Archive for the 'pinch collar' Category

by Lindsay Stordahl on October 7th, 2009
9 Comments »
A slip lead works like a choke collar and will help with training the dog to walk on a loose leash. It also puts the owner in control rather than the dog. One of the easiest ways to make an emergency slip lead is to loop the handle of the leash through itself and put it around the dog’s neck. The “clip” end of the leash will already be attached to the dog’s collar like normal. This trick has c ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on May 7th, 2009
16 Comments »
A few months ago I took a dog to an adoption event. The dog I handled was an American pit bull terrier named Jesse. I was careful when introducing him to new dogs, because we weren’t sure how he would do. Jesse is pictured below and is up for adoption. He was a very good boy at the adoption event and did not cause any problems. Still, I was amazed by how careless some people were when introducing their pets to ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on December 5th, 2008
6 Comments »
One of my goals for this loose-leash walking challenge was to be able to take my dog out in all situations without a pinch collar or Gentle Leader and have him under control. To me, under control means Ace is not pulling, whining, choking himself or fixating on another dog or person. Before this challenge, I walked Ace with his pinch collar on almost every day. After working with Ace specifically on heeling for 30 da ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on November 2nd, 2008
9 Comments »
I’ve wanted to have a dog that walks nicely on a leash without a pinch collar or Gentle Leader for a long time. So this month I am really going to crack down and spend more time working with my mutt on proper heeling. Eighty percent of the time Ace does well on a flat collar, especially when it’s just the two of us in our own neighborhood. He’s even OK with no leash at all, because it forces me to ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 28th, 2008
12 Comments »
If dog owners are opinionated on one thing, it’s collars. Here’s your chance to voice your opinion on why you should or should not use a certain collar. I’ll go first: The two collars I recommend are the Halti and the pinch collar. Every dog is different, and there is no collar best for all dogs. But for the average medium or large dog, the best training collar is the pinch collar. With a quick leas ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on October 3rd, 2008
27 Comments »
When it comes to head collars, some dog owners use Gentle Leaders and some use Haltis. These are the most popular brands, at least around here. I am sold on the Halti (top photo). I always recommended the Gentle Leader, but that’s because I hadn’t tried the Halti until now. There are two things about the Halti that make it slightly more effective than the Gentle Leader (bottom photo): The Halti has an ext ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 13th, 2008
15 Comments »
I love American Staffordshire terriers, also known as the American pit bull terrier or “pitbull.” With so many pitbulls sitting in shelters across the country (more than 9,000 on Petfinder alone), I thought I’d share how great these dogs are. My next dog just might have to be a pitbull. The guy in this photo is Matty, and he needs a home. (9/21/09 update: Matty has been adopted!) Staffordshire terri ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on May 8th, 2008
3 Comments »
On day six of my 30-day challenge to take my dog to 30 new places, Ace and I walked to a playground we had never been to before. Ace wore his pinch collar, and I had him sit before he got to play on the equipment. He thought it was really hot out that day (65 degrees), so he wasn’t interested in working too hard, and he walked nicely on the leash. Good boy! While at the playground, he got to try out a new slide ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on May 6th, 2008
4 Comments »
It is possible to get your dog to have good behavior by using kindness, compassion and respect, according to dog trainer Paul Owens. Owens is a dog trainer and best-selling author who teaches step-by-step methods to train a dog or puppy through positive reinforcement. He never uses choke, prong or shock collars. I watched the DVD, The Dog Whisperer: Beginning and Intermediate Dog Training, which is presented by Owens ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on May 4th, 2008
5 Comments »
Ace visited a kids’ baseball game during day four of my 30-day challenge to take my dog to 30 new places. The boys’ baseball game was distracting to Ace because there were balls flying everywhere and he is a ball nut. He did not reach the excited stage because he was wearing his dog backpack and pinch collar and we were in the middle of a long run. Over the next few weeks, I will have to start taking him ...