# Over dominating Nature of My 9 months old gsd



## Lakshay (Jan 12, 2016)

Hello everyone.
i have a pure breed GSd who is 9 months old now.
He is naughty and mischievous as ****.he hardly bothers about the commands he is being taught. he will do all sorts of mis behaviour like. when i come back from work he would directly jump on me and will bite my ankle sometimes out of human nature i give him a slap but not too brutally.
he would pull the leash as much as he can and makes walking him a really difficult task.
and he would always stop at each and every plant or street light pole and would keep on sniffing it for minutes.
the most important problem is his behaviour and the way he walks.
i got a trainer for him and he asked me to first bring a choke chain and a very heavy leash for him.
i dont like choke chains so i asked him not to get trained from somebody and would train him myself.

please provide suggestions to me how to train him basic obidience and some manners.

also he hates his food a lot.
i give him royal canin german shepherd food.
he would act lazy seeing the food and would go away from the place where his food is kept. i even tried giving him boiled eggs with royal canin but he would only pick up the boiled eggs and would leave the food as it is.

my vet suggests that rc is a good brand i also asked one of my friends to give me a small quantity of farmina doggy food.

everyday he needs something different to eat.

please provide me with help.
as this food problem is a really problematic issue for me.

thanks in advance


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

As far as food goes, I've never had a food fussy dog until I had German Shepherds. I use kibble moistened and adding a bit of canned food. Now and then I add other tid bits or broth. In their breakfast portion I add a boiled egg. I don't panic if they don't eat. I pick up the meal after 15 minutes and put it away until their next meal. If they don't eat it that meal,then I pick it up and throw it away and give them a fresh meal the next timr. I seldom have to throw the food away and neither of my dogs have starved yet. They are both slim and I'd like to see a pound or two more on them, but I don't worry about it or cater to them more than I already do.

For the trainer, I'd go with a prong collar over a choke collar. Your pup is at an age where he needs consequences for pig headed behavior. Treats and rewards are great for teaching a new behavior and promoting wanted behaviors but honestly, sometimes an entire roast beef won't be more interesting than the smell a gal in heat might have left on a light pole. That is where leash pressure is needed. For tugging you need to be more stubborn than the dog and use the consequence of no forward movement when he tugs. Wait for him to be calm before rewarding him with forward movement. It will be stop and go for a long time, be patient. if he lunges, a ding from the prong collar tells him that lunging is something that can be unpleasant. Don't feel bad about it. It could save his life. 

for jumping on you, he is glad to see you. Ignore him as best you can until he calms down. We were able to teach my boy to come greet with a toy in his mouth. It helped the urge for him to grab us when we came in the door. 

Finding a good trainer is invaluable. Not only can they see things you might miss, like poor timing on rewards or corrections but they can encourage you when it seems like you are not gaining any ground.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Hey Lakshay... where do you live? Do you have access to really good trainers.

Sounds like you have a confident, full of himself GSD which many people very strongly desire. While you are blaming him a lot for not being a poodle type (reread your post), it really is a matter of you, you increasing and developing your skills to work with what sounds like a great dog. But he is not a dog for a lazy handler. YOU need to increase investment in your skills.

I'm not trying to be mean. I was there once. But blaming the dog gets you nowhere... and actually will deteriorate the relationship with your dog. It will come down to investing in your skills and coming up into the world of handling this majestic breed.

With food, slowly cycle him to a new food that has a different protein/carbohydrate mix.

Best of luck... commit...invest....


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## Aristo (Jul 23, 2016)

I went through alot of different foods settled on origin but she still only eats when she feels like it. My dog used to walk the same way as yours used a prong collar 2 corrections no more pulling. I still use it but there are 2 different loops on this collar one basically dissables the pinch effect. Now I let her smell a bit and just a slite pressure on the collar gets her moving again.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Show him who's boss and kick his a.. No I don't mean literally kick or beat your dog. I'd keep a pinch collar on him when he's out of his crate and attach a 9" grab line and correct him with a firm pop from the grab line. If he bites you, well you decide what to do. Same thing with walks. Use a pinch collar, pop it hard if he pulls against it hard. You may want to look at an e collar if the pinch doesn't work for you. Also, immediate 'time outs' for bad behavior. Works for kids, inmates and dogs.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

Sounds like a typical GSD to me. Mine was so well behaved as a pup then turned into a jerk for a good 2 years. All the gsd people I talked to told me he'd grow out of it as I grew into a proper handler. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. 

The dog is a teenager trying to find out how to get his way. You are the school teacher that teaches proper behavior. Once in a while the dog wears the dunce hat but lots of times the hat fits the teachers head much better:wink2:


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## Lakshay (Jan 12, 2016)

@ travelers mom- thanks for the input.

But somehow you just illustrated the problem in a simple way.
That's what i am asking how to teach him took be patient and not bite me for each and every thing.
I seriously don't want these prong collars or choke chains. They look like torture equipments to me.
I want learning for him to be a fun activity and not a stressful activity.


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## Lakshay (Jan 12, 2016)

ausdland said:


> Show him who's boss and kick his a.. No I don't mean literally kick or beat your dog. I'd keep a pinch collar on him when he's out of his crate and attach a 9" grab line and correct him with a firm pop from the grab line. If he bites you, well you decide what to do. Same thing with walks. Use a pinch collar, pop it hard if he pulls against it hard. You may want to look at an e collar if the pinch doesn't work for you. Also, immediate 'time outs' for bad behavior. Works for kids, inmates and dogs.


Thanks for the input.
But i seriously don't like to torture him using pinch collars and other things.

I want him to have some fear in his mind and also not to misbehave at every step.
While walking he would jump on me bite my hands.
Would even bite my pockets thinking that there are biscuits in them


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## Lakshay (Jan 12, 2016)

Traveler's Mom said:


> Sounds like a typical GSD to me. Mine was so well behaved as a pup then turned into a jerk for a good 2 years. All the gsd people I talked to told me he'd grow out of it as I grew into a proper handler. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened.
> 
> The dog is a teenager trying to find out how to get his way. You are the school teacher that teaches proper behavior. Once in a while the dog wears the dunce hat but lots of times the hat fits the teachers head much better


 
Thanks for the input . But somehow you just illustrated the problem in a simple way. That's what i am asking how to teach him took be patient and not bite me for each and every thing. I seriously don't want these prong collars or choke chains. They look like torture equipments to me. I want learning for him to be a fun activity and not a stressful activity.


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## NinaYDana (May 5, 2016)

Lakshay said:


> Hello everyone.
> 
> i got a trainer for him and he asked me to first bring a choke chain and a very heavy leash for him.
> i dont like choke chains so i asked him not to get trained from somebody and would train him myself.
> ...


Well you can start by apologizing to the trainer and give him a chance, it is not a good reason you provide for writing him off. A choke chain is a misunderstood tool that you NEED to learn how to use, or else you are going to end up with an unwalkable dog who will get in bad shape because you never took the time to train him properly. I find that the typical "if they pull, just stop" doesn't work with a strong-willed GSD who is enthusiastic and excitable. This is part of the breed's character, especially if your dog has working line blood like mine does. Prong collars are another good option... "Power steering" they call it. Like I've said before, they are not cruel, what is cruel is allowing a dog to develop out of control and later either not walk him or abandon him because of unmanageable behavior...


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## Milliegsd (Nov 24, 2015)

Prong collars are not torture devices, they can be super effective and fun if used correctly! They do not cause a dog stress, do some research on how to use one properly or find a good trainer that can show you to use one correctly. My dog loves her prong because she associates wearing it with treats or toys. Make training fun!


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## NinaYDana (May 5, 2016)

Lakshay said:


> Thanks for the input.
> But i seriously don't like to torture him using pinch collars and other things.
> 
> I want him to have some fear in his mind and also not to misbehave at every step.
> ...



Well, with this attitude, don't expect much out of him but trouble. A dominant dog is a danger to you and everyone else, and it will be TRULY torture when you can't manage him. These collars are far from torture, they simply make the dog correct himself. If he pulls, it pinches, period. Why would you think it to be ok for the dog to physically torture you and not for you to physically keep your dog in line? It's how dogs ARE, watch dogs organize and study their pack behavior. Nope, no positive reinforcement there. Nobody is telling you to hurt your dog, but it is your responsibility to keep him in line. I've seen an overly pampered GSD literally tear off a child's scalp due to resource guarding/dominant behavior. Not that your dog is going to be an assassin, but this is one of those cases where you can take the advice of people with experience, or you can continue to struggle, your choice, so far your way hasn't worked, has it?


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

OP, how much exercise is this young dog getting? You do realize that most that own working line GSDs do not consider on leash walking as exercise.

I have trained the occasional GSD puller of my own with the stop and start method. It is an extremely effective method to use, even with extremely dominant and strong dogs. Don't let people talk you into using a prong when you don't feel comfortable with them. A prong is a wonderful tool, but it is only one of many.


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## Della Luna (Jul 14, 2015)

I am pro prong collar, but have never used one myself. I think it would be wise of you to do some more research into prongs before writing them off as torture devices. Also know that a lot of people on this board are proponents and active users of prongs, and might not take so nicely to being labeled as using torture devices on their beloved pets.

That being said, I don't think that it is necessarily a bad thing to denounce prongs in your own personal training, so long as you keep an open mind.

Is your puppy getting thorough off-leash exercise? If not, you might want to ramp it up a bit. GSD's need the chance to run freely in order to meet their physical exercise requirements. Otherwise, you have a cooped-up dog who is radiating energy and will likely exhibit that excess energy in unwanted ways such as jumping, biting, and barking.

I think that finding a good trainer is the best option for you. Preferably one that has experience with GSD's and/or other similar working breeds. It is very hard to give and follow advice for specific cases over the internet. Any trainer you choose to work with should respect your own training philosophies, and if that means not using a prong collar, then I wouldn't settle for a trainer who would *force* you to use one. BUT, on the other hand, I don't think that you should write off a trainer for suggesting it.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Well, first of all nothing about your description actual reads to me as an over dominate nature. More like an under exercised, under trained, and under stimulated young working dog.

I find it interesting that you regularly hit your dog but find prongs and choke chains to be cruel? You said that you smack the pup "out of human nature" - which leads me to believe you are doing it out of frustration and not as a clear minded and purposeful correction. Which IMHO far more emotionally damaging to a dog then a proper leash correction with training collar. It's obviously not working to stop the dog's unwanted behavior so there is no reason for you to continue with that behavior of yours. Teaching the dog to sit quietly while greeting you should be the ultimate goal, in the mean time you can use management practices to prevent him from jumping so you don't lose your temper with him. I suggest crating the dog. You can come home and wait for him to settle before letting him out. From the crate you can grab his collar and leash him. So that there is no mobbing you at the door. 

As others have asked - how much exercise is this dog getting? What type of exercise? Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise. What do you do with your dog to let him express his natural instincts? My guy happens to enjoy chasing an soccer ball to "herd" Solving puzzle toys instead of "foraging". And nose work games for "tracking". He also gets ample off leash walks in natural environments (taking care of physical and mental needs all at once!)

Can you give us more details about your dog's training history? HOW exactly have you been teaching him his commands? Have you been proofing with the three Ds (distance, duration, and distraction)?

You don't need to use a prong or choke chain to train your dog. Many many many dogs are trained every year into well behaved companions with out them. If you dont like them - that is 100% a ok!!! If you want to give more positive techniques a try, I really like this guy:






He often will talk about training theory and canine behavior so you understand why you are doing what you are training wise and he explains the steps very clearly! I suggest spending an afternoon watching his channel and seeing if his training philosophy and techniques jive with you and your dog's personality.


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## brookwoodgirl (May 5, 2016)

Lakshay said:


> Hello everyone.
> i have a pure breed GSd who is 9 months old now.
> He is naughty and mischievous as ****.he hardly bothers about the commands he is being taught. he will do all sorts of mis behaviour like. when i come back from work he would directly jump on me and will bite my ankle sometimes out of human nature i give him a slap but not too brutally.
> he would pull the leash as much as he can and makes walking him a really difficult task.
> ...


In my experience, GSDs are more food fussy than some other breeds. Unlike some dogs that will eat anything and everything, my dogs sniffed everything first and would pass on food that wasn't up to "snuff". That being said, no dog is going to starve themselves for long, so if your dog is healthy and hungry, it will eat. I've never used Royal Canine. I've heard it isn't the greatest food. OTOH, it isn't the worst, so if that's what you want to feed, and your dog has no digestive issues with it and seems to be reasonably healthy (skin, coat, etc) on it, then put the food down at mealtimes, and take it up after 15 minutes if not eaten, If the dog doesn't eat for a couple of days, then take it to a vet. 

Re the behavior, GSDs can be very dominant dogs. Eiher you are in control or they are in control. I've never used a prong/pinch collar, but used correctly they are not cruel, and many say they are better than a slip/choke collar. I've always used a slip collar, and used correctly, they aren't cruel either. I agree with the posters that say that if you stop walking your dog because you don't have control of it, that's far worse than using either collar. I don't think the issue is the collar. 

Honestly, you can have a regular buckle collar on a dog and jerk them off balance just enough to catch their attention when they are pulling or being an idiot, and make it clear to them that you are in charge and to knock off the bad behavior, and turn around and walk away from the stimulus until they get calm. Then go back to the stimulus if possible, Keep doing it until the dog gets over it. The pinch or slip collar might make this easier, but again, it isn't the tool, it is the technique or person behind the leash being firm. It helps if the dog is well exercised before training - certainly it will go on for less time and the dog less wild. You don't have to be cruel, just firm. And none of these collars or methods are cruel, when used properly. Rescues often use pinch collars or even mandate their use for dog foster parents. 

If you want to retrain your dog with a regular buckle collar, that's fine, But you are still going to have to do a quick about turn at bad behavior, get the dog's attention focused back on you, reward for that, and keep doing that until the dog understands pulling and acting up is going to be a fruitless activity that has him turning right around from the trigger stimulus. This could get frustrating for the dog unless he is well exercised. And in general, it's better when using positive methods, to set the dog up to win, in other words, try not to put the dog in situations where he will act up, but turn him around ASAP before it happens, or if he acts up, do the about face, get his attention, and then when he recovers, reward for the good behavior. It not being a perfect world, eventually you have to be firm.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

Your dog wants to have fun, too. But you both have different ideas of fun. He has no problem using force on you. He is using plenty of force, body language and teeth to tell you, "Hey I'm bored. lets' play!" He needs limits and you will have to use force to set those limits. Be fair and be kind and be clear (this is what a trainer will help you do). Dogs that have limits can be taken many places and have lots of adventures with you. Those who don't get limits get stuck in the back yard for the rest of their lives. You've gotten some good advice here. 

Let us know how it goes.


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

Lakshay said:


> Thanks for the input . But somehow you just illustrated the problem in a simple way. That's what i am asking how to teach him took be patient and not bite me for each and every thing. I seriously don't want these prong collars or choke chains. They look like torture equipments to me. I want learning for him to be a fun activity and not a stressful activity.


I didn't put a prong on mine until he was almost 3 years old. I felt the same way. HOWEVER, if used properly (and that is the real trick) they are like power steering for you. I didn't do the yank and crank but I did learn to give a quick pop. One pop and I had his attention. I then gave my command to fuss and away we went. If he decided to go in another direction or whatever, I'd stop dead in my tracks. He'd look back wondering what the problem is. I would turn in the other direction, give a pop and he'd get back in line next to me.

Listen, I don't know squat. There are others here much more experienced than I am. I'm just telling you what I learned and what worked for me. Beating up on the dog is not training.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Honestly nothing is more annoying to me than a person walking their dog down the street and having no idea what they're doing. The dog is 4 feet out in front of them. Wearing a flat collar pulling as hard as the dog can while the human is holding on for dear life just trying to keep the dog from running away with them. All the while the dog is coughing and choking sounds like it is hanging itself. And the Human is just like rocky stop, rocky stop, rocky stop. To me that is dog torture. The damage from a flat collar compared to the slight discomfort of a prong. Well there isn't even any comparison one damages the esophagus and the other annoys the dog a little. I'll leave it up to the experts to decide which does which.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

cdwoodcox said:


> Honestly nothing is more annoying to me than a person walking their dog down the street and having no idea what they're doing. The dog is 4 feet out in front of them. Wearing a flat collar pulling as hard as the dog can while the human is holding on for dear life just trying to keep the dog from running away with them. All the while the dog is coughing and choking sounds like it is hanging itself. And the Human is just like rocky stop, rocky stop, rocky stop. To me that is dog torture. The damage from a flat collar compared to the slight discomfort of a prong. Well there isn't even any comparison one damages the esophagus and the other annoys the dog a little. I'll leave it up to the experts to decide which does which.


I like this. Trachea damage is a real possibility with pulling and improper leash corrections. 

We had a pit in rescue with a big beefy neck and extensive trachea damage from improper choke chain use.

Which is why I like prongs as the go to training collar (for those who chose to use one). They LOOK scarier but they are the safer option. They have a limited range of constriction and the prongs usually mean a lighter touch is needed to get the same results. So much less chance of causing lasting injuries. 

Personally I prefer to train without 'tools' as much as possible with a huge focus on off leash obedience from the beginning. I figure if you train them naked it's just that much more practice they have obeying you without any gadgets and the more likely they are to comply in those situations of equipment failure. 

But if I had another dog that needed a little something extra - the prong is my first choice.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

voodoolamb said:


> I like this. Trachea damage is a real possibility with pulling and improper leash corrections.
> 
> We had a pit in rescue with a big beefy neck and extensive trachea damage from improper choke chain use.
> 
> ...


 A prong collar was a lifeless saver with Rosko. He was pulling unattentive all over the place. I took him to a trainer she put a prong on him and he was almost immediately walking loose leash. She then taught me how to use the prong and also how to train him to walk heel and eventually not need the prong. With Athena I am able to teach her to walk heel without prong just on a flat collar. But that is because I was trained how to communicate to the dog what I want. Had I never went to a trainer with an open mind. And had I never used tools available to help with my handicap until I got it
I may have never got anywhere.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

voodoolamb said:


> Well, first of all *nothing about your description actual reads to me as an over dominate nature*. More like an under exercised, under trained, and under stimulated young working dog.


I agree. It seems really common these days for people to assume that whatever their dog is doing that they don't like (or is not doing that they would like them to do) has to do with dominance. It's highly unlikely, and that's just not a productive way to look at the situation anyway.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

For food, Fromm is a very good holistic brand. Add a little water or milk to it. You should never ever hit or slap your dog, this is a terrible thing to do and you will end up with a mean out of control dog that will end up in a shelter. I think it's mostly your fault, you haven't trained him. You come home, the dog is bored all day and gets excited to see you, why would you hit him? A choke chain or a prong collar is not a bad thing, what's bad is you pulling him (or him pulling you) hundreds of times on the walk every single day. A few sessions with a choke collar can cure months or even years of bad walking, the dog is the one who learns to make the choice of pulling or not. He learns that if he pulls, he gets an uncomfortable result. Try out the trainer, you will save yourself many headaches.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

voodoolamb said:


> Personally I prefer to train without 'tools' as much as possible with a huge focus on off leash obedience from the beginning. I figure if you train them naked it's just that much more practice they have obeying you without any gadgets and the more likely they are to comply in those situations of equipment failure.


^This is probably one of the most overlooked training tools that IME I have found to be the most effective not only to train but to stop bad behaviors from occurring in the first place.

With that said I have a lot of questions about prong collars. I think sometimes some people see the simplicity of correcting bad behavior without thinking the entire process through. I wonder if anybody has any information or studies to add to the information below.

The first thing I would like to point out is I am literally shocked at the number of times I hear people come on this forum, either taking their first classes at six months or having already spent months in training and now that the puppy is five or six months old, the trainer mandating prong collars. IMO, I would walk away from any trainer who is only as good as a prong. But I digress, here is my first point. 

I am aware of one vet who has linked the following condition to prong collars. That doesn't surpise me, knowing so many trainers and people recommend prongs on GSDs. It does support the data that this condition runs high in German Shepherds.

Swelling of the Salivary Gland in Dogs | petMD

Now bear in mind that the same amount of force applied to an area can be mitigated by the size of the area. In essence, despite studies showing the safety of prongs vs choke collars, physics says there has to be more to it as the same amount of force applied to the larger area of contact of a choke collar would be far less than that force applied to the much smaller area of contact provided by a prong collar. 

With that said, I would be very hesitant to apply that type of force to such a small area as that of a prong to any dog's carotid artery or jugular vein:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dog...PAhVJFT4KHX_oAhcQsAQIGw#imgrc=fih-c8Aiiw5KdM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dog...T4KHX_oAhcQsAQIGw&dpr=1#imgrc=pvQ1-wsA8iRrKM:

And I can't help but take the nervous system into account as well as the neck is an area rich in nerves.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dor...PAhWJcj4KHbhLC7MQsAQINA#imgrc=yowesli07YNgCM:


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

I would think it would be like the bed of nails thing. If I lay on just a couple nails they will impale me. However if I lay on enough nails that displace the pressure while being uncomfortable they won't impale me. So if a collar had only 2 prongs then I would assume it would be a torture device. However with the amount of rounded prongs the pressure is that of a bed of nails. Uncomfortable when pressure is applied but not piercing or damaging. 
That being said anything in the hands of some people will become a destructive tool to the dog.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

cdwoodcox said:


> I would think it would be like the bed of nails thing. If I lay on just a couple nails they will impale me. However if I lay on enough nails that displace the pressure while being uncomfortable they won't impale me. So if a collar had only 2 prongs then I would assume it would be a torture device. However with the amount of rounded prongs the pressure is that of a bed of nails. Uncomfortable when pressure is applied but not piercing or damaging.
> That being said anything in the hands of some people will become a destructive tool to the dog.


Exactly, the lesser the contact area the greater the force, all other things being equal. 

I remember not so long ago on here where somebody recommended pushing a dog down that was jumping up with a knee, not ramming it, but just enough to get 'er done. Somebody else chimed in to never do that due to the location of the nerves in that area stating it was well documented that kneeing in the chest was a bad idea. What are we doing to our dog's necks when we connect with a prong? And I have seen enough prong corrections that I would categorize as yank and crank.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> ^This is probably one of the most overlooked training tools that IME I have found to be the most effective not only to train but to stop bad behaviors from occurring in the first place.
> 
> With that said I have a lot of questions about prong collars. I think sometimes some people see the simplicity of correcting bad behavior without thinking the entire process through. I wonder if anybody has any information or studies to add to the information below.
> 
> ...


Good food for thought here. 

Making me rethink Mako's limited prong experience. We tried it a couple times. He hated it. It caused more trouble then it was worth for me. I had chalked it up to not every tool is going to work for every dog... but definitely might need to do some thought on why he disliked it so.

Either way we went back to a leather slip lead high up on the neck. Which he still protests if he is given a leash correction even with that but not as badly.


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## AddieGirl (May 10, 2011)

My dogs love their prong collars! They hear them jingle when I get them out and come running. Learn how to use them correctly and your dog will have a positive association with any tool that you use to train. Training should = fun and brain-stimulating. If your dog is dragging you around on a flat collar you have made the flat collar a "torture device" more than any prong. Good luck with your teenager!


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## Lakshay (Jan 12, 2016)

cdwoodcox said:


> Honestly nothing is more annoying to me than a person walking their dog down the street and having no idea what they're doing. The dog is 4 feet out in front of them. Wearing a flat collar pulling as hard as the dog can while the human is holding on for dear life just trying to keep the dog from running away with them. All the while the dog is coughing and choking sounds like it is hanging itself. And the Human is just like rocky stop, rocky stop, rocky stop. To me that is dog torture. The damage from a flat collar compared to the slight discomfort of a prong. Well there isn't even any comparison one damages the esophagus and the other annoys the dog a little. I'll leave it up to the experts to decide which does which.



I use harness not collars


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Lakshay said:


> I use harness not collars


That is a BIG part of your pulling problem. 

Harness were invented to spread the load and make pulling easier for draft animals. There is a reason they don't attach huskies to sleds by their collars


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

indeed. we put harnesses on our dogs so the CAN pull (grin). They do make so called no-pull harnesses. It makes pulling uncomfortable by tightening up under the front legs around the chest. So it is still adding a correction. https://www.lupinepet.com/no-pull/

The idea is always to make being away from you less pleasant than being by your side. Good things come from being near me. Discomfort comes from moving ahead. When you dog is pulling then add a simple but constant discomfort. When it returns the discomfort stops. But you have to stay focused and stop your dog at the beginning of the move forward. Once they have gotten it into their head that they want something, they will put up with the discomfort to get what they want. You've already seen that with the walks you have now. Your big pup is making it uncomfortable for you to not be where he wants to go. He is using the same strategy in reverse. Granted, not as thought through. it is just the natural way of things.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

voodoolamb said:


> That is a BIG part of your pulling problem.
> 
> *Harness were invented to spread the load* and make pulling easier for draft animals. There is a reason they don't attach huskies to sleds by their collars


Same concept behind the amount of force on contact area of a choke collar vs a prong!


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