collar and leash

[Guest]

We were told cairns do best with a harness as they can easily escape from a regular collar.

But, as I have read, a leash attached to a harness isn't good at correcting the dog, as is a collar is supposed to be.

What kind of collar/leash are you all using?

Thanks.

Ellen

[Susan]

I use a regular collar and a 6' leash. You need to check the fit of the collar periodically. After grooming or stripping, you might need to tighten the collar a bit.

I started out teaching Nikki to always sit when I put the collar and leash on. She sits every time on command and is not allowed up till it's fastened. On the two occasions she managed to slip out of the collar while we were on a walk (because I didn't tighten it enough after grooming!), I commanded her to sit, which she did immediately, so I could put the collar back on. But I'll tell you...my heart STOPPED!!

Susan

[Guest]

I use a rolled leather collar on Rebel it seems to work much better than nylon. I also use the 6 foot leather leash.

[Guest]

Thanks Liz and susan...

The harness is sometimes a killer to remove and not so easy to get on either.

I may try a rolled leather collar, but I am hesitant because we live in an area with lots of coyotes and hawks. And Wesley is so little. The breeder's book suggested we use a choke collar, but even he was a bit wary of that.

Ellen

[Melanie]

Ellenn,

Hi, I just finished my first round of obedience classes and the very first night I was there the trainer said absolutely not to my harness I had on Max(8mnths). I didn't want to use a regular collar since he is very squirmy and energetic, but she said I will never train him on a harness because he will continually pull.

I now use a chocker collar on him and it seems to work very well. It will not slip off his head since if he pulls, it tightens up automatically. I thought a choker collar was horrible until I learned more about them. Just wanted to share what I was told by my instructor.

Melanie

[Guest]

Thanks, Melanie. I will go to the store this week. We have no control with the harness, unless we pick his whole body off the floor with it. And

Ellen

[Melanie]

Your welcome. Measure his neck before you spend money, we ended up buying 3 before we got it right.

[Posey]

We have bought several collars, harnesses and leads. We finally came up with the idea of a harness, and a collar. After they are put on; I fasten the harness clip with one of the double leads for walking two dogs-and fasten the other lead around Nickys collar, and lastly put on the matching nylon lead to the clip on the end of the double lead. What I end up with is a very well secured and comfortable puppy. He doesn't pull as hard as he usually does because then he can feel the lead attached to the harness, other wise he just feels the collar clipped. This has worked out very well for Nicky. Nicky has never been to any training and pulled like crazy when we walked him. This way he can pull his 19 lbs of muscle and I can handle him very well because he feels the harness lead on him if he pulls to hard. Makes my life a little easier with a puppy who thinks he is the big "boss".

Posey

[Guest]

Thanks, Posey. Sounds like you've got a good idea! I think I'll try it out.

Choke collars, according to the PetSmart trainer, can only be worn after the dog is 8 months old.

Ellen

[rnbstone]

Meli is six months old now and in her ninth week of obedience class. We have a collar around her at all times (it's got a bell attached to it, because we NEED to know where she's at at all times -- the little devil ). When we began walking her on a leash, we then got a harness (because regardless of what we did, she was always choking herself). Now, with the advice of our trainer, we use a gentle lead when walking her. It fits behind the head and around the muzzle. She can still open her mouth fine ... it's not that tight. I didn't really like the gentle lead at first because she looked so funny in it (a little like Hannibal Lecter). However, with some training and practice, I like it much better. She follows commands much more and it requires no choking whatsoever. You simply lead from the front of the face rather than her pulling. I hope this helps ...

[Guest]

Thanks for your posting about Meli. How difficult is it to put on a gentle lead?

[rnbstone]

The gentle lead isn't difficult at all to put on her ... she actually will sit still for us to put it on (even though she dislikes it once it is on). It just slides on over her nose, and then I clasp it back behind her ears. She knows that when she has that on, we are getting ready to go somewhere ... and she surely loves that!

I saw one at the local pet store the other day, and it was priced at about $17. They are a little spendier ... but I really feel like it was the best solution for her. She just gets so excited when she gets to go somewhere on her leash!

[PadFoot_Lives!!!]

My vote also goes for the Gentle Leader (another one is called a Halti, I think). Allows you complete control of your dog's head without digging into their neck like a choke collar. Lives up to its name and is gentle, but effective. They are kind of spendy, but worth it. Previously I used a harness, because V would always pull so hard that he would be coughing and gagging when I had the leash on his regular collar. He pulled like mad with the harness, too.

For a better price, try an online pet store, although I did find that Petsmart in my area was a bit cheaper than Petco when I bought mine locally. Later saw it for quite a bit less online (it was maybe the DrsFosterSmith site, or PetPlace???)