The Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby

No Prong Collars, Please

We have a pit mix—Della, about 65 pounds—that pulls like crazy. We have her on a prong collar but she still pulls hard and seems to feel no pain. Somebody mentioned a head halter and another person said get an easy-walk harness. Your thoughts?

Jeff and Pat

Dear J and P,

I prefer both to a prong collar. I’ll never forget the call from a young lady who told me the story of her dog who almost died because of the prong collar, not to mention the vet bills involved. Her pit mix was on a prong when it took off after a cat, ripping the leash from her hand and running at full speed, dragging the leash until it caught on a root and almost killed the dog with the damage it did to her throat.

I think your best option is the gentle leader. It fits around the snout, and you’ll be able to walk Della holding the leash with one finger. No pain involved! It works on what I call the “nose principle.”

J and P, if I pull you by your noses, you know what’s going to follow? Your heads, followed by your bodies. It’s that simple. The gentle leader fits around the dog’s snout, with the leash attaching underneath. The one negative, which I don’t really consider a negative—it will take you about 15 minutes to acclimate Della to the GL.

Start with a very positive association to it. Show it to her and let her sniff it as you give her a special treat. Then have her stick her nose through it a few times for the special treats. Then attach it, again coupled with special treats. (By special treats, I’m talking about people food, like chicken or cheese.) Then immediately start walking with her, offering her the special treats every bunch of steps as long as sheisn’t pawing at the GL or protesting it one way or another. If she paws at it, give a gentle jerk on the leash while saying “Uh, uh” and then continue to walk, offering her the treats as long as she’s cooperating.

Ninety percent of the time I acclimated a dog to the gentle leader it took about a 15-minute walk for the dog to be fine with it. Occasionally a dog will protest it quite vigorously, rolling on its back, pawing at it, refusing to walk while constantly pawing at it. In those cases it would take me an extra 20 minutes or so to persevere with firm coaxing and treats.

If there is more than one person who walks the dog, it is imperative that everyone use the GL. One case I can remember where the dog, a Lab, never accepted the GL was because the husband lied to me, saying he used it when he didn’t. His wife told me the truth, and the lack of consistency made it tough for her because the dog kept fighting the GL by pawing at it and rubbing his face on the ground, trying to get it off.

I’ve lost count of the dogs I acclimated to the GL, and it’s a life changer, especially with big dogs. The pleasurable walks are well worth the small amount of effort to acclimate the dog.

Jeff and Pat, stay with it and enjoy the more relaxed walks.

Best wishes, Dog Charmer Tom

Tom Shelby, “The Dog Charmer” Cooperstown author, answers pet owners’ questions on training their dogs. E-mail questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com. Tom’s book, “Dog Training Diaries,” was judged one of the three best training books by Dog Writer’s Association of America. Look for his new book, “Dog Training: It Ain’t an Accountant’s Job.”