Training Equipment
What you don’t need: Corrective
“choke-chains,” prong collars, and shock collars are completely unnecessary. So are any other devices designed to frighten
your dog or to cause pain. Since kinder, painless alternatives exist in the
form of rewards and head-collars, the use of these other devices is
unnecessary, often ineffective, and even cruel. “Corrections” and other forms
of punishment can have unwanted side-effects such as aggression. Corrective collars can even collapse the
trachea of susceptible breeds and kill the poor dog. Avoid their use.
Optional
Equipment:
A bait bag:
In my mind this is almost a must. Once you have obtained lots
of pea-sized, tasty treats for Fido, you will need a place to put them. An inexpensive fanny pack can hold plastic
baggies with treats, more baggies to pick up stools, a clicker, your keys or
cell phone, etc. Some trainers like to
use a carpenter’s apron for this purpose.
A head-collar: such as a Gentle Leader,
for powerful dogs or chronic pullers. This
collar is only for someone with gentle hands!
It is used with a gentle pulling motion, not by jerking or
“corrections.” It must also be fitted
correctly in order to work properly and without harming the dog. If a trainer or a friend knows how to fit it,
ask for a demonstration lesson. If not, The
Gentle Leader has an excellent training video which I highly recommend along with
the product. Watch the video until you
are completely familiar with proper fit and use. While head collars give
excellent control, there are two drawbacks. One is that many folks see the
staps and mix it up with a muzzle. They assume the dog will bite. The second is
that many dogs have a hard time adjusting to the feel of the collar. They look
and act miserable. On the other hand, escape-artists cannot back out of them as
long as they are properly fitted. Front-clip harnesses (below) do not provide
as much control, but dogs generally accept them readily.
Front-Clip harnesses: There are now several brands on the
market. The harness is restrictive, meaning it hinders movement. It is
therefore not meant for use by a dog that is jumping or running. When the dog pulls, the front clip causes the
dog to naturally turn back towards the person handling the leash. It can take
some trial and error to find the brand that best fits your dog. An escape
artist can probably back out of them.
A target-stick: This is a long, straight stick with a piece
of brightly-colored tape wrapped around the ends (to prevent accidentally
scratching your dog and to give him something to aim his nose at). You can make one inexpensively yourself, or
buy one commercially.
A retractable leash: such as a Flexi-Leash. Some trainers hate these, because
inexperienced users drop them, accidentally creating a type of dog-powered
weapon, or allow the thin cords to wrap around human or canine flesh, causing
some nasty rope-burns. But I find them
useful for some purposes, such as training a dog to jump over a barrier outside
of a fenced area where traffic is heavy or when his recalls aren’t solid. If longer than 15’, you need to attach it to
a harness rather than a collar to avoid potential injury to the dog.
A check cord: This is a long (30-50’) lightweight,
polypropylene cord. It is good for
situations where you need to give the dog freedom of movement but he is not
100% reliable off-leash. One advantage
of polypropylene is that it floats. (I
used mine to train my dog to swim in a river within running distance of a busy
highway). You probably want to wear
leather gloves so you won’t burn your hands if the dog takes off. It is also probably safer for your dog if he
wears a non-restrictive harness with this long a cord.
A non-restrictive harness: also
called a figure-eight harness, does
not limit the dog’s movement as he runs and jumps. Wearing this type of harness reduces pressure
on the dog’s neck, making pulling more comfortable. It is safer to use with longer leashes and
provides more surface to grab a loose or runaway dog. They are popular for use in sports like
Flyball.
Buddy System Hands-Free Leash: Allows you to walk or jog with your hands free. Helps reduce your temptation to jerk or pull
the leash taut because the dog is tied to your waist. Keeps your hands free to click and
treat! I use mine mostly in the cold of winter,
when I want to keep my hands gloved or in my pockets.
You name it: Depending upon the depth of your wallet
and your dog’s abilities and interests, you can spend a lot of money on worthwhile toys for your dogs. (This doesn’t mean you have to!) Your dog may want
to fetch toys from the water, go canoeing with you, go biking or hiking with
you, learn to run an obstacle course, etc.
Sitstay.com and Care-a-lot Pet Supplies, both listed under “Further
Resources,” have extensive lists of supplies to make such adventures safer and
more pleasurable for you and your canine friend. Dogscouts.com has information about outdoor
adventures that humans and canines can share.
Dog-play.com has information on sports.
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