# How young is too young for a prong collar?



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

How old should a puppy be before putting a prong collar on it?


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Minimum for me is 6 months.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

martemchik said:


> Minimum for me is 6 months.


That's how I feel too. 

I'd like to hear other people's opinions as well.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

8 months here


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## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

I think it all depends on the puppy & owner, but I couldn't see putting one on a pup younger then 4-5mos.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

6 months minimum for me depending on the scenario and reason for use.

For obedience which includes loose leash walking, my thoughts are the dog is older, more developed mentally and the foundation has already been laid and is being polished at 6 months or older.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

6 months, preferably 8.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Sunflowers said:


> 6 months, preferably 8.


I agree....but only if they know how to fit and use collar properly. I rarely see a prong fitted properly when out and about.


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## AXO (Sep 25, 2013)

Sampson was 8 months when we first started using a pinch collar. GSDs are very smart! Sampson was equipment complient. After 6 mos of training he no longer needed it. We had to start using a pinch collar because Sampson thought he was Alpha to my Wife. He used to pull and sometimes drag my wife on walks. Our trainer made the collar snug around Sampson's neck. Not choking him. Sampson weighed as much as my Wife! Plus he was 110lbs and 10 times stronger!

Some people are against them. I am not, It worked like a charm!


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

6 month


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

So everyone is pretty much on the same page that a prong can be worn around 6 months of age.

My friend's boyfriend was asking me why I am not using a prong collar on my 3.5 month old puppy! :crazy:


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

If I get another dog in the future and I don't need a prong I won't use it


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

...and I am hoping not to use one


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> So everyone is pretty much on the same page that a prong can be worn around 6 months of age.
> 
> My friend's boyfriend was asking me why I am not using a prong collar on my 3.5 month old puppy! :crazy:


Wow, for what reason? Was he being a puppy and having too much fun? 

Delgado's the first dog I've ever used a prong on and it was a great tool, but it was a tool that I used for a few months and that was all that was needed. I would never put one on a dog for no reason especially a puppy or use it in place of training, that's just silly.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Shade said:


> Wow, for what reason? Was he being a puppy and having too much fun?
> 
> Delgado's the first dog I've ever used a prong on and it was a great tool, but it was a tool that I used for a few months and that was all that was needed. I would never put one on a dog for no reason especially a puppy or use it in place of training, that's just silly.


Draco needs work walking on a leash. He is very strong at 14 weeks and pulls like the devil when he wants to. We are working on it, but my friend's boyfriend felt that he should have a prong on and I told him that he is way too young to wear one.

I do keep a prong on my GSD. He walks great next to me and listens but my right arm is basically useless so I keep his prong on just in case he ever decides to get wild.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> Draco needs work walking on a leash. He is very strong at 14 weeks and pulls like the devil when he wants to. We are working on it, but my friend's boyfriend felt that he should have a prong on and I told him that he is way too young to wear one.
> 
> I do keep a prong on my GSD. He walks great next to me and listens but my right arm is basically useless so I keep his prong on just in case he ever decides to get wild.


A tool never takes the place of teaching, he's young and you're working on it. Delgado was a monster to walk right from the getgo at 9 weeks, I swear for months one arm was longer then the other trying to keep up with his GO GO GO attitude. It took time and I went through a flat collar, harness, and finally a Halti. You'll find something that works and with training it'll come, he's a puppy and the world's an exciting place

In Delgado's basic obedience class the trainer only recommended prongs or flat collars. She hated the fact I used a Halti but I told her flat out he was way too young for a prong and I couldn't walk him on a flat collar without effort (she couldn't either lol but she always mentioned something every week )

I agree, it's a nice thing to have for those "what if" moments.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be snippy. I get annoyed at people that expect puppies to come out of the womb knowing everything and then jump straight to harsh corrections when they misbehave. I'd be horrified seeing a young puppy walking around with a prong on


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I think it depends on the puppy's temperament and maturity level. Some puppies, even if older than 6 months, might not be ready for a correction from a prong.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Shade said:


> A tool never takes the place of teaching, he's young and you're working on it. Delgado was a monster to walk right from the getgo at 9 weeks, I swear for months one arm was longer then the other trying to keep up with his GO GO GO attitude. It took time and I went through a flat collar, harness, and finally a Halti. You'll find something that works and with training it'll come, he's a puppy and the world's an exciting place
> 
> In Delgado's basic obedience class the trainer only recommended prongs or flat collars. She hated the fact I used a Halti but I told her flat out he was way too young for a prong and I couldn't walk him on a flat collar without effort (she couldn't either lol but she always mentioned something every week )
> 
> I agree, it's a nice thing to have for those "what if" moments.


Draco is all muscle, he is one strong little man. I have noticed that he pulls a lot more when someone else is walking him, mainly because he wants to walk next to me. We are working on it though.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Shade said:


> I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be snippy. I get annoyed at people that expect puppies to come out of the womb knowing everything and then jump straight to harsh corrections when they misbehave. I'd be horrified seeing a young puppy walking around with a prong on


We all have our opinions as to what we would use as a training tool for our dogs and why. I personally really dislike the Halti and would never use one on my dog but also don't criticize those that do as we all do what we think is best for our dogs and what enables us to live in harmony with them. 
I would much rather see a dog with a prong collar out and about experiencing the world over a frustrated owner who no longer walks their dog because they struggle to.control them.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Saphire said:


> We all have our opinions as to what we would use as a training tool for our dogs and why. I personally really dislike the Halti and would never use one on my dog but also don't criticize those that do as we all do what we think is best for our dogs and what enables us to live in harmony with them.
> I would much rather see a dog with a prong collar out and about experiencing the world over a frustrated owner who no longer walks their dog because they struggle to.control them.


Absolutely, if you asked me 2 years ago if I would consider using a prong I would have said no. Even ecollars which I'm still on the fence on I would consider with the proper training. I'm not a PR or NR only person, I use whatever works at the moment

But we're talking about a 14 week old puppy. I'm not physically strong and Delgado was well versed in using every ounce of muscle against me but I could control him enough that he wasn't a huge nuisance. Well mannered? No, that came with time and training.

To each their own, it's just my opinion


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

True enough and yes 14 weeks is off the chart to young for a prong or choke collar IMO. I do hope the OP sees the majority of people would not use either at such a young age. Lots come here that are over their heads with their puppies that's for sure. We can only hope they do alot of reading of older posts here to get on track.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Saphire said:


> True enough and yes 14 weeks is off the chart to young for a prong or choke collar IMO. I do hope the OP sees the majority of people would not use either at such a young age. Lots come here that are over their heads with their puppies that's for sure. We can only hope they do alot of reading of older posts here to get on track.


I am the OP and yes, I think 14 weeks is WAY too young to wear a prong, I wouldn't use a prong until 6 months of age, I just wanted to see how others felt about this. This is definitely not my first puppy experience.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

My pup was 7 mo before putting a prong on, then on the dead ring. I only use it in very specific training scenarios. Not fir daily walks. 

With this pup I am trying to be very proactive with his training. Lots of rewards, lots of marker training, lots of patience. You COULD NOT have paid me to put a prong on a 14 week old puppy. And even at 7 months it was a struggle for me to do it. My training friends joked about it. 

My boy rarely gets a " true" correction from it. It's more for a guide to correct behavior. I still use mainly marking behavior, with an occasional reminder. 


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

Depends on the pup and it's behavior! Not sure why there needs to be an age as to when.. 

I've seen it used on 3 months old and up.. double ringed.. Started my bitch on one when she hit about 5 months..


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## Bequavious (Mar 9, 2013)

Shade said:


> A tool never takes the place of teaching, he's young and you're working on it. Delgado was a monster to walk right from the getgo at 9 weeks, I swear for months one arm was longer then the other trying to keep up with his GO GO GO attitude. It took time and I went through a flat collar, harness, and finally a Halti. You'll find something that works and with training it'll come, he's a puppy and the world's an exciting place
> 
> In Delgado's basic obedience class the trainer only recommended prongs or flat collars. She hated the fact I used a Halti but I told her flat out he was way too young for a prong and *I couldn't walk him on a flat collar without effort (she couldn't either lol but she always mentioned something every week )*
> 
> I agree, it's a nice thing to have for those "what if" moments.


I think a flat collar on a pulling dog actually puts _more_ pressure on the dog's throat such that it can cause damage, because the force of his pull isn't distributed evenly around his neck like it is with a slip or prong collar. If your dog is continually pulling, a flat collar is the _last [/]thing I would recommend. Crazy trainers 


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Berlin is 9 months old on the 13th and we are actually putting him on a prong tomorrow. 

He's done fairly well with a flat buckle which is why we've waited so long

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## stmcfred (Aug 13, 2013)

Connor was about a year old when we used one on him. We actually took him to a training center and that's what they used, so when the week was up (he stayed for a week while they trained him) they showed us how to properly use it. We continued to use it for several months after his training then gradually faded it out. I think it's a great tool, if used properly.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

how do you know the pup needs a prong?



LaRen616 said:


> How old should a puppy be before putting a prong collar on it?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> how do you know the pup needs a prong?


I don't think he does need one.

He is way too young and he is in the early stages of learning how to properly walk on the leash.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I used it at 5 months. That was actually why I ended up joining this board, lol - I wanted to know what the consensus was, because when I did random googling I found places that used them on little 8 week old baby puppies. Yikes! I wanted to find out if there was any actual harm in using them at 5 months, but many people thought that was ok. Or disagreed with them entirely, although that's a whole other thing.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

You can fit the pup for the prong collar and let the pup wear the prong collar way before the 5-8 month old mark but not actually use it. The dog gets used to wearing it and doesn't see you putting it on or taking it off as a negative thing. You don't want the puppy getting collar wise to things like prongs or e collars so it is always good to put them on and take them off without actually using them for quite some time. Also always try to avoid using a correction within 15 minutes of putting it on or taking it off.

I'm with Bequavious on this one though. Correctly issued corrections with a prong or e collar are far far far more humane and risk less injury. The biggest problem is the possibility for abuse and misuse with the e collar and prong are way higher. If you are training properly and correcting properly the corrections with those tools should be rather rare anyway. With a puppy at 6-8 months the prong should be used to teach leash pressure and food treats should be incorporated into this as well. Done correctly you can have that puppy giving into extremely light leash pressure with the prong on. Youd be able to comfortably lead him around by that collar with a piece of dental floss tied around your pinky finger.


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Remember, that prone shall never be used for walking, use CannyCollar to train him to stop pulling the lead.
/


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Yeah with a soft dog you run the possibility of a dog that won't want to go on walks.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Ok, I admit, I have no clue what a canny collar is. 

It depends on the pup, and somewhat on the owner. 

There are so many ways to get from A to B. If you get a pup at 2-4 months old, you should really never need a prong collar or an e-collar, or a halti, or an easy walk harness. 

This is what I don't get. People train the stay by teaching the SIT position and then giving a hand signal and a STAY command, and stepping in front of the dog. They say STAY again and step back. Good Girl! Good STAY. 

When that is down, they start increasing the distance, increasing the time, adding returns, adding distractions, etc. 

But when they want to train a dog to heel, they start the old treck around the block. 

PUPPIES HAVE A TINY ATTENTION SPAN! 

This is like telling a dog to stay the very first time, and then hiking to the other side of the room and waiting for five minutes before coming back. And if the dog doesn't stay where he was put, yank that pokey thing around his neck! 

Well just great. 

One really good thing about Rally Obedience is that it is an awesome way to teach heel. Start with a handfull of treats. Walk three steps, and Sit your dogs, praise treat. Walk four steps and turn right, Good Boy, treat. Walk three steps, and sit, walk around your dog. Walk 1 step, sit, 2 steps sit, 3 steps sit good boy, and treat. walk three steps and do a 270. Walk 2 steps and into a spiral or a serpentine. Walk three steps and sit. Go through the finish. The whole thing takes 2 minutes or less. 

The reason people need to use prong collars when they start the whole heeling business is they generally start at the finish with heel, rather than at the beginning. 

Now I know there are other reasons for the prong collars, and e collars, and all the other gadgets out there. They can be good training tools. But I think it is just as bad to wait until six months or eight months to use the prong. There isn't a specific date.  There are dogs that are too soft for the harsher corrections, and there are people who probably shouldn't use the gadget at all. There are other pups that can probably do just fine at 4-5 months old with one. And, for dogs that you get as adults, if the prong collar lets you exercise the dog safely, and lessens the chance of injury to you or others or other people's dogs, then use it. 

I wish that most people did not view it like power steering, and viewed in more like training wheels. The thing about training wheels, is that you can get to rely on them, and they may impede your balance. They're also kind of embarrassing. Only now people do not feel at all embarassed to have a honking piece of metal prongs on their dogs out in public. 

Maybe they aren't some midevil torture device. But when I see a dog with a prong on, I see a dog that is probably not well trained. I give the benefit of the doubt, someone taking their new rescue around and figuring out what they have at the other end of the leash. But when I see the same dog, year after year coming to classes, with their prong on, I feel a little embarrassed.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

selzer said:


> Ok, I admit, I have no clue what a canny collar is.
> 
> It depends on the pup, and somewhat on the owner.
> 
> ...


All the dogs in the police K9 unit here in my city wear prong collars....I would consider them to be well trained dogs so I disagree with you.

I believe a prong collar, choke collar, and ecollars are all training tools that when used properly are effective and not abusive. 

Abusive would be the dog on any of these collars dragging their owner down the road hacking and coughing the whole way.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

ok, 9 months from now, 1 yr from now, 1.5 yrs from now are you
going to switch to a prong because the dog is old enough to wear one?
you're going to switch to prong because of?



doggiedad said:


> how do you know the pup needs a prong?





LaRen616 said:


> I don't think he does need one.
> 
> He is way too young and he is in the early stages of learning how to properly walk on the leash.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Saphire said:


> All the dogs in the police K9 unit here in my city wear prong collars....I would consider them to be well trained dogs so I disagree with you.
> 
> I believe a prong collar, choke collar, and ecollars are all training tools that when used properly are effective and not abusive.
> 
> Abusive would be the dog on any of these collars dragging their owner down the road hacking and coughing the whole way.


As someone who was simply walking on by and had a police dog charge at me and my dog, prong collar and all, well, I am not convinced that they are all that well trained. They may be trained in some things. They may be cowed by their handlers -- some of them. Some of them can't be used around kids, or dogs. So, I don't give police dogs a free pass. I know they must be certified. But that doesn't change the fact that some of them have done some pretty bad stuff. They are not all Rin Tin Tin. 

Prong collar to me indicates the dog is not sufficiently trained to be handled in public without it. Maybe to you it indicates something else. Ok. 

I don't know when I said they were abusive. I do not know that I used that term or implied it. Maybe you can point that out. If you mean that pokey thing. Well, it kind of is a pokey thing.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it's all about.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

G-burg said:


> Depends on the pup and it's behavior! Not sure why there needs to be an age as to when..
> 
> I've seen it used on 3 months old and up.. double ringed.. Started my bitch on one when she hit about 5 months..


Same here.

I would base it on the individual pup.... I don't have a specific age for it. Also, I'd evaluate the reasons for it to be needed. Is it really needed? Will it serve a good purpose? Is this the best way to work with this for both the pup and I? If so, double ringed and only for training.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

The only collar injuries I've EVER seen in the medical field are from flat buckle collars. 

I've never seem an injury from a prong. Or a slip. Just flat buckle collars.

Point is - I train my dogs with prongs. And potentially and ecollar later on with Berlin, just depending on how he does with his sport trainig. For now he is responding AMAZING to pressure training with the prong. We just had a private class Wednesday to start him on it. There is no pulling. There is no yanking. Simple pressure, response from him, release of the pressure, reward. Not cruel. Not barbaric. Not idiotic.



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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

There are plenty of police dogs out there that are fairly poorly trained from departments without the money to get good dogs or knowledge to maintain them if they did. I've seen dogs around here that are on the street that shouldn't be. Sadly its a fairly common thing.


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## BeachLvr (Jul 17, 2013)

*Two best answers.*





Anubis_Star said:


> The only collar injuries I've EVER seen in the medical field are from flat buckle collars.
> 
> I've never seem an injury from a prong. Or a slip. Just flat buckle collars.
> 
> Point is - I train my dogs with prongs. And potentially and ecollar later on with Berlin, just depending on how he does with his sport trainig. For now he is responding AMAZING to pressure training with the prong. We just had a private class Wednesday to start him on it. There is no pulling. There is no yanking. Simple pressure, response from him, release of the pressure, reward. Not cruel. Not barbaric. Not idiotic.





TrickyShepherd said:


> Same here.
> 
> I would base it on the individual pup.... I don't have a specific age for it. Also, I'd evaluate the reasons for it to be needed. Is it really needed? Will it serve a good purpose? Is this the best way to work with this for both the pup and I? If so, double ringed and only for training.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Sunflowers said:


> You put your right hand in,
> You put your right hand out,
> You put your right hand in,
> And you shake it all about,
> ...


 Now that's kind of hokey. Reminds me of going skating, and having this skate that weighs half a ton on my food shaking in front of me while I am slip-sliding away on the other foot. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.


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## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

My Schutzhund trainer told me to put a prong on my 15 weeks old pup only when my old lady walk the pup. He calls it self correction. I saw my trainer and my old lady walked the pup and the pup turned and pulled on my old lady only two times in about 2 mins. No yelp at all. The pup looked at the old lady and got close to her. I've never used a prong yet. I walk the pup all the time but there will be a few time the my old lady has to walk the pup when I come home late from school. Don't want to come home and see my old lady on the ground. When the pup with me I let her be a puppy no prong.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Gaby is that your pup in the avatar picture and if so is he capable of echo location?


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> My Schutzhund trainer told me to put a prong on my 15 weeks old pup only when my old lady walk the pup.


Your grandmother or whoever the elderly lady is should probably not try to walk the dog even with a prong until the dog learns to walk nicely without a potential to hurt her. With the elderly they can be hurt from tripping over a dog, having a shoulder dislocated, or harmed by being pulled down a sidewalk.


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## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

ILGHAUS said:


> Your grandmother or whoever the elderly lady is should probably not try to walk the dog even with a prong until the dog learns to walk nicely without a potential to hurt her. With the elderly they can be hurt from tripping over a dog, having a shoulder dislocated, or harmed by being pulled down a sidewalk.


Thanks ilghaus,
I take care of a puppy 99%, but I just prepared for an emergency when I can't be at home or I have to spend a night at the hotel for the test. I always with my old lady at home when she wants to practice walking the female pup(without prong.) So it's was only one time that I take my old lady to my Schutzhund trainer and he showed her how to walk a dog. And my old lady says she doesn't want to use a prong on this little girl too, but I might have to use it eventually because of the protection training.

And I don't know what the echo location is ? Please enlighten me.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

The sonar bats use to find food. Was joking about how big his ears are


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I'm just curious, is the "old lady" you refer to, your grandmother, an older woman, your wife, your girlfriend?

Cause if it's your wife or girlfriend and my husband referred to me as 'my old lady', you'd be widow for calling me that,,kinda disrespectful...just throwing that out there..


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## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

It's my aunt, she's 70 and slow like a turtle. I can tell how tall she is if you wanna know that.
Since when this become a comedy.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Thanks for clarifying, I wasn't sure 'who' you were referring to, it helps to know that it's your 70 year old aunt.


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## gabyeddo (Aug 14, 2013)

I thought you were joking. Hahaha


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