Choosing the right type of tools to train your dog.
I am not going to overwhelm the newbie with a lot of unnecessary
instructions or remarks that might bore him to the point of
diluting his interest or of dampening his enthusiasm. I will,
however, stress the several points of importance as they appear
in the course of the lessons, and at the same time explain the
reasons why certain pieces of equipment are needed. A correct
outfit of course is indispensable for training. A mechanic
cannot do a creditable job without proper tools: neither can a
trainer achieve satisfactory results unless he has the right
equipment for his dog. And by equipment I mean the correct type
of collar, the right sort of leash, and all the rest of the
trainer's tools which, expertly selected, may mean the
difference between success and failure.
People often arrive at the training field armed with the
strangest outfits; and sometimes it requires all my powers of
persuasion to convince them that they are unsuitable. A harness,
for instance, is totally unfit, especially for the large dog,
which pulls on the leash until he well nigh paralyzes his
master's arm. True, a special harness may be advised later for
trailing, but for the beginner it is a hindrance because it does
not permit the handler to keep a green dog under control. The
collar is the only means by which perfect control can be
exerted. The thin chain, intended as a leash, also is incorrect
and even dangerous--many are the hands burned and cut from using
such a contrivance.
Another piece of equipment against which I warn is the plain
choke collar. In order to obtain results with a collar of this
type, the guide must pull on the choke to the point of
strangling the dog until he loses his breath. I have seen dogs
with necks strained and seriously injured from being trained
with choke collars simply because of the strength that can be
exerted when the guide brings the dog up short with a quick,
hard jerk. But never have I observed the dog with the tiniest
red mark on his neck from wearing the ordinary training collar.
It is this training collar that I wish to explain fully.
Almost every conscientious trainer will recommend it, not only
for the purpose of saving the guide the arm strain caused by the
dog's constant pulling, but as a means of doing away with that
worst of all punishers, the whip. The training collar is a
well-thought-out, cruelty-preventing device, which at the same
time, assists in systematic training. Its inside prongs, being
blunt, cannot pierce the skin; in fact, no injury to my
knowledge has ever been caused by this type of collar.
Unfortunately, hearsay and superficial knowledge has led to
condemnation of the training collar on sight by many people
unaware of its real purpose or of its actual method of use.
Those who would endeavor to have these collars prohibited, I
would like to convince of their error. The point is that this
collar I recommend is the most definite help in the training of
all dogs, refractory or otherwise; and once trained, the dog is
forever removed from drastic methods of abuse like whipping
which at times have been resorted to by the very people who
deplore the training collar.
Some years ago I was offered a good price to train a certain
shepherd dog to stop his attacks upon people. A shepherd man at
heart, I considered this breed the king of working dogs, but the
moment I saw this big fellow T knew the reason for the trouble.
Due possibly to constant petting and coddling, this dog was as
spoiled an animal as could be found. He considered everybody and
everything fit subject for attack. Yet when I suggested that the
owner start the dog on a series of obedience lessons in order
first to get him under control, my advice relative to the
training collar met with strong resistance. To speak plainly, I
have never heard a more radical condemnation of the training
collar than that given by this man in direct disregard of my own
knowledge and experience.
A short time later I was called to the man's home where I found
everyone in a state of great excitement. Following attacks upon
several people, the police had shot the dog, and the owner asked
me to act as witness against a neighbor and against the police
who had killed the dog. This of course I refused to do. But,
looking at the body of the poor dog, as he lay there mutilated
with eleven bullets, I asked the owner this question: Who do you
consider more inhuman? These men who killed your dog in order to
defend others, or you yourself, the man who disregarded my
advice when I told you how to make a real friend and companion
of your dog through proper training? Reluctantly he admitted his
mistake.
Another incident worth relating occurred several years ago. When
he saw the training collar my own dog Bodo had been wearing for
seven years, a man claimed that Twas cruel to the dog. The
collar aroused his ire, and in ignorance of its true value, he
asked me to wear it! Carefully I explained to him how wrong it
was to compare a human being with an animal. I told him to
consider that the skin of a dog, many times tougher than the
skin of man, can be tanned to make leather while the skin of a
human being cannot. Even would it be impossible for a man to
wear a plain leather collar without consequent abrasion of the
skin
Jane Simpson is a freelance writer and
regularly writes on matters related to pets. She writes
frequently for
http://www.terrier-breeds.com
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