Pulling on the leash

[joenc66]

Hello all, i am new here. I am to get a 1yr female rottweiler tuesday from a rescue. She was found wandering the streets of Winston-Salem Nc. When i went to see her i tried to walk her, she pulls hard on the leash. I have seen alot of differant collars to help curb this, but i am not sure which one would be best. So i thought i'd ask here. She had an embeded collar when they found her, so i am not sure i want to use a choker or one with the prongs at first. Maybe as a last resort. I have seen the collars that attach to the head and ones that attach to the body. Which one do u think might work best? She is about 75 lbs right now. Thanks for any info you can give me.......

[diddybopper04]

Head halters are not suitable for dogs that are hard pullers. There has been a lot of information lately about neck injuries in dogs that have used these head halters.

You have a good training club in your town, Winston Salem Dog Training Club. Maybe PBach will help you with some info there on how to get in touch with them.

Meanwhile, I'm not sure what else to recommend since I've never dealt with a dog who had an embedded collar scar/surgery.

Good luck with her.....

[HerculesMomma]

The advice I've been given here to teach a dog to walk nice on a leash is to stop dead when they start pulling on a leash, don't say anything to the dog and wait until they return to you then move forward. This is supposed to teach the dog that pulling on the lead does not get them moving forward.

Maybe you can try this concept on a flat collar for a while and see if it that would work? I too would be a bit reluctant to try a choke or prong on a dog that had an imbedded collar at one time. I've used the head halti on my dog, but he was probably not what people consider a terrible puller - although he could always jerk me around pretty good. As diddybopper said, there is some speculation that it might cause a neck injury if they are a hard puller. The one that fits around the body is called a harness. My cousin swears it make a her dog more manageable, but I've read here on the forums that it actually can encourage a dog to pull - but if the neck injury is not totally healed yet it might be a short term solution.

I often use the prong on my dog. It can only go so far to apply the pressure to the dogs neck, it can not choke them like a traditional choke chain might.

[Squeaky2004]

Hi! welcome to the forums. I am not sure what kind of collar you would want to use since she had one embedded in her neck, I am sure she is not partial to them. diddy has got it right though, I would take her into some obedience classes asap. Good luck with your new girl

[joenc66]

Thanks for all the advice. She had the chain embeded about 5-6 months ago and has healed nicely. I will get her into obedience class as soon as i can. I am going to probally get the harness for now and see how that work, along with a short leash. Thanks again.............Joe

[Judi W]

It is more likely that the imbedded collar simply made her more immune to collar pressure in which case a pinch would probably be best.

Harnesses are made for pulling and nothing else. Whether it is carting or tacking, they are designed so that a dog can pull without any discomfort. Not at all something you want to encourage. I would not recommend one at all for walking nicely on a leash.

Your training class instructor will help you a lot, but go ahead and get a pinch. A slip collar is fine for training, but it does not work unless the handler knows how to use it. Of course that is true with a pinch as well, however the slip collar will likely go down on the neck with a novice handler, she will set those nice strong neck muscles and tow you down the road!

Don't delay in the training classes. The clubs are very accomodating about helping get the rescue dogs in and started.

[Black Tie Mom]

Originally Posted by HerculesMomma

The advice I've been given here to teach a dog to walk nice on a leash is to stop dead when they start pulling on a leash, don't say anything to the dog and wait until they return to you then move forward. This is supposed to teach the dog that pulling on the lead does not get them moving forward.

This is exactly the method used at the Humane Society where I do volunteer work. The dogs are under enough stress as it is and this method provides the least amount of stress. If your dog is pulling, stop, wait until she stops, returns and looks at you then resume your walk. This may take a little longer but would be the easiest on her sore neck. Of course an OB class is always a good idea. They cover alot of things besides OB in a class and it's a great place to ask questions.

[MontanaRott]

I agree whole heartedly with Judi, our new rescue boy has scars from an embedded collar and the slip chain just did not get through to him and the prong, with rubber tips on it,(which you may or may not need) has made a world of difference in him. It does not hurt him just lets him feel the correction, and helps him understand what we are trying to teach him. Which is no pulling or lunging. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[kingkong]

Originally Posted by HerculesMomma

The advice I've been given here to teach a dog to walk nice on a leash is to stop dead when they start pulling on a leash, don't say anything to the dog and wait until they return to you then move forward. This is supposed to teach the dog that pulling on the lead does not get them moving forward.

Double ditto.

I also read a article on another site on training with pulling dogs and they said exactly the same thing as the above.

I am gonna memerise this tip.(my pup at 14 weeks isnt pulling much yet)

[Mavides]

Originally Posted by Judi W

a pinch would probably be best.

Harnesses are made for pulling and nothing else. I would not recommend one at all for walking nicely on a leash.

Exactly what I was thinking! ALSO - if she had an embedded choke collar, I would bet it was around the strongest, thickest part of her neck...where a choke would naturally fall - if you fit the prong collar properly, it should be up higher than that - more like right behind her ears.

If she had the collar taken off 5-6 months ago and has healed properly, you should be just fine I would think...and personally, I would rather go with a prong than a choke at this point, not only because I think they work better, but because they sit in one spot and correct rather than rubbing back and forth like a choke collar.

Congratulations on your new girl and best of luck with her!!

[LikeToRun]

Originally Posted by MontanaRott

I agree whole heartedly with Judi, our new rescue boy has scars from an embedded collar and the slip chain just did not get through to him and the prong, with rubber tips on it,(which you may or may not need) has made a world of difference in him. It does not hurt him just lets him feel the correction, and helps him understand what we are trying to teach him. Which is no pulling or lunging. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I'm going to second this one! This boy was absolutely immune to the slip collar!

What did help with him thought was a whole lot of unpredictable direction changes and the constant knowledge that every time he hung around my legs he would get a nice stinky treat.

Thank you for rescueing, enjoy your new girl!

--Trevor