# What does "hanging a dog" mean for disciplining?



## Timsar

Over the weekend someone told me they "hang" their dog if they to discipline them for something that they did that was very wrong and needed to be corrected right away.

What does "hanging a dog" mean? Obviously I dont think it means putting a rope around his neck and hanging him from a tree - at least I hope not


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## hunterisgreat

Timsar said:


> Over the weekend someone told me they "hang" their dog if they to discipline them for something that they did that was very wrong and needed to be corrected right away.
> 
> What does "hanging a dog" mean? Obviously I dont think it means putting a rope around his neck and hanging him from a tree - at least I hope not


It means what that cop did the other day on video. Lifting the leash until at least his front legs are off the ground, potentially all the legs, and holding it that way. So minus the tree, basically yes.


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## Freddy

I believe it means using a choke type collar and lifting the dog off the ground, cutting off it's air supply.


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## hunterisgreat

Freddy said:


> I believe it means using a choke type collar and lifting the dog off the ground, cutting off it's air supply.


primarily blood supply


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## Freddy

Did not know that....


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## Chip18

Dominant dog collar stuff, pretty much an extreme measure...dog did something "seriously disagreeable!!"


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## wolfy dog

Abusive and shows incompetence as a trainer/owner.


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## hunterisgreat

Freddy said:


> Did not know that....


Its mean to calm and often force submission. Take your forefinger and thumb and press your carotid arteries shut. You can breath fine, but as "the darkness" closes in from lack of blood flow you'll see why it is calming, not painful. You also recover quickly. Choke = blood supply restriction. Strangulation = air supply restriction. You can permanently collapse the esophagus, but an artery will always spring back as designed. This is why only chokes are allowed in MMA fights. The forearm and bicep act to cut off blood flow but not crush the windpipe, which is why it is positioned as it is if you watch a fight. When someone gets "choked out", it actually looks pretty peaceful. And it is, till you wake up with a massive headache. 

Hanging a dog is something you'd normally only see/do if the dog comes up the leash on you and its a for real "Dude I'm gonna kill you" type of dog. Almost never to blacking out. Only till the dog ceases the behavior.


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## Chip18

wolfy dog said:


> Abusive and shows incompetence as a trainer/owner.


Uh oh!! Is it on???


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## hunterisgreat

wolfy dog said:


> Abusive and shows incompetence as a trainer/owner.


Depends on the dog. Hanging because he's heeling crappy.. sure thats abusive. Hanging because he's trying to maul me. No, its training. When you have a serious dog on the end of a leash, about to seriously hurt you, show me a way to deal with it otherwise.


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## dogfaeries

Unfortunately I've known of several people who have hung dogs for not doing what they wanted. Purely because they were mad and frustrated at the dog, and _not_ for aggression to the handler. There are a lot of stupid people out there.


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## Chip18

hunterisgreat said:


> Depends on the dog. Hanging because he's heeling crappy.. sure thats abusive. Hanging because he's trying to maul me. No, its training. When you have a serious dog on the end of a leash, about to seriously hurt you, show me a way to deal with it otherwise.


If I were to put on my positive only, never dealt with a dog with a real issue hat... I would say... Cookies!


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## wolfy dog

hunterisgreat said:


> Hanging because he's trying to maul me. No, its training. When you have a serious dog on the end of a leash, about to seriously hurt you, show me a way to deal with it otherwise.


Agreed, I would do that as well if it were to save my life/face. But I have seen too many people who use this as regular punishment.


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## Chip18

dogfaeries said:


> Unfortunately I've known of several people who have hung dogs for not doing what they wanted. Purely because they were mad and frustrated at the dog, and _not_ for aggression to the handler. There are a lot of stupid people out there.


Well yeah as you say "unfortunately!" there are a lot of stupid owners out there!

You have to be able to "outthink you dog" for some dog owners...that's a tall order!


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## hunterisgreat

I've had to "hang" 3 dogs. Two where no leash/collar involved and was a rear-naked choke to get control and submission to discipline in a dog attempting to bite me. One almost blacked out but did not. It was a long, arduous battle to the crate. He never tried to bite me again though. In every case I'm either already bleeding (probably how we got there in the first place) or bleeding once it's over. The dogs have never been worse for wear


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## hunterisgreat

Chip18 said:


> If I were to put on my positive only, never dealt with a dog with a real issue hat... I would say... Cookies!


Not when all they want is filet d'handler with a side of "up yours I do what I want"


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## hunterisgreat

If one finds themselves hanging a dog and in a rage at the same time it was likely excessive force. It works better if you remain calm and calmy repeat the command you need followed, which is nearly always "out"


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## Nigel

OP, There's an example in this link/thread, its a post by David Winners about half way down the page that demonstrates how he does it. 

In the start of the same thread there is a video on how not to do it. 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...e-officer-accused-k9-abuse-6.html#post5464513


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## Chip18

hunterisgreat said:


> If one finds themselves hanging a dog and in a rage at the same time it was likely excessive force. It works better if you remain calm and calmy repeat the command you need followed, which is nearly always "out"


Sorry could not resist the smart ass impulse!

Not in disagreement with you! Most owners have never dealt with or seen a "red zone" dog! But Cookies can work... a 20 lbs sack of them and a smack across the face with the bag! Or a drag leash and a Dominant Dog collar, or an E collar and "Knowledge" of what your doing!"

I did none of this with my red zone dog! I got the stitches! Love my dog but pretty much I never recommend them to anyone! OS WL GSD,117 lbs at the time...Alha roll anyone???

Get a Shilo or King Shepherd is my recommendation to most folks!


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## Juliem24

I was in a training class and the trainer hung a Husky for talking (like Huskies like to do). The dog lost consciousness, peed and pooped, got blue in the gums...I left the room at that point. Didn't go back. On the other hand, I've had a couple come up the leash at me and can see where it could be useful. But, not to the point of near death. It happened to my daughter who is an ICU RN. A patient choked her (carotid, not windpipe) and she did not feel it was peaceful at all, as she lost consciousness, she was in a panic, but unable to move due to lack of blood flow. Kept thinking, though. Had to have a carotid flow study because the trauma can cause carotid micro tears like aneurysms. Remarkable bruises.


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## my boy diesel

*primarily blood supply*
it cuts off the air too 
if it did not they would not gag and choke when it is being done


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## Colie CVT

I have had to use this technique at times when working with dogs who have decided to come at me. I ended up showing it to some students I was working with after one got bitten by a dog who had redirected from the dog it wanted to go after to the girl. He caught her on the upper arm, and I was the only person who had been in the building that saw. The thing that saved her was another student coming near with another dog, so the dog was distracted by the dog it had wanted to hurt coming back. I ran out and took the leash from her, keeping it taunt, but not enough to keep him off of the ground. But when he decided he didn't like the taunt leash and me bringing him away from the other dog, he tried coming up the leash at me. I simply straightened my arm up and kept his front legs off of the ground until he calmed, then I set them down and kept walking forward. He didn't try it again after that.

Last time I had to do it was last week with a patient. x.x I tried to put him into his kennel after giving him his pre-med and he started to flip out, screaming and snapping. He was causing himself to hurt himself since he had a back leg that was hurting. After him reacting like that twice I figured, okay let's just go near surgery prep and just hang there. Trying to walk past him, he turned and came STRAIGHT at me. The e-collar touched my legs, but thankfully since I pulled him up short, his muzzle never connected, but I would have ended up really hurt if I hadn't been keeping the leash tight.

I hate doing it. It makes me feel bad, but I am not going to let myself get hurt if I can help it. I've never had to do it for long any time I've used it. Just enough to make it clear I won't let them hurt me and if they want to go forward, they best just go forward lol.


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## hunterisgreat

Juliem24 said:


> I was in a training class and the trainer hung a Husky for talking (like Huskies like to do). The dog lost consciousness, peed and pooped, got blue in the gums...I left the room at that point. Didn't go back. On the other hand, I've had a couple come up the leash at me and can see where it could be useful. But, not to the point of near death. It happened to my daughter who is an ICU RN. A patient choked her (carotid, not windpipe) and she did not feel it was peaceful at all, as she lost consciousness, she was in a panic, but unable to move due to lack of blood flow. Kept thinking, though. Had to have a carotid flow study because the trauma can cause carotid micro tears like aneurysms. Remarkable bruises.


As a former Marine, and former submission fighter, having been blacked out on numerous occasions, it's not pleasant but it's not painful or panic inducing either. If you've never had unpleasant feelings before it might be scary. If you've had a fare share of hard knocks it's nothing.


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## hunterisgreat

my boy diesel said:


> *primarily blood supply*
> it cuts off the air too
> if it did not they would not gag and choke when it is being done


Using a choke collar on a dog yes. Using your arms as I described, it's a pure blood choke. You can put a person or dog to sleep with no harm in a matter of 10-20 seconds that way


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## my boy diesel

using your arm would put your face dangerously close to their face
i really see no way you could safely do that with a dog trying to bite you already
but its your face i guess 

btw i am going to venture out here and say that most people who say they hang their dogs do it with a leash and collar as shown on the one police video rather than getting down on their knees and getting behind their dog in a wrestling move and choke it off that way
that is why they refer to it as hanging


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## hunterisgreat

my boy diesel said:


> using your arm would put your face dangerously close to their face
> i really see no way you could safely do that with a dog trying to bite you already
> but its your face i guess
> 
> btw i am going to venture out here and say that most people who say they hang their dogs do it with a leash and collar as shown on the one police video rather than getting down on their knees and getting behind their dog in a wrestling move and choke it off that way
> that is why they refer to it as hanging


Agree but I've done it several times and not gotten bitten in the process. Once a grazing on a bicep. Not ideal but if the situation requires or your hands are all you've got, it is what it is


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## Castlemaid

As Hunter said, hanging a dog should only be done as a measure of self-preservation, and never, never, NEVER in anger! I've hung a dog - he was not right in the head - something would "click" and he would come hunting in a predatory manner. Grabbed the collar and held him up at arms length until he realized he was beat and calmed down. Happened quite a few time, so he ended up rehomed with a professional police dog trainer, where he lived kenneled. The unpredictable behaviour meant he could not be a house dog or an operational dog, but the trainer liked him enough to keep him as a personal dog (Still has him and loves this dog, as I did). 

Using it as discipline is abusive, IMO. There should be no anger or desire to punish involved, and anyone who uses it as punishment, or as a way to 'show' the dog who is in charge is being abusive and going overboard.


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## Susan_GSD_mom

hunterisgreat said:


> Not when all they want is filet d'handler with a side of "up yours I do what I want"


Also when you have a dog that is absolutely NOT food motivated, which applies to a lot of WLGSDs. The vital key is not letting something escalate to that level, but sometimes it happens, and sometimes you have to use extreme measures. Fortunately, my Czech boy who has NEVER been and never will be food motivated, has never even been close to that level. I have had to choke a dog only twice in 50 years, and was very happy at the time that I was strong enough to do so.

Susan


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## my boy diesel

*should only be done as a measure of self-preservation, and never, never, NEVER in anger!*
i agree 
i have had to use this as a defensive maneuver when walking a shelter chow that wanted to attack a cat
the dog redirected on me a number of times and i managed to not get bitten 
but i did as colie described and basically held it up by the leash with a straight arm and also got my hips and waist as far away as possible from that dog
i guess one could consider that hanging for lack of better description


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## hunterisgreat

If a dog goes berserk on me and hanging isn't an option I have also just dog piled on top of the dog and pinned their head to the ground so it can't get me, then let gravity wear them down


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## ken k

I watched my trainer "hang" a dog more than once, except he does it a little differently, GSD, growels and lunges for him, in attack mode, he has the leash and spins the dog one time in a circle, feet off the ground, I call it uncle Dans merry go round ride, and the dog is then at an immediate heel on his left and waking, no harm to the dog, now the dog is WTH just happened, and is now walking and focusing on the trainer rather than trying to bite him


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## Chip18

*N:*



my boy diesel said:


> using your arm would put your face dangerously close to their face
> i really see no way you could safely do that with a dog trying to bite you already
> but its your face i guess


Yes,yes it does! Usually not a first response! "Not" a recommended training technique!!

But sometimes crap happens fast and it's a good option to keep things from getting worst! I never did an actually choke but I have had to headlock my rescue GSD, a foster BC and my flipped out Boxer girl!

Boxer nutted up over baby kittens and thought my Bull/Mastiff/APBT (Gunther) was getting to excited , GSD just had a serious "attitude'' towards Gunther and the BC was just having a bad day!


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## Stassi

The K-9 academy I go to commonly uses the hanging technique when the dog needs to be reprimanded. I see nothing wrong with it.


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## Susan_GSD_mom

ken k said:


> I watched my trainer "hang" a dog more than once, except he does it a little differently, GSD, growels and lunges for him, in attack mode, he has the leash and spins the dog one time in a circle, feet off the ground, I call it uncle Dans merry go round ride, and the dog is then at an immediate heel on his left and waking, no harm to the dog, now the dog is WTH just happened, and is now walking and focusing on the trainer rather than trying to bite him


Yes, I've seen that done, but you have to be strong enough to do it with the right timing!

Susan


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## canyadoit

To choke the dog out till it shuts down as the name implies Suprising in this day and age the law of the club still is used
Have seen it used on compound dogs to submit to the keeper


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## pache11

Never use hanging for discipline, only for aggression against handler.


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## Bob_McBob

FWIW, you can use a dominant dog type collar without hanging the dog. They're pretty much the same as a slip lead with a thinner cord and an attachment to prevent the collar from loosening. A lot of dogs respond to them with a very light touch, and they don't stimulate the dog the same way a prong correction does in some situations.

Arbeitsleinen für Ihren Hund online kaufen

Leerburg has a detailed description of how he hangs severely handler aggressive dogs until they pass out every now and then half way down this page:

Leerburg | Dominant Dog Collarâ„¢


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## petite

I wonder if "hanging" a dog is something casual owners should be doing? I'm not involved in rehab for highly aggressive dogs but it seems like an extreme correction.


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## deacon

Agreed! Hanging a dog should only be used for attack on handler! During the 80's this was an every day occurance with our Military Dogs as they were donated then and most were either alpha males or overly aggressive dogs.!


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## msstone

My Misty was hung but too long so he blinded her. Cut the oxygen off to her brain and optical center. So she had a little vision as a puppy. We rescued her at 6 months. We had her on predisone for several years to allow her to have some light vision. Meaning she was able to see shadows. Ultimately she became totally blind because the MONSTER who had Hung her. I found a rolled up newspaper. Slapped against something solid worked for training all my GSD. The loud noise was enough to get their attension, it got to the point where all I had to do was pick up the newspaper or magazine. My GSD's were sit, stay, and what does the momma want us to do now. Eyes on me.


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## Bob_McBob

petite said:


> I wonder if "hanging" a dog is something casual owners should be doing? I'm not involved in rehab for highly aggressive dogs but it seems like an extreme correction.


No, absolutely not.


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## CarolinaRose

hunterisgreat said:


> Not when all they want is filet d'handler with a side of "up yours I do what I want"


I'm sorry but I read this and I just had to laugh. In this case you ARE the cookie :laugh: 

SO glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that!


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## Jack's Dad

Just a thought. How about breeding for solid nerve, moderate drives, good temperament and physical health and we could eliminate most of the need for "hanging". Of course those dogs might not score as high in IPO.


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## CarolinaRose

ken k said:


> I watched my trainer "hang" a dog more than once, except he does it a little differently, GSD, growels and lunges for him, in attack mode, he has the leash and spins the dog one time in a circle, feet off the ground, I call it uncle Dans merry go round ride, and the dog is then at an immediate heel on his left and waking, no harm to the dog, now the dog is WTH just happened, and is now walking and focusing on the trainer rather than trying to bite him


I'm having a really hard time picturing this in my head. I'm pretty sure it doesn't look the way I'm picturing it. It sounds pretty comical. 

I saw a trainer hang a dog once for lunging at another dog on a walk. I saw that and instantly decided it was total abuse and that you should never under any circumstance treat a dog that way. It had never occurred to me that a dog might come up the leash and attack the handler. I guess in my fantasy world dogs hold their owners sacred. Oops. I guess that's one of those situations where you should never say never.


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## CarolinaRose

Jack's Dad said:


> Just a thought. How about breeding for solid nerve, moderate drives, good temperament and physical health and we could eliminate most of the need for "hanging". Of course those dogs might not score as high in IPO.


I could absolutely get on board with that!


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