prong collar

[graeme]

wats a good age to start with a prong collar. blues almost 5 months and i was wonderin if that was to young. hes got harness just now but hes gettin quite strong and wants to keep pullin. i also read on another forum that if u use a harness when there young it can give them pigeon feet and round shoulders

[Janis]

graeme from what i know 6 months though some dogs have had them at 5 and a half months! ....................as for the harness it will only encourage him to pull as that is what they are really designed for!!!!

if you think about working dogs huskys etc they are all harnesssed so that the power is coming from the back and not the neck which can't pull as much!

blue would probably benefit from a prong and you too as it will make his walks so much more pleasurable! i know what they do for my girls and i have my thrid prong on hand for when echo now 9 weeks is old enough!
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[graeme]

where do u get them from so i can try one on him. i looked at a website but wasnt to sure how to size it correctly

[Claire/Mark]

http://leerburg.com/ here is the web add where we get them from..... John also buys them in and sells them which saves on shipping fees

[John Thomson]

Hi Graeme,
usually 6 month is recommended...Tico got hers a little earlier.

If you want to try one on Sunday you are welcome to.....I have them in stock if you want to save postage from the US.

Herm Sprenger is the one to have.....cheaper ones are not worth the bother..I have tried them and much prefer the quality of the German make.

A harness if the best thing for a dog to wear for pulling.

john
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[jackdeb]

Prongs have been a god send to us Kodi our oldest is a puller ........but since having the prong she walks like a little angel much more enjoyable for us as well as her .........the only thing is when she goes to the vet with the normal colour she pulls again

Debs
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[kirsty]

Prongs have made walking my dogs on the lead bearable. their combined weight is 15 stone and they are both pullers. At one stage I was flat on my face and the dogs were gone (after a small pack of terriers) imagine the owners panic with my two racing at them.

Word of warning though....be prepared for confrontation. I, just last week, was in the middle of a conversation with a dog trainer whom I was in contact with through my work with German Shepherd Rescue, and did I get grief because I used a prong collar. and this is not the first time. My kennel owner lambasted me publicly last year when she saw my collars for the boys. and this is just an example of the negative feedback I have received

We as a group tend to treat them as the norm, because so many of us use them, but its worth remembering we are probably in the minority and in many dog circles they are very unpopular still. BUT.....no way am I letting my collars go, they are a godsend, as john once said. power steering for dogs.
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[Jack]

I personally use "normal" collars. My lot ALL pull for the first 5-10 minutes of our walks due to their excessive excitement but ARE controllable and do settle down with correction as do most dogs. Your average pup settles down in time with plenty of walking and correction and doesn't need a prong collar HOWEVER

For dogs who don't settle down, are incredibly powerful and/or aggressive I do endorse their use as they give control back to the owner who often loves them incredibly and wants nothing more to enjoy their time together and keep everyone safe - them included For those who judge others who use them - they would be well served in finding out WHY they are used instead of piously standing in blanket judgement.

Thankfully I have never felt the need to try them with my dogs, I accept Staffs are exhuberant characters and WILL pull but I also know I have trained them well and that they do settle down and respond to me and my commands after that initial burst of excitement and to be honest - that's part of the Staffie charm for me - their sheer joy of life
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[Suzanne H]

It is funny isn't it - because I don't have it on to go to the vets for fear of being judged...and he's a little sod because there are usually cats in there.

He will walk ok without it, but his attention drifts in and out because he's so scent driven...I just find the prong focuses his mind and means we can just get on with the walk.

[Lisa/Colin]

I tried going to the vets without it when Hek was ill with the gastro bug recently, he still managed to lunge at other dogs
I havent had any comment from my Vet about it, when I brought up the subject with the vet nurse she was very supportive, she'd worked at a practice with Police dogs using them so she could see the necessity for them for some dogs.
For me it is about MY confidence. I want to know that if 65kg Hektor decides he is lunging at another dog I have the means to try to prevent it.

[Jack]

Lisa, Suzanne - YOU use the collars out of sheer necessity and should be admired and NOT chastised for that. They are a very essential training aid for you - I don't see why you should ever feel ashamed of using them for all the right reasons - if I had need of them then I'd use them and would (Mr T moment coming up) Pity the fool who would dare challenge me over their use


I don't need them so won't use them but if I DID need them and their use kept others AND therefore my pups safe you're damned right I'd use them and wouldn't feel the need to apologise for it so please don't feel as if you should girls
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[Lisa/Colin]

[Jack]

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[Helen]

I have to disagree regarding harnesses. I have used training harnesses on all mine with very quick success. In fact I couldn't really use one for Harvey as he has such underarm sensitive skin but he has always walked lovely for me on his collar. I was firmer with him than the girls perhaps because I knew he was going to be a big lad but even so he is just a good boy!

Harnesses will not give dogs round shoulders or pigeon toes. If a dog has pigeon toes he/she was born that way. The harnesses can however give them a broader chest in a dog that pulls. That is why the show people don't use them.

Helen
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