Came Corso on prong collar
It's rare for me to feel intimidated by a dog when meeting them for the first time, but Diesel here is an exceptional dog...
I met him yesterday for an initial assessment and he let me know in no uncertain terms, that I was not welcome on his turf.
I'm not easily deterred though...
His owner wanted to focus on his lead walking, he has been a big puller up til now. At 60+ kg he is big, strong, and determined. This a pure bred, intact, Cane Corso. Not a dog to be trifled with.
He has been walked exclusively on a chunky choke chain, but this has done little to rein in his desire to pull. We swapped that out straight away for a 4mm prong, and the results can be seen clearly in this video.
Going forward, we'll be working on structuring the walk so Diesel knows where he is expected to be, and be looking to his handler for pace and direction rather than trying to dominate the walk.
By the end of our session he had warmed up to me and shown what a fantastic dog he is. I love working with dogs like this.
Wet dog
Another dip in the River Avon today. Always seems like a great idea, until we get home and I have to smell wet dog for the next couple of hours...
Harness vs Prong
This is Rosie, a Doberman x Newfoundland that looks a lot like a large Labrador to me - last week I showed her owners what a difference changing equipment could make to their walks. Up until now Rosie has been walked on her harness and pulls like a train on it, especially when she sees another dog or person she wants to investigate or scare off.
Sam here has the strength to manage this, but it's still been a chore to walk her like this. And another family member hasn't walked Rosie for months as she's afraid Rosie will pull her over, and definitely has the weight (45 kilo) and strength to do that.
Rosie can pull so hard on the harness that it makes her wheeze due to the chest compression. Observing their walks in session one, it was clear nobody was enjoying themselves, least of all Rosie.
I rarely opt firstly for the prong collar - it looks scary and there are often subtler ways of reigning in a dog's desire to pull. But given the circumstances and open mindedness of her owners I was happy to recommend it in this case.
This video is several clips from session two where we moved from harness to prong, you can clearly see the differences. No wheezing or straining on the prong.
We also changed up where Rosie is allowed to be on the lead to build some structure into how she walks - rather than be two or three feet ahead all the time, Sam is keeping her close, giving her minor corrections when she goes forward. We want Rosie to have her handler in her peripheral vision. This will help her stay more focused on her handler and less alert to anything and everything around her that she would otherwise be likely to react to.
Over time Rosie will be allowed more slack and length of the lead more often, to explore, sniff and enjoy her walks. Like any piece of new equipment, both owner and dog need time to get used to it and practice.
This is going to make a huge difference to the family, including Rosie. Used correctly, I firmly believe pron
Rocky vs Sheep
Rocky vs Sheep
Short video to demonstrate what e collar training can do for you and your dog
Can you do this with your dog? 100% no caveats, no conditions, no hesitation? If not, then can you risk having your dog off lead in places where you may encounter livestock or wildlife?
Afternoon dip in the Avon
Still not sure if he likes swimming, but I do enjoy watching him try 😂 It was a warm afternoon and this is as good a way as any to cool down.
German shepherds are always my favourite assignments...
I met Kai and his owner for the first time this morning. He is 4 and up until now he has been walked almost exclusively on a flexi lead and halti collar combination. I've yet to see a dog not absolutely hate their halti, and Kai was no exception - when I approached he was trying to get it off in the classic way, wiping his snout on the floor.
We took him to the local park to gauge his reactivity, and when we encountered a dog he showed defensive reactivity - he really kicked off and it wasn't until the dog was out of range/sight that he dialled down. I continued to observe his body language - he looked on edge, waiting for a reason to react. He was not relaxed, not happy.
My assessment was the constant low-level tension in the lead (thanks to the flexi) coupled with the inability to defend himself (thanks to the restrictive nature of the halti) was the main reason he was acting up.
Back home for an equipment change. The halti was swapped for a prong collar, and the flexi swapped for a 10m long line (would have used a standard 2m leash to get the the park, if I had one to hand, then swap to the long line, but we made do).
With his primary defensive weapon available to him (his teeth), Kai seemed more relaxed and less likely to even want to use them. And the relaxation of tension on the leash thanks to the long line gave him more freedom, and his leash reactivity just not there - he had plenty of slack throughout. Kai was making better decisions already, little prompting required.
He encountered several dogs that paid him no heed, and he wasn't bothered. When he encountered a dog that kicked off at him and wanting to get to him, he reacted briefly, but a small and quick pop on the line/prong with a "leave it" command, and it was over in a flash. No drama, no embarrassment. And crucially Kai learned quickly.
This was not a "quick fix". It was a "quick win". His owner saw that there is a different way. It w
Just Rocky enjoying a morning dip in Brandon Wood, and making friends (sort of!)
Rocky enjoying a dip in Brandon Woods and making friends (sort of!)
Was tempted to jump in myself…
E Collar for off-lead freedom
Here I talk about the benefits of E Collar training for true off-lead freedom in any environment
What does an e collar trained dog look like?
When you’re over the target, you start taking flak. The last few days have seen rivals criticising and sniping at my methods. And trying to get me silenced or cancelled. This is my answer!
Quick dip in the river in Wolston, one of our favourite spots to chill when it's warm!
With a hot spell upon us over the next week, places like this are a blessing. Just be careful though, if your dog is overheated from being in the sun too long and/or exercising hard, then immersing themselves in deep cold water can be dangerous for their hearts.
