Martingale Collar
I bought a martingale collar today because I've had about enough of Finn's constant pulling on walks (especially now that he's 9 months, 36 lbs and pulls me around) and I used it a few times and I think I'm ready to return it. Many people recommended the collar for pullers but it had zero effect on Finnigan. He'd sooner pass out from lack of oxygen than stop pulling. The snapping sound of the chain doesn't phase him either which is part of the reason trainers recommend the martingale. I think the next thing to try would be one of the head harnesses (Halti or Gentle Leader). I didn't want to have to use one but nothing else has worked so far and he's so strong the pulling just has to stop!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shippo & Koga Corgis on
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The martingale is designed to tighten and keep a dog from backing out of his collar. It wasn't originally designed to stop pulling. But you CAN stop the pulling easily, with any kind of collar, even a flat buckle collar.
Your dog's goal when he pulls is to keep going, keep exploring, get to where HE wants to go. So you want him to learn that when he pulls, he NEVER gets to where he wants to go. I show my dogs this simply by turning around suddenly and walking in another direction. Even if the dog gets pulled or mildly jerked in the direction I'm walking (I use regular flat collars for this reason).
Now when this happens, most dogs will turn around and charge to the end of the leash in the direction you are now walking. So, you turn in ANOTHER direction immediately and start walking that way. The best place to begin this training is at a park in an open, grassy field, or even in your back yard, that way you have lots of space to walk erratically/unpredictably in every direction LOL.
And of course, any time your dog DOESN'T pull, but instead, falls in line next to you, and maybe even looks up to you for direction, you praise, praise, praise!
This is a humane method and has worked for me, for every dog I've tried it on. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on
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I had great sucess with a martindale collar with my rescue Rexx. My mantra when walking the dogs is excercise first, sniff later. I get to choose where they go not them, a gentle tug gets em going.
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Permalink Reply by Cindi on
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I used a Gentle Leader with all of my dogs. The trick is how to stop using it. It takes about 1-2 weeks for your dog to adjust to it. Hey, it feels funny on their noses! But once they get the idea and start walking well, I slowly work on removing the harness. I start by leaving the harness on and attaching my lead to the regular collar. Once that is accomplished, I work toward removing the harness altogether. If the dog pulls, I put the harness back on and clip to it. The dog pretty quickly figures out that if he pulls, the harness goes back on and his freedom is limited. It's worked very well for all of my dogs and when I teach classes, I used the same technique.
That being said, using a reverse turn or stopping dead in your tracks til the leash slacks is also good. It just takes more time and patience. I found most of my clients didn't have the patience for that, sadly.
Best of luck to you!
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Permalink Reply by Cooper, Nora, Grady, Izzy & Jax on
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I used to have that same problem with cooper, until my obedience trainer suggested a pinch collar. I was super hesitant about it, but after using it on him with walks it's almost like power steering. After a few times of a quick "correction" he got the point and no longer pulls on walks. My trainer said his muscles in his neck were probably to thick for the regular "choker" training collar to work. I'd highly recommend at least trying a few quick corrections with a pinch collar and see how he does!
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Permalink Reply by Sarah C. on
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In my training class we all tested the pinch collar on our wrists, and I was really surprised. A snap from a choker HURTS, a snap from a pinch collar is just surprising.
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Permalink Reply by LuvMyCorgis on
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We bought a Gentle Leader (same as Halti) for Rex. It works, and he's almost 50 lbs. We also bought a harness that has the ring underneath on his chest. It works very well, too. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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We bought the martingale because many of the trainers we've talked to recommended it. The said for a dog that for a dog that doesn't respond to corrections with a regular collar (this includes corrections for pulling) the martingale would work better because of the tightening effect as well as the sound the chain makes when it tightens. With Finnigan not responding to the corrections it seems pretty pointless. When I bought it I was debating between the martingale and the Gentle Leader (or Halti) and the girl working there said to try the martingale.
I just couldn't bring myself to use a pinch collar. I know they work for some people but I've also heard bad stories about them as well as the fact that the skin on the neck forms calluses from the prongs and the collar loses it's effect anyway. I just don't think it's for us.
I actually did a text on Finn once when he was little that is supposed to determine their sensitivity level to physical stimulus. Basically, by determining their pain tolerance you can gage what sort of tools and corrections you will need for training. Dogs with a low score have a low tolerance and will respond to light correction with a regular collar. Dogs with a high score have a high tolerance and will need something stronger to break their focus and get a response with the corrections (such as a choke chain, prong collar etc). The scale is 1-10 and I think Finn scored a 7 or 8. I definitely see the indications of a high tolerance based on how nothing phases him and leash corrections are not any more bothersome than a fly on his back.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Jack was horrible on a leash, and it was mostly my own fault. He was in some ways an odd little puppy. Most puppies are afraid to be alone and will stay right near you when they are loose; it's not until they are several months old that they get brave enough to roam. However, from the time we brought Jack home at 10 weeks he would wander off if he heard something, especially something alarming. Most pups will hide by your legs if something scares them, but if Jack heard something suspicious he would say "Woof! Woof!" and waddle right off towards it. Since we don't have a fenced yard, you can imagine how many near heart attacks I had, especially when I'd take him out at night. So, by the time he was about 11 weeks old, he did not go out without a leash.
I certainly did not feel comfortable asking an 11-week-old 9-pound pup to walk nicely on a leash, so I really just let him tow me around. I wanted him to explore the world the way I feel a puppy should, and I've never had a pup I needed to leash that young before, so I let him do the leading.
Well. You can imagine where that led when he started putting on some weight. Because he was totally oblivious to leash corrections due to his early conditioning (my own fault), I took a different approach. It worked for us, but it certainly is a little bit unorthodox compared to traditional methods that teach a dog to not pull. You might give it a try; it's really simple but it will take quite some time to have the desired effect.
What I did was teach him to heel first, off-leash. We went down our basement, which is a daylight basement and wide open, so there was lots of space. And I simply taught him the "Heel" command which is very simple with a loose food-oriented dog. Hold the treat in your left hand, walk off smartly, and say "heel" and chances are the dog will trot along next to you, eyes on the prize. If he jumps for the treat or runs ahead, say "ah-ah" or whatever your correction signal is. As soon as he walks smartly next to you at more or less the heel position for a few steps, tell him how good he is and provide the treat (for this, you want lots and lots of tiny tiny little treats).
As with any lure-based training, you will then swap out showing the treat and then saying the command; with saying the command, having the dog perform the command, and then providing the treat. Over a few days, gradually extend how far you walk before treating til you go around your whole area once or so.
After he understands the command, attach the leash but let it drag on the ground behind the dog. Repeat the exercise, starting with the very first step (use treat as lure and say heel) and work through the other steps at exactly the same speed as you taught it the first time. In other words, act as if you are teaching it all over again, since he already associates "leash" with pulling.
After this goes on for several days to a couple weeks, and he is consistently walking by your side in an enclosed indoor area dragging his leash, you can then pick up the end of the leash, BUT you are not using the leash for correction. You are using the same corrections you would when the dog was loose--- if he jumps, lunges, lags you say "ah-ah" and don't treat til he walks nicely. Once again, start back at the very beginning. Since you are reconditioning the dog rather than simply training him something brand new, I would again go back to saying "Heel" and using the lure to hold him at heel. Then move on to saying "Heel" first and then showing the treat, then move on to having him heel while the treat is out of sight. Remember, reward after just a few steps at first, and ALWAYS end on a high note. Tell him how wonderful he is.
Ok, are we tired yet, because I'm getting tired of typing!! LOL
Now comes the BIIIIG test. For this, you will need a (preferably small) enclosed outdoor area, like a fenced yard or a small baseball field. You will want to hit it when it's quiet and there are few distractions. Take Finn there and play with him for awhile, and then do a few commands he's really good at. Maybe sit, maybe stay. Pick ones he likes and praise him a lot for listening. And now maybe you'll guess where I'm heading next.
Get out your treat lure, take off Finn's leash (if he's easy to catch) or have him on a long training lead dragging on the ground (if he's not easy to catch), and use the lure to ask him to heel. Then you will repeat the same steps you did indoors. Lure, command-then-lure, then moving to treat-only-after-three-good-heel-steps. If he does it once or twice, you are done for the day and Finn is such a good boy!!!
Then after he does this for increasing lengths of time, move on to having him drag his normal leash. Make it fun. Change direction. Stop then start. Use that treat as a lure if you need to, to keep him focused on you. If he's not real food-oriented, it's harder but you can substitute a favorite toy. ONLY when he is heeling reliably dragging the leash will you pick up the end. Keep the leash loose, don't use it to correct, and again go back to using the lure to get him to follow you.
All this sounds like it takes forever, and it does, but remember you are reconditioning an ingrained bad habit. After he is good in the distraction free area, it's time to take him back out to his normal areas. Only ask for heel for a few steps at first, then gradually extend it. If he's food-oriented, don't be afraid to wave a treat in front of his face to get his attention. And after he starts "heeling" on command, if he's like my dog you will find that (especially if he's tired) he may start walking next to you on a loose lead sometimes, on his own, and looking up at you as if to say "Am I being good now?". If he volunteers this behavior without the heel command, praise him to the high heavens. Occasionally give a small treat just for his walking nicely at your side, even if he's not really on a perfect heel.
This is what worked for me and Jack. He's now 2 and leash corrections still mean nothing to him. But most of his pulling has stopped now, and if he does pull or starts to lag behind and plant his feet because he wants to go somewhere else (another favorite of his), when I say "Heel" he does so with a smile on his face.
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One other thing: be careful to treat WHILE YOU ARE MOVING or you will inadvertently be rewarding your dog for stopping. Remember, timing is everything. You will eventually want to teach him that if you stop, his fanny hits the ground, but that comes after he knows the basic command to "heel" first.
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Permalink Reply by Sam on
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I am thinking rather than depending on a specific collar you may consider trying a training class. Dogs need to learn just where you wish them to walk. It is typical for dogs to pull especially if you use a flexi lead. There are many useful training collars but one needs to learn how to properly learn to use each one. Some can be quite dangerous to a dog if not used properly. No training collar should be left on a dog when not actually training. Good luck!
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We have actually completed a training course but it didn't help. WE know what the steps are to teaching him based on what we learned in class and read in training guides but Finnigan is stubborn, very easily distracted, energetic and a bit bratty. All this makes it difficult to teach him loose leash walking. All other commands he picked up on quickly and performs perfectly inside. Outside with distractions or in a place like Petsmart is a totally other story. *Sigh* I would never use a collar or training tool that could be harmful such as a chock collar or prong collar, even choke chains make me nervous. This is why we are trying the martingale and may have to move to the Gentle Leader if this doesn't work.
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I just wanted to add that the reason this method worked for me is that I lack the patience to teach a dog not to do something. To teach a dog to not do something (in this case, pull) means basically a zero tolerance policy, and constant vigilance, and those are not my strongest points. To me it is much easier to teach the dog what to do.
In this case, instead of teaching my dog not to pull, I taught him how to walk nicely at my side. In the meantime, if I was in a hurry or frustrated with him or whatever, and I let him pull, it did not set our training back to square one. We would only practice the "heel" command when I was in the proper frame of mind (and so was he) to work on training.
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