[carleygirlfriend]

I took my dog to a trainer to teach him how to walk properly so he is not puttling me. He has me using the choke chain but to be truthful I don't like these. Henry is a small dog and I am afraid this is only hurting him. Is there another type of leash I can use?

[MagicToller]

I agree, especially if you have a small dog. There are several dogs at our agility class who were pullers, but just by practicing exercises to sharpen attention and body-reading skills the use of a choke chain or jerking is basically asinine.

http://www.doggroups.com/dog-training/

[Jen D]

Use a flat collar and when he pulls change direction not saying anything and keep walking. You odn't have to pull and he will eventually decide it is beter to pay attention to you and follow. I have looked like a nut walking one of the rescues doing this and it has worked.

[briteday]

I have never met a trainer who advocated the use of choke collars on small breeds. They generally forbid it due to the liability. Many small dogs have sensitive tracheas and it can be made worse with choke chains.

I agree that the best method is the stop and turn when he pulls.

[opokki]

With my toy poodle I used a harness, stopped and changed directions every time the leash got tight and also clicked and treated for loose leash and check-ins. I kept his leash tethered to my waist. He did great even on the first day.

I tried a flat buckle collar first but he was continuously coughing and gagging especailly when I stopped walking even if I was careful. Regular harnesses make pulling easier for dogs but, IMO, dogs can still be taught to walk politely on them.

I really like the front-clip harnesses, they are designed to decrease pulling. Sebastian's was too big on him so I ended up using a regular harness, which worked just fine.

[Curbside Prophet]

The best leash is no leash (within a confined area, of course). How young is your dog? What has your dog learned from you so far? What do you use to reinforce good behavior? If your dog food motivated?

[Lightwingcreations]

Another method you could try is somewhat similar to the one above. Instead of turning and walking in the opposite direction you just stop in your tracks and wait for the dog to let some slack go into the leash, then you continue to walk. The reward being that the walk continues, punishment is not going anywhere. An instructor taught me to anchor the leash hand at my belly/midsection to prevent pulling or yanking on the leash (and the dog.) It has worked great with my dogs.
Good luck,
Stephanie

[xoxluvablexox]

I would get a harness and use the above methods. Choke collars are useful for some dogs but small dogs aren't one of them. If your dog pulls a lot then a regular collar wouldn't be good for it since the collar would end up digging into the dogs throat. When it actually learns how to walk properly then a regular collar would work.

[Jen D]

What breed or mix breed in Henry? I am wondering what size nose he has and I do know that people have had alot of luck with a Halti or Head Collar. I think depending on the breed a harness just encourages pulling.

There are alot of trainers that use them now instead of a choke collar. Years ago most trainers used choke collars no matter what the breed.

[MagicToller]

An instructor taught me to anchor the leash hand at my belly/midsection to prevent pulling or yanking on the leash (and the dog.) It has worked great with my dogs.

Yep!

At agility class, the instructor prescribes the "Box Exercise" to pullers without the need of choke chains or any related tools. This involves, as you mentioned, holding the leash (loose enough to get the "J" shape) at the stomach level and basically pivoting and changing directions to get the dog accustomed to reading your body. No yanking is involved - if the dog does not follow, it corrects itself based on the direction of your body. It really is fantastic, I've seen alot of dogs lose their pulling madness through this exercise.