spirit.0 -
It's possibly already in the 6 pages that I haven't read all of but could someone please explain a prong collar to me? I can imagine what it looks like and how it would work but it seems cruel to me. I used a chain collar when I was first training my boy.
For sure. It looks like an awful piece of torture..
but the reality is that it's fairly loose and the prongs don't press into the skin, until you pull, and then the prongs collapse sideways towards eachother, pinching a bit of skin in between them. They say it's similar to the motherly correction of neck-biting, but I'm not sure about that.
What I do know is that choke collars if used improperly can hurt the trachea, vocal chords, all the goodies. And the gentle lead, if used on a very feisty and stubborn dog can cause spinal issues. The pinch collar, if fitted properly can only really damage the skin in a worst case scenario. If not fitted properly, it can cause a lot of trouble, though, so it's best to get help with them. Lots of them even have rubber bits on the end to make them look more userfriendly, but I've worn them, and it feels like a bunch of pinches on your neck.
ANYWAYS. That's my "Hey, really, they aren't torture devices" spiel.
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It's possibly already in the 6 pages that I haven't read all of but could someone please explain a prong collar to me? I can imagine what it looks like and how it would work but it seems cruel to me. I used a chain collar when I was first training my boy.
For sure. It looks like an awful piece of torture..
but the reality is that it's fairly loose and the prongs don't press into the skin, until you pull, and then the prongs collapse sideways towards eachother, pinching a bit of skin in between them. They say it's similar to the motherly correction of neck-biting, but I'm not sure about that. What I do know is that choke collars if used improperly can hurt the trachea, vocal chords, all the goodies. And the gentle lead, if used on a very feisty and stubborn dog can cause spinal issues. The pinch collar, if fitted properly can only really damage the skin in a worst case scenario. If not fitted properly, it can cause a lot of trouble, though, so it's best to get help with them. Lots of them even have rubber bits on the end to make them look more userfriendly, but I've worn them, and it feels like a bunch of pinches on your neck.
ANYWAYS. That's my "Hey, really, they aren't torture devices" spiel.
Wow, you're right it looks horrible! I've never seen one of those in Australia. I was taught to use a choke chain when I was a kid so its just what I knew. Now that you have explained it to me I understand, and yeah I agree that anything used wrong is harmful. Thanks.0 -
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I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!
I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!
As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!
And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL
When I say I choke chain I mean one with a restriction on the closure size, of course - even they're rare in the UK0 -
My husky/border collie cross has never been very good on the lead, despite all the different lead and training variations I've tried. My pure border collie walks perfectly to heel off of the lead, so it's slightly frustrating she just doesn't 'get it'. I started off with a regular leather collar and have tried Halti's, gentle leaders, two different harnesses, and a half choke collar. I'm not sure prong collars are even legal here in the UK, but if they are I've never seen one used. The only thing I have left to try with her is a full choke but I'd really rather not.
She's attended dog training weekly since she was 16 weeks old, and training started as soon as we got her home as a pup. One day, one day...
On another note, she recalls and obeys distance commands perfectly fine off of the lead. She's a free-spirit.
Have you tried a SPORN anti-pull harness? It doesn't totally prevent pulling in a strong and determined dog but it does it make it much more manageable so that you can then concentrate on other training methods. It has worked fairly well with my dog - and she's a rescue dog with issues, one of which is that as a primitive hunting breed she just wants to chase and run the whole time. Halti's and other head collars just didn't work at all and actually I was worried that she might hurt her neck in them. In the harness she is safe and more manageable, and is becoming more responsive to me -she's difficult to train as she isn't responsive to food or toys when she is outside, but now she's contained on a harness it's easier to translate her training inside the house to the outside. Still very much a work in progress though!0 -
I've worked with animals my whole life.. horse farm growing up, boarding, grooming, animal hospital, shelter ect. I have seen way too many situations where irresponsibility and ignorance have harmed the dog they say they love. Keep up the great work you do. I have 2 border collie mixes, both shelter pups. Best dogs i've ever had. they are my children!!0
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I've worked with animals my whole life.. horse farm growing up, boarding, grooming, animal hospital, shelter ect. I have seen way too many situations where irresponsibility and ignorance have harmed the dog they say they love. Keep up the great work you do. I have 2 border collie mixes, both shelter pups. Best dogs i've ever had. they are my children!!
They are my children too!
I've got three.
Thank you very much.
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No special collars, just verbal rewards/cues, love. When she pulls too much we stop and I put her to a submissive pose. She is calmer afterward. When walking on leash she knows "leave it" for not going after birds and little critters but I have to be alert and proactive. She goes to a dog park where she can raise heck with other dogs and get her energy out.0
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I was one of those that never did much research and went out and picked up a pound puppy. She is great and I have given her a good and loving home. She has survived and thrived 3 years without training besides sit, and stay which common sense can train. However, to make it easier for dog and owner training is definitely necessary. So now we are training with a dog behaviorist to help her become more socialized. She has always been very friendly just spazzy at first. If I did my research first I probably wouldn't have gotten a dog at all. So I am glad I didn't do much research. Now it is about my girl and tweaking her to be comfortable in any situation. after a while of having her I realize at some point training is necessary. But If i had done my research she might already be dead in the kill shelter I got her from. Sometimes being a little untrained is better than being dead. She always has the chance to be trained............but not if she is dead.
I like your story. I love that you tried, and I love that you took the time to teach sit and stay.
The reason I emphasize on research is simply because most people aren't ready for the commitment of a dog and just go on impulse. A dog shouldn't be an impulse by for most people, but hey, if they're responsible enough to teach the basics and take them to the vet, I'm happy. Everyone is different.
I do see where you are coming from as far as people that get dogs then realize they are too much trouble so they either get rid of them or treat them like crap...............that pisses me off and those people can go walk in front of a train. I knew when I got her that she would never ever worry about living anywhere else but with me. She will be with me until one of us goes and if I go first the she goes straight to my parents or my brother. I made the commitment and she might as well have been birthed from my own loins, she is my dog baby. I just wish everyone could be committed and intelligent about it because in that situation the wrong animal is the one that suffers.0 -
I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!
I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!
As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!
And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL
When I say I choke chain I mean one with a restriction on the closure size, of course - even they're rare in the UK
I've always called that a martingale0 -
My husky/border collie cross has never been very good on the lead, despite all the different lead and training variations I've tried. My pure border collie walks perfectly to heel off of the lead, so it's slightly frustrating she just doesn't 'get it'. I started off with a regular leather collar and have tried Halti's, gentle leaders, two different harnesses, and a half choke collar. I'm not sure prong collars are even legal here in the UK, but if they are I've never seen one used. The only thing I have left to try with her is a full choke but I'd really rather not.
She's attended dog training weekly since she was 16 weeks old, and training started as soon as we got her home as a pup. One day, one day...
On another note, she recalls and obeys distance commands perfectly fine off of the lead. She's a free-spirit.
Some dogs no matter what conventional tools are used just like to pull. period. I had a friend who was a trainer and also had a puller, what she did was use a very long leash, she attached to a flat collar, brought it around the dogs hind quarters and back to the front to loop it around itself once. When the dog pulls, the leash will actually pull the hindquarters in forcing the dog into a sit. Loose the dog can walk just fine, but soon as they pull ahead, tightens across the hindquarters....sit. It takes some coordination to do this but it is very effective in dogs especially difficult with pulling.0 -
I use a prong collar on my shepherd because she knows when that's on, she has to behave! If I use a flat collar & she sees something of interest, she has figured out that she can back up & wiggle & get out of her collar in no time flat, leaving me with a pup in hot pursuit of a squirrel!
I honestly believe her prong collar saved her from drowning. It will only close so far then stop, unlike a choke chain. She jumped off a dock in winter & went thru the ice, if she would have had a regular collar on she would have went under the ice & there was no way I could have gotten her. Luckily I was able to reel her in without choking her, or having it slide off. I don't know who was shaking more, me or her. That little stunt scared the bejeezus out of both of us!
As long as the collar is fitted right & used properly, use them!
And yeah, what is it with little dog owners. They need manners just as much as the big ones, if not MORE! I do not appreciate those little shiets causing a ruckus while my dog sits patiently! I guess maybe that's the same for kids, some parents think it's "cute"... Stupid people shouldn't breed... or have pets! LOL
When I say I choke chain I mean one with a restriction on the closure size, of course - even they're rare in the UK
I've always called that a martingale
Which I guess is technically correct - in the UK the same sort of arrangement is also called a martingale but is made of fabric and used for sighthounds such as greyhounds, whippets, lurchers etc because they have long delicate easily damaged necks and tend to lunge after prey, so they're safer with something wide and soft which spreads the load and checks the impending sprint at start without choking the dog.
Can't imagine one made of metal ever being used here - certainly one designed to use inward facing prongs would attract a lot of negative attention to the owner.0 -
I struggled with my dog for the first 6-7 months that I owned him. He was so easy to train with most aspects of basic obedience, and I tried different leash training methods and harnesses but no matter what I did he just wanted to drag me around all the time. I went to trainers and even began working at a socialization/training facility about 5 months in so that I could further educate myself (I eventually became a trainer myself, but that was long after my "Ah hah!" moment). I often found myself frustrated and even got to the point where I didn't want to walk him at all anymore.
From the get-go I wanted a dog that could eventually jog with me daily, so I quickly lost patience with his behavior in the beginning because I was in it for the workout companion, not the training. A lot of people gave me advice, and of course I tried to jump right into the walk and treat method. Too bad my dog wasn't a mind reader. Once I began to view our walks as training exercises, not as cardio workouts, I saw quick results. The video posted earlier in the thread is fantastic. So what if for the first 5 days or so we only made it about 10 feet in ten minutes? Lots of stopping and figure 8's worked wonders.
I was the typical frustrated 1st time puppy owner (though I had grown up with dogs in a house, this was my first apartment dog and the first dog that I trained on my own) and like many of us dieters, I just wanted to see the results. Once I changed my attitude and expectations, he began to respond; he probably taught me more about my own patience and psychology than any person ever could. I added my second dog Emi to the household 1.5 years after I got him (same age, rescued 65 lb bluetick coonhound mix), trained her, and now I walk or jog with them together daily on easy walk harnesses with loose leashes. They both stay on my right side (I find they are less distracted if I am the buffer between the dogs and any passersby). Wes still needs occasional leash corrections but he quickly moves back into his position.
Struggling with my own patience through having a dog eventually led me to training as a profession (and I think also led me to yoga, better health, and less stress overall - thank you, Wessie!), and helping clients better understand their dogs and rediscover the joy of having dogs is definitely the most rewarding aspect of the profession. Working both as a vet tech and as a trainer, I too have encountered many disturbing, sad, and misguided attitudes out there. Don't even get me started on some of the behavior I've seen (often times even defended by the owners) at dog parks - honestly, I just don't go anymore.
There is nothing wrong with using a prong collar properly. Unfortunately, much like the techniques used in certain training TV shows, some tools can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Kudos to those who use training tools and techniques properly.
Sorry I wrote a novel, lol.0
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