Training Tools
What are Training 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.
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Finding the right training tools can make a world of difference in effectively working with dogs. While there's a plethora of options out there, we've honed in on a few essentials that meet our needs reliably. These tools serve us well in daily training routines and prove invaluable when addressing misbehavior or erratic behavior in dogs. Let's explore these essential items and how they contribute to our training approach.
Martingale Collars
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.
Gentle Leaders
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
6 FT Soy Leashes
Our preference is to use 6 foot 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, we will often shorten our leash so the dog is walking and working closer to us but we prefer the 6 foot leashes so that if we need to create a belly band (description is featured below) to keep them closer we can or if we want to give the dog some room, it’s available.
Easy Walk Front-Clip
Dog Harness
Harness? It depends! Many people ask us 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 PetSafe Easy Walk dog harness. 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 Walk harnesses clip your leash to the dog’s chest, where you’re not providing counter-pressure.
Walkie Talkie
A 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 Items We Commonly Use
Belly Bands – a method of circling the leash around the dog to take the pressure off the throat
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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.
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Bells – we use bells when training off-leash so we know the location of our pups. We use them in the yard, on the trail, and anytime we need to ‘keep an eye’ on my dog, without necessarily seeing them.
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20 FT Leash – if necessary when training from a distance.
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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.
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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.
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Thunder shirts – used for anxious and nervous dogs (be sure to smooth out their hair)
Dog Training Tools FAQ
How Do You Know Which
Tool to Use?
Always start with the softest tool needed – to interrupt bad behavior we start with a squeaker sound, if that doesn’t work we increase our response to a louder sound and 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?
The short answer is it depends. Typically we start with a leash tether (a 12″ leash which can be grabbed so the dog doesn’t need to be touched) and if needed a thunder shirt. I always walk these dogs close to me but still use a 6′ leash.
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 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 than 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?
I always start with the softest interruption possible; often a squeaker toy is my go-to. If that doesn’t work I escalate my responses and try a different noise or sound then movement. If none of that works then I’ll often try a citronella bark collar .
What Tools Do You Use on Your Own Dogs?
I always start with the softest interruption possible; often a squeaker toy is my go-to. If that doesn’t work I escalate my responses and try a different noise or sound then movement. If none of that works then I’ll often try a citronella bark collar.
Can I Put a Backpack On My 6 Month Old Pup?
It is recommended to wait until your dog is around 18mo old before putting weight on their back. But you can always use an empty backpack – it’s great for those dogs who are so busy with the environment that they struggle to listen.
What We DON'T Use
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.
