Puppy Training Collars and Leashes

Puppy training for dummies, busy people and anyone who wants to learn the basics to have a great dog for life.

(This is the fourth in a series of articles that will help you raise the very best puppy possible. These lessons can also be used for adult dogs. The old wives' tale "you can't teach an old dog new tricks", like most tales, is NOT true. To have the best dog possible, pick the lesson you need and start teaching.)

Collars and Leashes
And Beginning Training

You must know the basics about the proper fit of collars and leashes for the safety of your pet. Every dog and puppy should wear a collar. The collar is their identifiction. It carries their name tag and rabies tag. It is vital for the return of a pet to its home. Collars are also essential to training your puppy or dog. Some owners do not put collars on their pet because the pet "throws a fit" or "scratches at his neck". This is normal. A puppy must learn to accept the collar the same as he must learn to go potty outside. It is new and the pup is unaccustomed to such apparel but trust me, he will get used to it. Think of it as if you have purchased a new watch. It feels different and you are aware it is there but it does not hurt or chafe and after a few days, you forget it is there.

This is a complicated lesson as there are lots of things to learn and remember. Read it through a couple of times so you will be comfortable with the procedures and the commands. In this lesson you will learn to fit a collar properly to your pup, to choose the appropriate leash, to teach a command properly and to teach your pup the words "no" and "come". All of these are related and work together.

Collars
Collars should fit well. There should be enough room to slip two fingers between the collar and the neck. The collar should not pull over the ears. The collar should be worn at all times.

There are several types of collars and all serve their purpose.

Buckle collar (adjustable or flat)
This type of collar is exceptionally safe for daily wear. Most of these collars have breakaway buckles or the collar itself will break if the animal gets it caught on something. These collars also have a ring to hold the name and rabies tags.

Training Collar
These are commonly called "choke chains". Training collars are for training only. If left on the animal at all times, these collars can be deadly. Training collars will not break and if they snag on something, the animal can choke itself to death before the collar can be cut loose. To cut these collars, you must have bolt cutters. Most pets will be dead before the collar can be removed.

Pinch Collar
This is a very good training device but once again, it should never be left on an animal that is unattended. This collar, if snagged, will not only choke the animal to death, but if the animal survives, the neck can be punctured and mutilated by the barbs with permanent injury to the trachea, esophagus and voice.

Flea and Tick Collars
These collars can only work if they make contact with the skin. A medicated collar cannot hang loose like a necklace - it will not work. These collars should fit snugly on the neck like a ladies choker - snug enough to fit closely to the skin but loose enough to allow 2 fingers to slide underneath. To remember how long the collar has been on, write the application date on a calender or on the collar with a permanent marker.

All collars should be removed on a regular basis and checked for:
-uncomfortable hardness and stiffness due to age or build up of dirt, hair and grime.
-fit. The collar should fit snug enough to not pull off the head and over the ears. This is accomplished when the collar is snug enough to allow 2 fingers under it and that is it. Any more loose, and the collar will slip over the head and the collar gets lost or the animal escapes!

Collar safety is YOUR responsibility. Ensure the safety of your pet. Make sure the collar fits well and is of the correct kind. Image is nothing. Safety is everything.

Leashes
Leashes are equally important. You would not want a 1/2 wide leash on a bull mastiff. You need to fit the leash to your dog. Nylon is the sturdiest and lightest leash and it is appropriate for all breeds. The large breed dogs should have a 5/8ths inch or 1 inch wide leash. Smaller dogs will need a light leash of 3/8ths inch. If the leash is too light it can break and if it is too large, the small dogs are dragging around excess weight that will tire them.

Most standard leashes come in two lengths: 4 and 6 feet. I personally think a 4 foot leash is too short. It does not give the animal enough room to move about. There are longer leashes (20 feet) that are used for training. You will need at least a 6 foot and a 20 foot leash to train your puppy.

There are also retractable leashes available. These are great for the trained dog but not for the pup in training. You need more control than what is available with a retractable leash. The retractable leash allows too much distance between you and the dog in training. They are also bulky and hard to handle while trying to train.

Training
Now that you have chosen the proper leash and collar, here is what you do with them.

First, fit the collar properly on the pups neck. Let him walk around with it for a day or two until he no longer pays it any attention.

After the puppy is used to the collar, attach the 6 foot lead. The puppy will learn quickly to ignore the lead. Your puppy should never (I mean NEVER) be allowed out of his crate without his collar and lead. The reason for this is very simple. You cannot train or control an animal that you cannot get your hands on. Puppies do not run from us, we teach them to run from us. We scold them and expect them to come willingly to us. We call and they ignore us because we have not taught them the meaning of "come". If we keep the leash on the collar at all times, we can get control of the puppy immediately.

Here are some basic leash rules:
Always put the leash on the collar when the pup comes out of the crate.
Do not allow the pup to chew or mouth the leash at any time.
Do not let the pup out of your site while he has on the leash.
Do not call or correct the pup unless you are close enough to get your hands on the leash.

Basically, we teach our dogs to be bad. We scold them and they run. If we don't have the leash on, we can't stop this behavior. We call our pup and he runs, so we run after him. This is great fun for the pup!! Only call or correct your pup when you are able to get the leash, then you will be able to teach your pup correctly. If you cannot reach the leash and the pup is misbehaving, walk calmly toward him until you can reach the leash and then do the correction. Most times a simple tug on the leash along with a stern "no" or a gutteral sound like "aaint aaint" will be all the correction your pup will need.

For example. To teach your puppy to come EVERY TIME you call him follow these steps: hold the end of the leash. Call your puppy... "Puppy, come!". Action commands like come, sit and down, should be given after the puppy's name. You use the name to get the pup's attention and make him realize that something is expected of him, and then give the command. Give the command only once. If the puppy does not respond, repeat the command and enforce it with the leash immediately by pulling the puppy to you. Do not be mean but be forceful so the pup realizes he should respond immediately. When the puppy starts toward you, give him lots of praise and sweet talk to continue to encourage him to you. Give lots of hugs and pats when he gets there too. If you will command only once then enforce the second time, the pup will quickly learn that if he responds on the first command, his neck will not get pulled or jerked on.

Now that the pup has learned to accept the leash and collar, work on him responding to you calling him and telling him no. Do not try sits or stays until the come command is secure.