It is all too easy to make training and control indistinguishable from each other. Training involves molding the dog's behavior through the use of treats, commands and hand gestures. People use things such as choke collars, electric fences and similar articles to control their dog.
Dogs naturally respond to social hierarchies where one partner, (the human) is the leader of the other (the dog). Without this hierarchy dogs will indulge in behavior that is neither safe nor constructive for either party.
Word of caution - some of the tools described here are not condoned by us. They are merely described as possible tools a dog trainer may present to you as options. Read carefully as we will specify which tools we are not comfortable with ourselves due to their high percentage of misuse or possible harm they could cause to your dog.
Your dog is as much an individual as you are; some dogs are naturally more assertive and slower to learn. A metal choke collar can provide extra discouragement from pulling and leaping when a nylon or leather one is insufficient.
One of the problems with the choke collar is that unless it is used in the proper manner, it can be dangerous or even destructive. Choke collars should allow a one finger gap between the neck and the collar for small dogs and three for larger dogs. Thus a choke collar that is two inches greater than the circumference of the neck should suffice.
Improper use of a choke collar will pinch the dog's skin and create hot spots which are exacerbated by scratching; in some cases they accidentally compress the trachea. It is uncomfortable, though not harmful to use instantaneous pull and release, but this is not easily achieved if the dog tends to pull against the leash. It is best to avoid using a choke collar where possible particularly with smaller dogs.
For this reason, we highly recommend not to use these types of collars. If you have a dog that gives you a feeling that this is a necessity to train them, we recommend a professional trainer as proper technique is a must to prevent severe injury to your dog.
Prong collars are considered not as dangerous due to the fact that they can only close so far because of the limited diameter of their design. Again, dogs with a strong tendency to pull or are excessively aggressive need more committed attention and behavior modification training rather than the quick fix that choking and poking represents.
Under no circumstances should these types of collars be used unsupervised such as if your dog is ever chained outside.
While halter collars will not prevent a dog from panting nor drinking, neither do they prevent biting or grasping, thus much of the value is gone from them as a control method. You will probably get as much control from an ordinary collar and leash or a chest halter.
In short, start with your basic nylon or leather collar. It will be the most comfortable and easiest to handle without fear of harming your dog. Even so, always remember not to pull straight back on a collar as it could harm your dogs trachea.
Snapping motions should always be quick and to the side. The point is only to associate an unpleasant, physical action until they learn to relate to other commands - either sound or gestures.
Barking is a dog's natural response to potential threats and for attracting attention, however, some dogs will continue barking long after the initial impetus is gone. In such cases a no barking collar might be used especially if the dog continues barking for long periods or at the slightest provocation.
No barking collars are electronic and are either noise or shock collars, noise collars produce short unpleasant sounds which distract the dog and discourage continued barking.
Shock collars will give your dog a short, painful electric shock that will continue with prolonged barking. Test results of this method are varied and any dog who barks to such an extent is likely to draw more benefit from careful, professional help than from a shock collar.
While these methods provide a quick fix they are no substitute for long term training. It is preferable to obtain your dog's compliance and attention without control devices as this generally results in saner and happier dogs.
In many cases, simple recognition will keep your dog from prolonged barking. After all, they are alerting their pack leader of possible danger. Once their pack leader responds and takes over, there is no real need to keep barking. Consistent response and correction if barking does continue, ultimately will allow you to stop the barking with a sound or gesture.
It is not always recommended to use voice commands, but sometimes become necessary for convenience. After weeks of prolonged barking of neighbors passing by, consistent response, a light touch on the back and "I got it" ultimately led to the ability to say "I got it" from anywhere in our home to stop the barking.
In this case, "I got it" was the voice command that transferred as the recognition that the pack leader realizes the bark is one of warning and that the pack leader has taken over the situation!
