5 Things To Look At When Using A Dog Training Collar And Lead
A training collar is a useful tool for obedience training your dog. It goes by various names, some being a pinch collar, slip collar, choke collar or even a choke chain. Essentially it goes round the animals neck, and, when attached to a lead or leash, is an effective way for you to maintain control of the dog.
However a dog training collar and lead has to be used properly for it to be totally effective while at the same time being safe for your dog. This article will examine five things you should think about when getting a training collar. This will help you to understand how the collar works and how to use it effectively. Here goes.
1. Picking the correct size of training collar ” You have to find a balance between a collar that is too tight for the animal and too loose for you to handle it. Obviously it may damage or hurt your dog if it is too tight and it will be a useless training tool if it is too loose. Try to find a collar that fits snugly around your pets neck.
Start by taking a measure of your dog’s neck. Then, add around 5 centimeters (2-3 inches) to that measurement. This will give some play to the collar so that it can fit comfortably over the dogs head. Generally a dog training collar will come in 5 centimeter (2 inch) increments.
2. Placing the training collar on your pet correctly ” Most collars will come with comprehensive instructions about fitting the collar onto your dog. Pay attention to these instructions as they will indicate what is too tight a fit and how to place the collar onto your dog safely. This may prevent you dog from hurt or injury from a badly fitted training collar.
3. Using the training collar properly ” Above all use the collar in an informed and compassionate way. It is not a way to punish your dog but merely a way to communicate with him when he is doing wrong. You should never exert a continuous force on the lead or leash when it is attached to the collar as this could cut of air to the dog and lead to problems.
4. Consider the weight and link size of the collar. Above all the dimensions of the collar should be proportional to the size of the dog. A Great Dane will need a heavier collar with bigger links than a border Collie for instance. The packaging or documentation of many collars will list the types of dogs that are ideal for the particular training collar.
5. Ensure that the collar and lead is correctly positioned on the dogs neck. For example the lead must be positioned at the top of the neck so that the slightest pull by you will be translated to the dog. It also means that the collar will loosen as soon as you ease the pressure on the lead.
A final point is to make sure the collar and leash are constructed from robust materials. The chances are that they will be used quite often and you don’t want either of them to break at an unexpected moment. This could put you, your dog or people around you in a dangerous position.
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