Comments on: What training device would you recommend ?

By: jasono_3

jasono_3 — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:33:44 +0000

Great that your working to train and walk your dog!
It’s a shame how many people don’t bother and keep their dogs locked up in yards all day. I do agree that positive reinforcement necessary for training dogs, especially the newfoundland. However, this can only work if the dog isn’t totally out of control. Keep in mind that the Newfoundland is a slower breed, not stupid, but just doesn’t respond to your commands as quickly as other breeds might. This shouldn’t be misinterpreted as disobedience, or needing to find a new walking device. No, e-collars and prong collars are not evil, dogs aren’t rational beings like humans and physical guidance can be necessary during the first stages of training. I must urge you though, make sure you thoroughly understand any device that you use on your dog for training as it can easily be misused, and that can be what hurts your dog. The advice i have for you is to stick with one device you have, and make sure you know how to use it properly so you don’t harm your dog. Our rottweiler’s almost a year and can be very difficult to manage, so we use the prong collar and it’s had much success. Go to a trainer, even for just a few sessions. if they’re any good, ie. not from petsmart, they should be able teach you how to use any walking device properly and put you in the right direction for training. Just be consistent with your method, because there are many methods you can use, and bring lots of treats on your walk and give lots of praise so the dog understands what you want, as it wants to please you. Even when you don’t see immediate progress, your consistency will eventually pay off. Your walking devices are only needed assist in controlling the giant mass of your Newfoundland, and you can tell what amount is necessary, and what is hurting your dog. Best of luck!

By: EDlbh

EDlbh — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:11:55 +0000

You have a BIG dog and a BIG chore in front of you. You have to teach a full grown dog, who is set in his ways, that you ‘now’ mean business. After 3 years of being allowed to pull, it is no longer allowed.

My guess is there is an underlying problem. Your dog is the boss, not you. I bet leading you around on a walk is not the only alpha trait that your dog has.

Get a book on how to establish alpha over your dog and follow it to a T. I did this with my puppy, and now that she is no longer a wild little puppy I’m lax on some of the rules, but she still remembers I’m boss and does what I tell her to do and is well mannerred.

By: Angelface880

Angelface880 — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:02:36 +0000

Perhaps get a dg trainer or maybe get some of these:

Harness,leash,treats and some patience!! ;]
Your dog will eventually stop pulling but shock collars are cruel!! they are not the answer at all!!

find out and then focus on your dog’s reason of pulling try to avoid it!!

Hope i helped !! =] =] =] ;] x x

By: schnauzer

schnauzer — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:35:44 +0000

l am surprise you have had no success with the Gentle Leader.My advice is go to Obedience class and they will teach you how to control your dog alternatively go to an animal specialist that is qualified to train the dog and you.Forget the prong collar it is cruel and banned in my country.Any person who uses this knows nothing about training dogs

By: Karen K

Karen K — Sun, 03 May 2009 07:24:40 +0000

Hi, I have used a prong collar on my Alaskan Malamute. I have also used DVD’s by Caeser Milon, spelling?????. i have had great luck with this.

By: DeeDawg

DeeDawg — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:59:54 +0000

the best training device is an obediance class or a trainer who can show you how to consistently train your dog.
it’s not the tool that matters, it’s the consistency and use.

and give that shock collar to a trainer, because regular folks really shouldn’t use them.

By: T J

T J — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:10:06 +0000

Have someone show you how to use any of the above mentioned devises. They all work, but only if you know how to work them.

Why not teach your dog to walk with a loose lead? It is impossible to pull and keep slack in the lead at the same time.

By: WOOT

WOOT — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 07:22:44 +0000

Shock collars are discusting dont ever use one again > they are sick!

Try positive re-enforcement and go to a proffesional trainer that supports positive training. Dogs are happier and better trained when positively re-enforced

By: BMTHESPIAN

BMTHESPIAN — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:27:02 +0000

my recommendation would be the pinch collar (aka prong collar or german choke). You stated you had tried one but many people don’t fit them properly. They should be positions behind the ears and should be just loose enough to fit a single finger under them. If they are too loose or too low on the neck they are not near as effective.

On a side note the same goes for the e-collar (aka shock collar) it needs to be fitted tight enough that the electrodes are making contact with your dogs skin or they are not receiving the correction. With the newfies heavy long coat you would need to part the coat under the collar to make sure the electrodes are making skin contact. If the e-collar is not working it is either not fitted so it is making skin contact to administer the correction or you are not administering the correction correctly.

Given all of the training devices you have gone through with not success I would suspect you are not using them correctly. Used incorrectly any of these devices can result in injury to the dog or may be inhumane. My recommendation would be to get the help of a professional trainer to properly train your dog and show you how to properly use the various training devices