I took her to a class when she was about a year and half. she was so out of control and I struggled even handling her. She still has times when she just won't follow directions. I still have trouble with her jumping up on people and she just won't leave them alone. she has done much better with this collar, she knows that when I say no or stop ,she now knows I mean what I say. It may look like this collar isn't acceptable but when you can't control her and she won't follow directions, I need something which shows her she needs to follow directions. Believe me I tried several other collars and none worked. I know not many agree with using this collar, but I can control her behavior much better and she isn't being hurt.
Unfortunately your trainer has encouraged you to train through fear rather than positive reinforcement and rewards. You say she isn’t being hurt but she must either be being hurt or she knows the collar will hurt from the first time it was used. She is doing what you want out of fear. I’m sure if this was put on a different thread others would pick it up and a whole debate would open.
Prong collars are considered more acceptable in the US than here in the UK. They're aren't illegal here (yet) but they are rare and most people would be horrified if they saw one in use. There are so many alternatives to using something that causes so much pain and damage to your relationship with your dog, it's such a shame you have been given such poor advice. A harness with a front clip worked brilliantly for us inconjuncion with lots and lots of training with treats. Other people swear by head collars. I do think the main issue is training though - they don't instinctively know what we want them to do and it takes some dogs much longer than others to get the nessage. I can't help thinking the root of the problem might be the same as the weight issue - big energetic dogs need regular off lead exercise. Mine would be unbearable if he didn't get a good run at least twice a day.
I understand that in the UK prong collars are not as acceptable as in the US. I have changed her photo with the other collar which I do use. She is now two years and 11months old. when I first began training with her I bought a harness with a front clip which did nothing , in fact it was thought maybe it wasn't measured correctly and I then reordered a new one. This one wasn't any different than the first. This company was very fair in helping me, trying to get the issue taken care of. I tried once again, and this time the dog was able to back right out of the harness! I then tried another trainer and a training method with a regular collar. This lasted for almost 8 moths, and she did do well. I believe that a lot of my training issues were due to my lack of knowledge of how to complete training . I still have trouble with her with being anxious at the Vet, around people, jumping up and not following my directions. when she and I are together is doesn't have these issues. I have continued to work with her, trying to use positive training. She is a very loving companion and she has never ever showed any aggression at any time. I am working with her on her weight and the exercise which she needs. I see that the exercise she gets is important to her health and happiness. I Love her and I have never hurt her to make her do anything. If a product were illegal it wouldn't be able to be sold either here or anywhere else.
There are many countries where ecollars are illegal. It was once legal to own people, in slavery. Clearly something being legal and something being right, good or morally acceptable are two different things. It is hoped people can rise above what is 'legal' when considering how to train their best friends and family members. Using pain and fear to train her certainly isn't going to help her anxiety. The opposite: "Because punishment was associated with an increased incidence of problematic behaviours, we conclude that it may represent a welfare concern without concurrent benefits in obedience. We suggest that positive training methods may be more useful to the pet-owning community." http://dogscouts.org/base/tonto-site/uploads/2014/10/620_art_training_methods.pdf "In conclusion, those working with or handling dogs should rely on positive reinforcement methods and avoid using positive punishment and negative reinforcement as much as possible." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787817300357 And so on... I can't believe it's 2019 and we are still having to explain to people why scaring or hurting their dog is a bad idea and has considerable fallout.
Hello to everyone. Twosocks and I are doing well. Twosocks is three years old. she is at 76 lbs and I can't seem to find the food which will help her to lose weight. we walk everyday and she loves it. she has become a great companion. I love her so much. I live alone and am 73 yrs old. she is my world and i want to do the best for her. Hope all are doing well . stay safe pupymom
I just read through this discussion and have a suggestion I didn't see here. I have a Golden Retriever mix who was getting quite chubby a few years ago (he's now 9), so I reduced his kibble by 1/3 (he was getting 1.5 c per day) and started to add about 1/3 can (about 4-5 ounces or 137 g) of French cut green beans once a day as a low cal, low carb filler. Being already cooked, they actually add some nutrition, too. Over about 6 months, he gradually lost about 8 pounds and now is a slim, healthy boy. I suggested this to Facebook friend whose choc Lab was very overweught, and it worked like a charm for him, too. Might be worth a try for you, but remember that weight loss takes time! You can visually examine your dog, too, to see if she's too "fluffy". Does she have a distinct waist when looked at from above? Does the belly line from her front end to her rear end slope upward? Can you feel her ribs without having to dig for them?
Oh thank you for responding. I will try this with her. She is such a sweet girl and I want her to be healthy and happy. I will continue posting to keep her information updated. thank you again. Merry Christmas to you and stay safe. puppymom
In your post you say you were giving (1.5cper day) Is this the total amount of food per day? then add the greens?
I started her on this method. She ate the dog food and then picked out the green beans and spit them on the floor! I tried again this morning and she did the same thing. Maybe I am doing something wrong here. I started with 1 cup of food, then took 1/3 cup of food out and replaced it with 1/3 cup of cut green beans. I also read that labs tend to eat rapidly and that can cause weight gain. I am using a bowl which slows down the eating. this doesn't seem to make a difference. the food I have her on is a large breed food. Exclusive Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice. no wheat, soy, or artificial colors or preservatives. I have wondered if a breed specific brand would be better. no one seems to know. I will continue trying with this. thank you again for your posting information pupymom
I will try that. I don't want her to be hungry, yet she needs to lose some weight. thanks again. stay safe pupymom
Well today I did try soaking the food and cutting up the green beans and mixing this together. She ate just great!!! We also got in a walk this morning walk about 30 minutes and then a evening walk. She was so excited when I ask her if she wanted to walk this evening. I have a fenced in back yard , so I am going to try to get her to play out there with me. I just have to keep up the exercise and the food program. Thank you for all of your help. Merry Christmas and stay safe. I will keep posting on her condition. pupymom
Really glad this worked for you. You could use the back yard for nose training exercise as well as ball throwing etc. Start by hiding pieces of kibble from her allowance and ask her to “find” them. Make it easy to start with and then when she really engages her nose,harder. The class I went to then used small pieces of cloth that had been in a jar with cloves. If you find she likes doing it maybe find a class near you. Keep up the good work. You obviously want what is best for your dog.
