Since dogs aren’t allowed to walk around the world freely, our canines are required to wear some kind of equipment that we can hook the leash to. For many guardians, taking a walk with their dog is often quite challenging due to this very unnatural demand. Without proper training, dogs are likely to pull their guardian around during the entire walk. With smaller dogs, pulling is somewhat manageable since our weight and strength far exceeds their own, although even small dogs can sometimes pull surprisingly hard! With medium to large dogs, some guardians give up on walking them altogether. After all, why subject our self to such a stressful experience? As intelligent and creative creatures as we are, over millenniums of living with dogs, we’ve come up with an assortment of devices intended to stop the pulling and gain more control. From regular flat collars, to choke collars, prong collars, head halters and harnesses, we now have many choices. But these choices are not all equal in their efficiency or on their effect on the dog.

When I first started training dogs, some 30 years ago, choke or prong collars were the only way we had to manage dogs and train them to walk on leash without pulling. Today, many guardians and dog professionals still rely on these devices to control their dog. Their use however has now become the subject of much controversy between their advocates and those who see them as instruments of torture that should simply be banned from the market. Many consider that, when applied according to certain guidelines, they are acceptable and essential training tools for good compliance. Let’s not forget however that far from benign, these devices are designed to punish by choking or hurting the dog. The principle is quite simple in theory, not so much in practice though. Whenever the dog gets out of position, the handler promptly delivers a leash jerk, also referred to as a leash pop or leash correction: a sharp tightening followed by an immediate release of the collar. Over many repetitions and trial and error, the dog learns how to avoid the correction and where to walk to stay comfortable.