 |
| Above - Tilley objecting to a collar grab. Even this Lassie in poodle clothing dislikes collar grabs.
Below - Tilley is happy with her collar off.
|
 |
CANINE collars are a hot topic these days. With conventional choke collar training dwindling to make room for positive training, guardians are getting educated. On a positive note, many guardians are becoming more aware of what they put around their dogs neck. Collars are an important part of having dogs live in our human world. But do we rely on collars too much for control purposes? Far too often they become a quick answer to controlling a dog. Whether the collar you are using is a prong or pinch, electric, citronella or flat buckle collar, are you relying on the collar to control your dog?
Recently I saw a lovely portrait of a mixed-breed dog. The photo was beautiful except for the huge electronic collar around the dog's neck. I contacted the guardian/photographer and asked why she had not removed the collar before taking the picture. She informed me that she could not get her dog to sit still for two seconds without the citronella collar on. Far too often guardians fail to train their dog, opting to rely on their collar of choice for control.
Not only can collar grabs, squirts or zaps become our bad habit, they can become a negative response from us to our dog. By grabbing our dog's collar, we stop our dog's capability of communicating freely with other dogs and people. This in itself can create a build up of stress and tension for your dog, causing behaviour issues. By reliably delivering a collar grab each time you feel the need for control, your dog can also become reactive to collar grabs. Canines can learn that your hand coming towards them means to back away. After time, a reach towards your dog may result in mouthy or defiance behaviour. Or by physically holding your dog in place, your dog may become aroused and agitated, making matters worse.
As far as electronic collars are concerned, these types of collars can far too easily become the solution for controlling dogs. By delivering the zap for unwanted behaviour, your dog is receiving feedback for the unwanted behaviour, that's it. Unless you are rewarding your dog for the behaviour you do like, they are not gaining an education. Far too often, canine guardians say they must leave the collar on, because as soon as the collar is taken off, the dog is out of control.
If you rely solely on collar grabs or zaps, time to take the collar off. That's right! Take that step and take the collar off while indoors and gain verbal control. Use your voice as feedback, both for error (wrong) and praise (correct) markers. It won't happen overnight but with consistent educating and patience, you can guide your dog through life without neck yanks, jerks or zaps. As canine guardian, it is your chosen job to educate your dog. Take the time to learn how to train, positive training is a great way to spend quality time bonding with your canine.
Add treats to your praise and get the message to your dog more quickly. Using treats as a reward in the beginning of training will help your dog to understand and "get it". Once a behaviour is learned, you can then wean the dog off of the treats, replacing with praise.
Sure, there will be times when you absolutely must grab your dog's collar. But save those grabs for when you must have physical control, not just regular mannerly behaviour. Teach your dog how to act appropriately in our world and save its neck from the wear and tear of neck yanks or zaps, leaving the collar for hanging tags on and creating a physical link between you and your dog for daily walks in public.
