About the Martingale Training Collar used by Dr Wells:
Although the safest of training collars, the Martingale is for training and walking only. It should never be left on an unattended dog. You will understand when you see it. Although, when fitted correctly, it cannot choke a dog, the lead ring can get caught on anything protruding from a wall, chair etc. and frighten the pup.
When the collar is comfortably snug and you can get two fingers between it and your pup’s neck, the rings on each end of the cloth part of the collar should be touching. Be careful not to yank or snap the lead and collar. You should NEVER snap or yank a dog’s neck. This is a very old technique call a “Leash correction” and causes injuries to the trachea and vertebrae. Think how you would feel if your neck was jerked every time you were looking at something. Everything must be done gently.
About the Breakaway Collar:
The breakaway collar is a safety collar for your dog. Every year thousands of dogs lose their lives to collar strangulation. When two dogs are playing, they often grab at each others’ necks. One dog can easily entangle his jaw with the other dog’s collar. The dog with the collar, in an attempt to free himself, often flips over, twisting the conventional collar around his neck and around the other dog’s jaw. The result is usually the asphyxiation of the strangled dog and the fracture of the other’s jaw. There have been cases where the dog whose jaw is fractured also suffers a tear of a blood vessel and bleeds to death.
This accident occurred on the beach with our own Kate’s wonderful Chocolate Lab, Levi. As he was chasing and playing with another lab, Levi’s jaw became entangled with the other dog’s collar. (Levi was not wearing a collar) As the other lab struggled to free himself, he twisted the collar more and more until he was gasping for air. As the two owners were struggling to free their dogs, the dogs were panicked. The owner of the second dog was badly bitten by his dying dog. As a last ditch effort to survive the dog grabbed Levi by the throat and tore his carotid artery. Fortunately the owners were able to disconnect the collar and free the dogs. Kate knew where to apply pressure to Levi’s wound and the location of the closest emergency hospital (and how to get there!!). Levi was critical for 24 hours. After extensive surgery and blood transfusions he survived. The veterinary bill was over $4000. Had the other dog been wearing a breakaway collar, it would have broken away from the dog’s neck when Levi ‘s jaw entangled with it and the dogs would have gone on playing. (The second dog and his owner recovered as well, after another expensive visit to the Emergency Hospital.)
Another incident occurred in an owner’s home. On a winter day while the owners were away, their dog laid near the floor heater for warmth. When his license tag caught in the grill of the heater he panicked. He twisted in circles in an attempt to free himself from the hot grill. His collar tightened around his neck and strangled him. Fortunately a family member arrived home in time to take him to the Emergency Hospital and, after a three day stay, and $2350. veterinary bill, he recovered.
The collars cost less than $20.00. A very good investment.
Still another incident occurred in an owner’s back yard. The very active Labrador Retriever pup was playing around the pool when he jump onto a wrought iron chair. As he went to jump off, his collar caught on the arm. As he struggled to get away from the now up-ended chair, he backed into the pool, falling in, with the chair tumbling after him. The weight of the chair pulled him to the bottom of the pool where he was trapped. Fortunately several family members were home and one saw him fall into the pool. With a great deal of effort, they were able to raise the pup out of the pool. Also fortunately, the family members knew how to perform CPR and were able to resuscitate their nearly drowned pup. Had they not been home, or had they not seen the fall, or had they not known CPR, their beloved pup would have been lost. Had the pup been wearing a safety collar, or no collar, the pup would not have been pulled into the pool.
About the Halti Head Halter:
Dogs who are strong forgers, (pullers), will benefit from the use of a head halter. The most efficient training head halter is the Halti. The real secret to the successful use of a Halti is the use of TWO leads. One should be attached to the Halti and the other to the dog’s Martingale training collar. That way the tension on the dog will be distributed evenly from muzzle to shoulders rather than concentrated on the muzzle. Additionally, this prevents your pup from leaping and twisting as so many dogs do when they are first introduced to a head halter. Again, you must not yank or jerk your dog with either lead.
At first most dogs do not like any head halter. In fact they spend a great deal of time trying to “rub” it off their faces. How you introduce the head halter is critical to your success with it. You must introduce it in a happy, playful way so that the dog sees it as a FUN thing to wear rather than as a punishment.
First, have your pup take a treat from the bottom of a paper cup. Repeat this enough times until the dog enjoys putting his muzzle into the cup. Then put the Halti on the floor formed like a cup and repeat the exercise. Always praise and scratch your pup and be very playful when he takes the treat from the floor, inside the Halti. Next bring the neck band around his neck as he takes the treat. DO NOT CLIP THE NECK BAND YET. Take if off immediately and laugh with your dog. Repeat this until the dog “asks” to have the Halti put on his head. If you approach this correctly, your dog will love to wear his head harness. Again, remember, do NOT pull or yank on the Halti lead. Everything you do with your dog must be fun and playful.
Keep in mind, “IF IT’S NOT FUN, IT’S NOT DONE”.
Lee’s Equpitment Recommendations
Martingale Collar
Lee recommends the Martingale collar, never a choke collar! A correctly-fitted Martingale collar will never choke your dog.
KeepSafe Break-Away Collar
Halti
Lee recommends the use of the Halti and the Martingale using two leashes as seen in the photo above. She recommends the Halti over the Gentle Leader because the Halti relaxes when the dog relaxes; the Gentle Leader remains tight at all times.
Canine Genius Dog Toys
