| I have been thinking lately about the practice of using | | | | Karen Overall (MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, Clinical |
| choke collars and jerking the lead as a "correction" | | | | Behavioral Medicine for small Animals) says "In a |
| that many people still use when training and handling | | | | retrospective study on spinal pain, injury or changes |
| their dog. The most common ‘use' of the | | | | in dogs conducted in Sweden, Hallgreen (1992) found |
| ‘jerk' correction I have noticed is when a dog | | | | that 91% of dogs with cervical anomalies |
| owner wants their dog to ‘heel'. Over the | | | | experienced harsh jerks on a leash or had a long |
| years, I have witnessed many dog handlers telling | | | | history of pulling on the lead. The use of choke collars |
| their dog ‘heel' as they have issued a big leash | | | | was also over represented in this group. This strongly |
| correction. And usually the result of this | | | | suggests that leash corrections are potentially |
| ‘correction' is frustrating to the dog owner as | | | | injurious" |
| the dog pulls even harder against the leash. | | | | Robin Walker (BVetMed MRCVs) says "In 30 years |
| ‘Heel' is supposed to be the cue for walk in the | | | | of practice (including 22 as a veterinary advisor to a |
| appropriate place. Think about it. If you were | | | | police dog section) I have seen numerous severely |
| constantly jerked, pulled or tugged when you were | | | | sprained necks, cases of fainting, transient foreleg |
| next to, slightly in front of, or behind your owner, | | | | paralysis and hind leg ataxia after robust use of the |
| would you choose to be in a ‘heel' position or | | | | choke chain. In the 1970's, when the practice of |
| would you forge ahead or fall behind to escape or | | | | slamming the dog sideways with a jerk that brought |
| evade any future corrections. If I had experienced a | | | | the foreparts clear off the ground and two or three |
| correction like that while hearing the cue ‘heel' I | | | | feet towards the handler became popular, the |
| would also want to head for the hills when I heard | | | | resulting painful condition was known as "Woodhouse |
| that word. Inadvertently sometimes the ‘heel' | | | | neck" in this practice. Some of these cases exhibited |
| cue becomes a warning signal to the dog that a | | | | misalignment of cervical vertebrae on radiographs. It |
| correction is coming and thus the cue evokes a | | | | suggested that an existing spondylopathy renders |
| ‘move away behavior' from the owner. It is | | | | these dogs more vulnerable to injury. My |
| far more pleasant and effective for a dog to learn | | | | ophthalmology colleagues have decided views on the |
| appropriate leash manners when they are taught | | | | relation between compression of the neck, intraocular |
| where to walk nicely in relation to their walking | | | | pressure disturbances and damage to the cervical |
| partner rather than being corrected for getting it | | | | sympathetic nerve chain resulting in Horner's |
| wrong. If the dog is reinforced for correct | | | | syndrome. I personally have seen a case of swollen |
| placement and pace then they will no longer forge | | | | eyes with petechial scleral haemorrhage and a |
| ahead or lag behind. A dog training ‘cue' should | | | | number of temporarily voiceless dogs." |
| be music to the ears of a dog. A dog who has | | | | To learn the steps and mechanics of teaching your |
| been trained using effective, efficient and pleasant | | | | dog to ‘walk nicely' or to ‘heel,' contact your |
| methods will happily respond to a ‘cue' and | | | | local DogSmith. Your local DogSmith will take you |
| training your dog will be a more pleasant experience | | | | through the stages of a) teaching your dog to stand |
| for all. So let's take the ‘choke' out of training | | | | while on a leash without pulling and lunging, b) |
| and replace it with clear concise instructions that | | | | teaching you the ‘walk nicely' behavior in steps |
| builds your dog's behavior repertoire, sets your dog | | | | so you build on a solid foundation, and c) of |
| up for success and rewards them when they get it | | | | introducing you to some great management tools to |
| right. This is a far more pleasant situation for both | | | | use while you teach your dog new and acceptable |
| owner and dog. In addition to being an ineffective | | | | behaviors allowing you to walk and exercise your dog |
| training method, there are real health concerns when | | | | without reinforcing the old and unacceptable |
| a dog's head is jerked around. | | | | behaviors. |