Bindi Teaching ch3

 

 

CHAPTER 3.

URBAN RESISTANCE

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER.

I want to very quickly cover collars, leads and harnesses.  On this topic alone I am going to be instructive not advisory as one thing I have found is that most pups need to be given tactile guidance when outside in the urban world.  Before you can trust pup to stay rock solid beside you off leash in your streets and parks, if you ever can, you need to have restraint, contact and control.

Control while training means having the pup connected to you on a string of some form or other.

These are the things I recommend you attach to pup.

A nice wide well fitted collar that can have some form of limited constriction when pulled on so pup cannot pull backward out of the collar.  The use of choker chain collars is abhorrent and cruel and will harm pup’s air, spine and vocal passages. A properly adjusted check collar is marginally acceptable but only so it will not come off if pulled, not to constrict the pups neck.

And here is an important bit.  A collar is for hanging an ID tag off, or because all dogs look great with a nice collar, or because pup feels special when wearing a collar.... I know, sounds silly but all my dogs seem really pleased with their collars and want them on not off.  A collar is not for attaching a lead to.

What?

A collar is an ancillary bit of gear for you to have a very occasional tool to hold when in play, grooming or activity where calm hand to collar guidance is needed.

We live in a time where there are a lot of dog harnesses available and a lot of advice on size and fitment so I am not going to cover all the variants of harnesses out there and I am not going to rate them.   

What I want to share is my learning about collars and harnesses.

When training a pup you will need to provide control, restriction and guidance.  Having a string attached to pup gives you a tool to give a tactile message immediately, provides pup with a feeling of connection to you, and allows you to remove pup from danger.

A collar is a poor tool for any of these things.  A dog with intent and pulling away from you while tied by a string on a collar will experience a collar slipped down the neck to a top of chest point where it enables maximum effort to be distributed to the feet.  The collar will have lodged across the lower throat where obstruction to breathing is not severe but stimulates the thyroid to a point of irritation.  As pup continues to pull and swerve the collar will move upwards, compressing the larynx and creating a sensation of anxiety and restriction. So, what we end up with is a pooch pulling with all its ability while getting buckets of endorphins pumped through discomfort and pain.  Not very calm and graceful.

A good harness will attach to the lead from the top on the back just above the withers, will have a brace across the chest and a belt going behind the front legs and under the chest. This provides a very comforting huggy sensation for pup, sort of like a favourite coat or sweater is for us.

When pup pulls against the lead, the harness will provide a comfortable resistance but because the anchor to the lead is central and back a bit it will make pup unstable in the pull and will reduce the effectiveness of the front paws on the ground by levering up and making an unstable pivot point for the rear feet to drive forward power from.

The centrally located harness mount for the lead provides a strong but unpredictable restraint so pup tends to resist pulling and being unbalanced and so remains a bit more controlled.  

Similarly, for a pup that jumps to greet you,  gently push the pup off to the side, it destabilises the forward and upward movement and makes pup feel that standing on rear legs near us is not a comfortable or secure stance.  We don’t like being off balance and neither do our pooches. 

When in training and a tactile correction is required, a tug on the harness lead will be slightly to the side and will again destabilise the pup’s gait and gain their attention to you.  Calmly and gracefully. 

Although a harness looks like a tool to encourage pulling it is a very effective and kind solution to help teach a pup to not pull.  Harnesses mostly come with a grab handle on the pups back too.  This is like an emergency brake on a car, really great to have in a pinch.

For my Bindi, I use a harness now and have a clip connecting the harness to her collar as the clever little bitch has figured that if she really wants, she can stop, twist and if I’m not paying attention and I just tug on the lead, she can slip out of the brand of harness I chose.  I am left with a harness on a lead and a pup off and doing what she wants.  Although her recall to me is pretty good now the clip to the collar ensures I am always connected. 

Despite this escape ability I am stunned at how much easier our harness wearing walks are and how much more responsive she is to tactile messages sent down the lead.  There is a calm and grace we never shared when using lead and collar.

As well as experiential learning there is good science behind not restraining pup with a collar.  I mentioned the possible damage to the thyroid which can be evidenced by foot licking and mood swings but the obvious injury from choking is self evident.

The observation of a pup that coughs, has trouble swallowing food or splutters when drinking can all be linked to pulling too hard or too much on a constricting collar.

So my instruction is buy a lovely collar that looks great, fits and does not irritate.  Use it to gently guide pup when off lead.  Buy a suitable harness for your breed size and your budget and train and restrain pup as necessary using that.  

This harness/collar restraint equipment is the only binary instruction I will give.  It is important you provide your pup a safe and secure restraint that is comfortable and effective for you both.