Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Training Tip - Introduction to Leashes and Collars
Most dogs will wear a collar and learn to walk on a leash, preferably at heel. So when do we start. Preferably the day you pick the pup up so the acclimation process begins.
As a breeder, I begin the process on all my pups the day they are born by placing a small, light weight, colored ribbon around each pups neck. I do this for identification purposes so I can monitor various things about each pup as they grow. Once pups are up and walking around well, I switch out to a puppy collar. This eliminates the acclimation process for the new puppy owner.
So what is the acclimation process? If you take an 8 week old pup that has never worn a collar in its’ life, and put a collar on it, this pup is going to stop and scratch like he has fleas or mites. It is just the pup not being used to having something around its’ neck. Once the pup gets used to this, the scratching stops. This takes a few days to a week. This is also important so when we begin using a leash, the pup will not be doing all the stopping and scratching while we are outside walking around or using the bathroom.
Introduction to the leash is the next process. Referring back to our previous article on the Recall Command, I talk about when the pup starts “Bolding Up”, which is his getting comfortable in his surroundings and his focus being more on his new discoveries than on you and your recall command. This is when I find it best to introduce the leash. At first we are going to put the leash on the pup and just let him drag it around. He will step on the leash as he walks and he will be learning to give to his neck in doing this. It is always best to learn to give to the neck on his own instead of you pulling or tugging on the leash. As pup walks around and steps on the leash, he stops as the force makes him bob his head. It is this action that teaches him to give to it.
Dragging the leash around also gives you the ability to stop pup from running off if needed. This is accomplished by just stepping on the leash then picking it up and leading pup back over to where he is supposed to be. This is a much easier and productive method versus chasing pup down which turns into a game. Never start the game of chase with a pup, or you will find that for pets, an extreme difficulty in coming when recalled. Example: It is raining and you take pup outside to use the bathroom, when done, instead of coming in when called, he wants to run around and play chase, now you and pup are soaking wet. For retrievers, this can be equally as bad. Example: Pup goes and retrieves the bird, but upon his return, pup wants to run around and play chase or keep away from you. It sounds trivial at this age, but for pup, it is a habit that will quickly get engrained for life and will be extremely hard to overcome.
After pup has been dragging the leash around for 4 or 5 days and getting comfortable with it, it is time to start walking him on it. Start by using it when you take him out to the bathroom or at night inside when you want to have pup out of his crate for interaction. The leash is great for keeping pup from running off and getting into something when you are not looking. I will be covering this and walking at heel in more detail in upcoming articles. For now, we are just dealing with getting pup used to wearing the leash and collar.
Types of Collars:
There are basically two types of collars.
There is the flat buckle collar that uses the typical buckle like on a belt for fastening. The other type is the snap type. For a pup, the snap type is the best because it is the
most simple to use. We do not want to promote puppy licking, playing or biting at our hands anytime our hands are around their head or face. The buckle type takes a little more time to put on, especially if pup is all wiggling and squirming around, where the snap type is quick and easy allowing less time for pup to bite or play with our hands. I always use caution when leaving a pup in a crate unattended, while wearing a collar. Having worked at a vet clinic, I have seen all kinds of tragedies including the death of a young pup from strangulation. Pup gets to playing around and rubbing his neck on the crate door. The buckle gets caught on the bars and cannot get off. This is not real common, but it has and does happen. Leaving pup in a crate with a collar is a personal choice.
Types of Leashes:
There are four types of leashes to choose from. There is the snap on leash that utilizes a quick snap on one end that
connects to the D ring on a collar. I do not recommend these at all. These leashes offer you no means of applying pressure which is needed in teaching pup various aspects of obedience such as heel and sit. The collars ride down on the neck, and a leash needs to be riding up on the neck near the base of the skull. There is a pressure point here that makes teaching pup to give to the pressure in teaching heel and sit a much easier task.
The second type of leash is the retractable. These or horrid leashes to use on a dog unless you want to train your
dog to walk 20 feet in front of you while dragging you down the street. Plus they are unreliable and break frequently. A lot of money right down the drain.
The last two types work on the same basic principal. When you pull up on the leash, it applies a gentle pressure. When you release the leash, the pressure is also released. This is vital in teaching pup to sit. He learns when the pressure is applied and he puts his rump on the ground, then the pressure will be released. He is learning the trigger mechanism to cut the pressure off.
The first of these two is made by Mendota and is called a dog walker. If you purchase this type make sure
you get the smallest diameter which is the 3/8” rope. I like the flat braided piece that rides around the puppy’s neck. I think this is much gentler on the puppy and his esophagus. The downside to this leash is whenever pup is dragging it around, he gets tangled in the rope and it ends up slipping off his neck if you are not careful. Plus even though the design is simple, people have difficulty in figuring out how to put it on the pup.
The second of these is available from a friend of mine at Sam’s Dog Hut, http://www.samsdoghut.com/ This is made on the same design as a British slip lead. Overall, I like this one best because puppy do
not get tangled in the ropes like he does with the Mendota. Also, the rope is much softer and is gentle on the dog’s neck as well. It has a leather stop so when you place the slip part around the pups neck, you slide the leather stop forward, keeping the lead from loosening and falling off the pup as he walks around with it on.
Be looking for the next two upcoming articles which will focus on the “Sit” and the “Heel” commands. We are also planning an article on taking dogs on nature walks, introducing them to cover. This is vital for the future hunting dog.
As a breeder, I begin the process on all my pups the day they are born by placing a small, light weight, colored ribbon around each pups neck. I do this for identification purposes so I can monitor various things about each pup as they grow. Once pups are up and walking around well, I switch out to a puppy collar. This eliminates the acclimation process for the new puppy owner.
So what is the acclimation process? If you take an 8 week old pup that has never worn a collar in its’ life, and put a collar on it, this pup is going to stop and scratch like he has fleas or mites. It is just the pup not being used to having something around its’ neck. Once the pup gets used to this, the scratching stops. This takes a few days to a week. This is also important so when we begin using a leash, the pup will not be doing all the stopping and scratching while we are outside walking around or using the bathroom.
Introduction to the leash is the next process. Referring back to our previous article on the Recall Command, I talk about when the pup starts “Bolding Up”, which is his getting comfortable in his surroundings and his focus being more on his new discoveries than on you and your recall command. This is when I find it best to introduce the leash. At first we are going to put the leash on the pup and just let him drag it around. He will step on the leash as he walks and he will be learning to give to his neck in doing this. It is always best to learn to give to the neck on his own instead of you pulling or tugging on the leash. As pup walks around and steps on the leash, he stops as the force makes him bob his head. It is this action that teaches him to give to it.
Dragging the leash around also gives you the ability to stop pup from running off if needed. This is accomplished by just stepping on the leash then picking it up and leading pup back over to where he is supposed to be. This is a much easier and productive method versus chasing pup down which turns into a game. Never start the game of chase with a pup, or you will find that for pets, an extreme difficulty in coming when recalled. Example: It is raining and you take pup outside to use the bathroom, when done, instead of coming in when called, he wants to run around and play chase, now you and pup are soaking wet. For retrievers, this can be equally as bad. Example: Pup goes and retrieves the bird, but upon his return, pup wants to run around and play chase or keep away from you. It sounds trivial at this age, but for pup, it is a habit that will quickly get engrained for life and will be extremely hard to overcome.
After pup has been dragging the leash around for 4 or 5 days and getting comfortable with it, it is time to start walking him on it. Start by using it when you take him out to the bathroom or at night inside when you want to have pup out of his crate for interaction. The leash is great for keeping pup from running off and getting into something when you are not looking. I will be covering this and walking at heel in more detail in upcoming articles. For now, we are just dealing with getting pup used to wearing the leash and collar.
Types of Collars:
There are basically two types of collars.
There is the flat buckle collar that uses the typical buckle like on a belt for fastening. The other type is the snap type. For a pup, the snap type is the best because it is the most simple to use. We do not want to promote puppy licking, playing or biting at our hands anytime our hands are around their head or face. The buckle type takes a little more time to put on, especially if pup is all wiggling and squirming around, where the snap type is quick and easy allowing less time for pup to bite or play with our hands. I always use caution when leaving a pup in a crate unattended, while wearing a collar. Having worked at a vet clinic, I have seen all kinds of tragedies including the death of a young pup from strangulation. Pup gets to playing around and rubbing his neck on the crate door. The buckle gets caught on the bars and cannot get off. This is not real common, but it has and does happen. Leaving pup in a crate with a collar is a personal choice.Types of Leashes:
There are four types of leashes to choose from. There is the snap on leash that utilizes a quick snap on one end that
connects to the D ring on a collar. I do not recommend these at all. These leashes offer you no means of applying pressure which is needed in teaching pup various aspects of obedience such as heel and sit. The collars ride down on the neck, and a leash needs to be riding up on the neck near the base of the skull. There is a pressure point here that makes teaching pup to give to the pressure in teaching heel and sit a much easier task.The second type of leash is the retractable. These or horrid leashes to use on a dog unless you want to train your
dog to walk 20 feet in front of you while dragging you down the street. Plus they are unreliable and break frequently. A lot of money right down the drain.The last two types work on the same basic principal. When you pull up on the leash, it applies a gentle pressure. When you release the leash, the pressure is also released. This is vital in teaching pup to sit. He learns when the pressure is applied and he puts his rump on the ground, then the pressure will be released. He is learning the trigger mechanism to cut the pressure off.
The first of these two is made by Mendota and is called a dog walker. If you purchase this type make sure
you get the smallest diameter which is the 3/8” rope. I like the flat braided piece that rides around the puppy’s neck. I think this is much gentler on the puppy and his esophagus. The downside to this leash is whenever pup is dragging it around, he gets tangled in the rope and it ends up slipping off his neck if you are not careful. Plus even though the design is simple, people have difficulty in figuring out how to put it on the pup.The second of these is available from a friend of mine at Sam’s Dog Hut, http://www.samsdoghut.com/ This is made on the same design as a British slip lead. Overall, I like this one best because puppy do
not get tangled in the ropes like he does with the Mendota. Also, the rope is much softer and is gentle on the dog’s neck as well. It has a leather stop so when you place the slip part around the pups neck, you slide the leather stop forward, keeping the lead from loosening and falling off the pup as he walks around with it on.Be looking for the next two upcoming articles which will focus on the “Sit” and the “Heel” commands. We are also planning an article on taking dogs on nature walks, introducing them to cover. This is vital for the future hunting dog.
# posted by Clay Black @ 7:42 PM 
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