Before you purchase a piece of equipment to put on your dog, think about what you are trying to communicate and what you’ll most likely use that piece of equipment for.
Are you going to be going on walks where you want your dog to walk with a loose leash? Is your dog pulling you on a bike? Will your dog be walking alongside your stroller? Different tools were invented for different purposes, many of those biological. And seeing that I want to relieve all dog owners of stress created by their dogs, let’s unpack each one as to not add unnecessary confusion and frustration to your relationship!
Flat collar- Form of identification, things like name tag, rabies vaccine. Also tells a dog they can pull into this collar.
Back clip harness- Originally created for sled dogs, these harnesses were made to tap into the oppositional reflex of a dog – when you pull back, the dog wants to go forward.
Front clip harness- Created to stop dogs from pulling on the leash. Unfortunately, the long term effects of a front clip interrupt the dog’s gait (walk) and often leads to joint and muscle damage. Imagine every day of your life you had to walk with someone pulling your right arm slightly behind you. My back hurts thinking about it.
Gentle leader- This is the leash that goes around the dog’s nose and neck to prevent them from pulling. This leash is fairly effective, but I personally do not like interfering with the dog’s most precious sense, their smell. I don’t like that we are taking the part of their body that sticks out in front and yanking them around instead of teaching them how to walk appropriately.
Slip leash – A proper slip is fit snugly against the top of the dog’s neck and has a stopper so the slip leash cannot come down from a certain position. It still needs to be loose enough for the slip to tighten once pressure is applied from either the dog or the handler. Slip leashes when trained properly allow us to build an incredible communication method with our dog.
Prong collar – Above I mentioned that some tools were developed with science and biology in mind and the prong is one of those. Have you ever seen very young puppies engaging with their mother while eating? She picks them up with her teeth by their scruff and moves them around. Occasionally one might pinch the mom’s teet a little too much and she gives them a swift correction with a snap of her teeth against their bodies. They learn from day one what a “correction” feels like. The prong has the ability to mimic that sensation.
Tools are not the communication device. Tools need to be taught to a dog via a communication system. There is no tool in this world that I use with a dog where I put it on them or bring it into the training space and say “Well, here you go! Everything will work perfectly now.” That’s why I often disagree with any collar or leash that is supposed to work well by just “putting it on”.
Do people abuse prong collars? Do dogs choke themselves out on regular flat collars? Absolutely. I have seen dogs in distress with every collar in the book. The KEY TAKEAWAY is Does that dog understand what that piece of equipment is for and how to work harmoniously with it. Do they understand what is expected of them when the owner pulls on a leash in a certain direction? Can they make that annoying sensation go away?? Often, the answer is no.