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Tips and Advice – Training Collars

Pulling on the lead is one of the few unpleasant experiences of bringing up a new puppy or dog. In recent years dog head collars have revolutionised our ability to help train good lead walking manners, as well as being a useful training aid to help keep your dog's attention. Although fairly straight forward to use, it is important that head collars are correctly fitted and that your dog be properly acclimatised to them:

How should the collar fit?

Both the Gentle Leader and Halti collars should fit fairly snugly such that one finger can fit under the strap that fastens behind the ears. The nose strap should locate no closer than 15mm from your dog's eyes. On the Gentle Leader, the clip should tighten under the chin such that only one finger fits.

How do I acclimatise my dog to the collar?

It will take a week or so to acclimatise your dog to a head collar. But these tips should help smooth the way:

• Have some tasty treats at hand. Place the head collar over your hand such that it hangs around your wrist.
• With the same hand, hold a treat with your fingers and offer it to your dog, but holding the treat such that they have to nibble at it. As your dog is nibbling the treat, simultaneously slide the collar over its face.
• Now release the treat and while they are munching away, finish fitting the clasp. Give your dog another treat and praise them warmly.
• At this point it is important to keep your dog distracted- either by you playing with him or letting your dog use its favourite toy. After 2-3 minutes remove the collar and play for a few more minutes.
• Repeat this 3-4 times a day for the first week and only playing with your dog whilst they are wearing the head collar. As you progress, start to introduce a command word that your dog can start to associate with the collar being fitted. Don't use a lead until your have completed this stage.
• Once your dog is able to wear the collar for 5 minutes without distraction (i.e. scratching or trying to remove it), attach his lead and continue playing with them for a few minutes. Repeat this until your dog is not distracted by the head collar or lead.
• Once your dog is acclimatised, gradually build up the time your dog spends wearing the head collar and lead to the point you can take short walks.

IMPORTANT:

• Remember, keep this a positive experience for your dog and don't try to achieve too much in one go.
• Don't allow your dog to wear a head collar unsupervised. This will give them a chance to learn how to remove them.
• Never tug your lead hard when your dog is wearing a head collar. This may cause them neck injuries.
• For the same reason, never use retractable or very long leads as these may allow your dog pick up speed before the lead takes up.
• Leash pulling can result from a variety of different things. In some cases, the dog may simply be so excited to go for a walk that he or she is unable to control themselves. In other cases, the dog sees itself as the leader of the pack, and he or she simply takes the "leadership position" at the front of the pack.
• If excitement is the motivation for leash pulling, simply giving the dog a few minutes to calm down can often be a big help. Simply stand with the dog on the leash for a couple minutes and let the initial excitement of the upcoming walk pass. After the initial excitement ahs worn off, many dogs are willing to walk calmly on their leash.
• If the problem is one of control, however, some retraining may be in order. All dog training starts with the owner establishing him or herself as the alpha dog, or pack leader, and without this basic respect and understanding, no effective training can occur. For dogs exhibiting these type of control issues, a step back to basic obedience commands is in order.

Two well behaved dogs on a Halty

• These dogs can often be helped through a formal obedience school structure. The dog trainer will of course be sure to train the handler as well as the dog, and any good dog trainer will insist on working with the dog owner as well as the dog.
• The basis of teaching the dog to walk calmly on the lead is teaching it to calmly accept the collar and lead. A dog that is bouncing up and down while the collar is being put on will not walk properly. Begin by asking your dog to sit down, and insisting that he sit still while the collar is put on. If the dog begins to get up, or gets up on his own after the collar is on, be sure to sit him back down immediately. Only begin the walk after the dog has sat calmly to have the collar put on, and continued to sit calmly as the leash is attached.

• Once the leash is attached, it is important to make the dog walk calmly toward the door. If the dog jumps or surges ahead, gently correct him with a tug of the leash and return him to a sitting position. Make the dog stay, then move on again. Repeat this process until the dog is walking calmly by your side.
• Repeat the above process when you reach the door. The dog should not be allowed to surge out of the door, or to pull you through the open door. If the dog begins this behavior, return the dog to the house and make him sit quietly until he can be trusted to walk through the door properly. Starting the walk in control is vital to creating a well mannered dog.
• As you begin your walk, it is vital to keep the attention of the dog focused on you at all times. Remember, the dog should look to you for guidance, not take the lead himself. When walking, it is important to stop often. Every time you stop, your dog should stop. Getting into the habit of asking your dog to sit down every time you stop is a good way to keep your dog's attention focused on you.
• Make sure your dog is looking at you, then move off again. If the dog begins to surge ahead, immediately stop and ask the dog to sit. Repeat this process until the dog is reliability staying at your side. Each time the dog does what you ask him to, be sure to reward him with a treat, a toy or just your praise.
• Remember that if your dog pulls on the leash and you continue to walk him anyway, you are inadvertently rewarding that unwanted behaviour. Dogs learn whether you are teaching them or not, and learning the wrong things now will make learning the right things later that much harder.