DOG TRAINING TOOLS

If you take a look at your career, I think it is fair to say that a certain tool can either make your job easier or much more difficult. The same thing applies to dog training. And what's more interesting is that there are even more variables involved since much of that decision is based on the personality of your dog. Either way, when you are teaching your dog with the right tool, the session can go much more smoothly.

There is one tool that is always consistent no matter what type of dog you are teaching, and that is use of a leash. No matter what type of dog you are training, it is essential that you always make sure you have a leash on your dog when you are training him. The reason is that it gives you a lot more control and it also gives you the ability to keep him where you want. Think about it. If your dog is not on a leash, you have absolutely no control during the training session. Without a leash on your dog, you will constantly find yourself in a position where you are trying to reach for him, and telling him to come to you.

LEASHES

As you are shopping for a leash, the one thing you will find is that they come in almost every size and color. I always recommend using the length and type of leash based upon the size and personality of the dog. In most cases, just a 6 foot leash will work fine. But remember that there are different widths of 6 foot leashes, and they come in everything from a cheap nylon leash (which can work fine in many situations) to an expensive leather leash (for dogs that are wanting to pull). But it all really depends upon the type of dog, and the size of dog you are teaching.

Here is an example. If you are teaching a Jack Russell Terrier, you probably are going to be using a very narrow 1/2 inch - 6 foot leash. However, remember this type of dog is probably going to want to pull on the leash, so you are probably going to want to use a leather leash. The reason you want to use a leather leash is that it is a lot easier on your hands. On the other hand, if you have a very mellow small mutt that does not pull as much, you probably are not going to need to use an expensive leather leash. You may find that the cheaper nylon leash will do just fine. You can follow this same idea with larger dogs too. If you are teaching a very high strung Labrador Retriever, you might end up using a wider 3/4 inch - 6 foot leather leash. But if you are training a mellower larger dog, you might do fine with the cheaper 3/4 inch - 6 foot nylon leash.

COLLARS

If you’re training a dog that is pretty mellow, my recommendation would be to use the collar that he or she normally wears for the actual training session. As you look at the collar, you’re going to want to make sure that it is tight enough so that it does not slip over your dog’s head during the training session, yet not too tight. I have heard from some people that a rule of thumb is that if you can fit 3 fingers between your collar and your dog, its ideal. It’s not too tight, and yet it won’t slip over his head.

THE CHAIN COLLAR

I wanted to take some time and talk a little about the chain collar. At the same time, I also wanted to show you how to put it on. The CHAIN COLLAR or choke chain as many people call it is a actually a great tool in training when it’s used the right way. What amazes me are the amount of people that are out there that have issues with the CHAIN COLLAR.

I can’t tell you the hundreds of people that have used my technique that had prior negative issues to using a CHAIN COLLAR. It seems like they just needed some clarification and needed to understand how to use it. There are so many misconceptions about this tool. Here are a few:

My personal feeling is that, yes, if you are abusive to your dog and hold him off the ground, it will cut off the air to your dog. But understand that the same inhumane person that would hold the dog off the ground with a CHAIN COLLAR and leash, would still find another way to abuse the dog even if he didn’t have a CHAIN COLLAR.

The truth is that in the wrong situation with the wrong dog, there is no question that a CHAIN COLLAR is the wrong tool. As a matter of fact, I am sure that thousands of dogs have ended up in animal shelters and humane societies over the years just because the wrong person was using a CHAIN COLLAR on the wrong dog.

More times than not, it is the person behind the CHAIN COLLAR and not necessarily the tool itself. But in my opinion, there are 3 reasons why a dog might have had some sort of aversive reaction or fear of the CHAIN COLLAR:

But it seems like more times than not, the biggest reason there was a problem with the CHAIN COLLAR is simply because the person never learned how to use one of these correctly. Without the proper understanding of the use of the CHAIN COLLAR what ends up happening is the owner either corrects the dog too hard, or does not correct the dog enough.

WHAT TYPE OF DOG USES A CHAIN COLLAR?

I would simply recommend a CHAIN COLLAR for high strung dogs, or even dogs that are wanting to pull on the leash. There are many dogs that may start off as what I classify as "high strung" dogs that will mellow out as they begin to understand what you want. A good rule of thumb is that if your dog wants to pull or wants to jump on people, try using a CHAIN COLLAR. In the ONLINE DOG TRAINING area, click on the HEEL area. I will show you how to put one on, and how to use it too.