Tools We Use

There is an unlimited supply of ‘training’ tools on the market. We’ve tried many and found a few essential items to provide all we need. Here we discuss the things we use day-to-day, as well as those we use when your dog is acting up or out of control.

The martingale collars we use are made of all cloth and ensure no dog slips their collar. We love these for all their versatility and dependability.

I prefer 6′ soy leashes. They’re soft but strong. Dogs can’t chew through them quickly and they’re easy on your hands. There’s also only one piece of metal, the clip. During training, I will often shorten my leash so the dog is walking and working closer to me but I prefer the 6′ one so that if I need to use a belly band I can or if I want to give the dog some room for whatever reason, it’s available.

Dogs who lunge or bark or act out of control needed to be reigned in. A Gentle Leader is a perfect tool for that. Offering more control than other Head Halters, the Gentle Leader allows the dog’s mouth to open completely until they pull, then it’s closed completely. By taking a dog’s mouth out of the equation, we’re giving them a chance to find and try another strategy – something most dogs won’t do when their mouth works so well. Note: If a dog bites to get its way, then a basket muzzle is necessary. I’ve used them on these dogs with great results

Harness? It depends! Many people ask me about using a harness on their pups. A harness can be a great tool but if your dog is more than 25 pounds, be sure to get a front-clip one, like the Easy Walker. A dog’s front shoulders are often the strongest part of its body, so it’s not good to only use a leash unless you like to get pulled everywhere. Instead, Easy Walker harnesses clip your leash to the dog’s chest, where you’re not providing counter-pressure.

Walkie Talkie is a terrific way to throw your voice when working with your dog. Here in the Rocky Mountains, we are often working in wind, on mountainsides, and in gullies. A verbal cue cannot be heard when a dog has its head stuck in a hole.

A walkie talkie puts your voice right next to their ears and clearly communicates what you’re asking of them. I just connect one to an extra collar and drop it in the charger at the end of our walks.

Other common items we use

  • Belly bands – a method of circling the leash around the dog to take the pressure off the throat
  • Backpacks – a dog backpack provides a terrific distraction to over-the-top dogs. It gets them in their head and gives them a better work out than what we could typically provide.
  • Bells – I use bells when training off-leash. I use them in the yard, on the trail, and anytime I need to ‘keep an eye’ on my dog, without necessarily seeing them.
  • 20′ leash if necessary when training from a distance.
  • Citronella collars – these collars spray a bit of citrus in your dogs face when they bark, or you activate it remotely. They’re great at correcting over-barkey dogs with ease.
  • Puppy Pacifiers – we use infant/stroller toys to give our dogs an outlet for their anxiety or excitement. Clipping directly to the dog’s collar, these toys soon become a quick way to self-soothe.
  • Thunder shirts – used for anxious and nervous dogs (be sure to smooth out their hair)

We don’t use pain in our training and rehab, therefore we do not use pinch or prong collars. We instead work to build a relationship based on trust and communication, which is hard to do when pain is in the equation, as it is with these collars. Dogs respect a prong/pinch collar quickly due to what they bring to the table. Our goal at pranaDOGS is for your pup to respect you, not a piece of metal, and to do that through relationship-building.

Tools FAQ

What are Tools?

Tools refer to the management devices we use to train and manage our dogs. Some are for the dogs entire life like collars and leashes while others are to work through problem behaviors like easy-walk harnesses, gentle leaders and citronella collars.

How do you know what tool to use?
Always start with the softest tool needed – to interrupt bad behavior I start with a sqeaker sound, if that doesn’t work I increase my response to a louder sound then movement before going onto the softest tool that works. Always start light and increase as needed – then revert back to light again to test.
What tools are used for anxious or shy dogs?
Can I put a backpack on my 6mo old pup?
What tools are used for over-the-top dogs?
These are the dogs who make you repeat yourself and who are moving quickly. Depending on the dog they may wear a long leash tether (30″ leash that they step on when running which causes them to check themselves). If they over-bark they wear a citronella collar.
What tools do you use to teach dogs to come when called?
There is no worse feeling then watching your dog sprint away from you. To ensure it doesn’t happen I use a number of tools to be sure a Come behavior is rock solid, incl: a leash drag, bells and walkie talkies. All three provide a different purpose and can be used at different times to train a rock solid recall.
What do you use for barking dogs?
What tools do you use on your own dogs?