WHEN those are used correctly and never in anger, should you give up using it and use softer methods to train, or will the dog eventually understand the correction and what behavior is wanted?
In general, if a dog reacts fearfully to a correction with any tool, then it either does not understand what you want and does not know what to do to avoid correction, or you are overcorrecting.
I would be more inclined to analyze my training technique than change tools.
However, I tend to go the mildest route I can from the beginning, and work my way up if necessary.
I do have one dog who would not tolerate a prong or choke ... my Westie mix. She is an unusually sensitive dog, eager to please, and requires very little correction of any kind. Even fairly mild corrections, which would not bother another dog, tend to shut her down.
Even so, she is most certainly VERY nice pet. Sweet, social, and very well behaved .... she has her own fan club.: O)
Shock collars, prong collars, and choke collars utterly DISGUST me. Cruel , punitive "training" devices such as anti-barking shock collars, electric ("invisible") fences, prong collars, choke collars, and shock collars rely on painful punishment and negative reinforcement. They cause dogs to live in fear (fear invokes "fear-aggression in many dogs) of being electrically shocked or painfully choked for normal behaviors such as crossing invisible lines, barking, and getting ahead of their guardians during walks.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com If you want your dog to stay in your yard, get a fence instead of using invisible electric fences. If a dog who has a high prey drive happens to see a squirrel scurrying about, his natural instinct is to chase it. When he crosses over the "line" of an invisible electric fence, chances are he's not going to want to come back into the yard because he'll get shocked again. Most of the time, using a shock collar, choke collar, or a prong collar on a dog who craves adventure and is bored with walking at a slow human-pace initiate instinctive reactions in the dog, causing the dog to try and get away from whatever is causing him pain, therefore he pulls harder or simply just stops walking all together. He'll start to associate walks with bad things that happen to him that cause him pain, therefore he might not want to go on a walk altogether. If you don't want to take the time to train your dog gently and humanely using positive reinforcement, use a lead halter. A lead halter goes around the dog's snout like a muzzle and the back of her head, and whenever the dog pulls, her head is turned back to face her person so she can't pull.
A properly trained dog NEVER needs any such device. If you think your pet needs this, then you are seriously in need of training yourself.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Using these collars is cruel and can only injure your dog's trachea, as well is cause pain to your dog, and very likely make it mean, or very fearful, ruining a perfectly good dog. '
Obedience training for you and your dog together are in order immediately.
If a dog reacts that darmatically to any of those properly used pieces of training equipment then you have a dog who has a genetically defective/weak temperament that training is not going to do much for. Personally a dog like that is not worth having.
I would not consider it suitable as a pet, that is for sure.
Softer method? What not put a collar on the dog at all? Bribing and cajoling? That is not training.
Yes. These kinds of collars are horribly misused. They are actually to be used by professionals and advanced students. Prong, pinch and shock collars are designed to emulate the bite of another (alpha) dog as a correction. The female b **** dog will correct the puppies with a gental bite to the side of the neck. That is why these collars work so well. They are NEVER a tool of prolonged punishment nor a painful barrier to pulling. although I have no problem training with them or teaching someone to use them appropriately, my experience has shown me that 98% of the ones that are on the dogs should be on the owners. To date, I've not had a dog loose leash walk for me in less than 3 minutes. With proper timing, an appropriately fitted collar and some education, these kinds of tolls are never needed with the possible exception of gun dogs at a distance (shock collar that when used correctly do not cause pain). I would highly recommend you find a good solid positive based trainer to help you attain your goals. Use the IACP (international association of canine professionals) web site to find the right fit (
http://caninprofessionals.com)
If all three were used correctly then your dog would not react fearfully to any of the above, so your methods are obviously not working.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
What behavior are you trying to correct? Pulling? Train the dog to heel with a regular collar on, it takes time to train but if you are consistent in training then the pulliing will stop.
