Check chains

Do you use a check chain (choke ) when training you Dogs I never did I used a holter found it alot better , she didn't like pulling on it and she still wears it now when we our out.

When i was at college they used checkchains , and half checks they said it was the most effective way of control ,
but if you haven't got control of you dog then you shouldn't have one , shouldn't need to use such force ,

What do you think and what have you found to be best

Each to their own wouldn't give people aggro for using them its just personal preference

I have never used a choke chain and i would only ever use on in the last resort. I dont think they are cruel just as long as you know how to use it correctly.

None should ever use a choke chain if they dont know how it works or how to use it on the dog properly. If you feel a choke chain is neccessary then you should always consult a professional dog trainer or a qualified vet, dont ask people in pet shops or pet store as they dont know jow they work properly and will give you a line of bull sh*t, just so you buy it!

If you dont know how to use a choke chain then the consiquesnces could be very bad and dangerous for your dog. So always remember to consult a professional so you dont hurt your dog and make them become fearful of you.

If you feel the need to use a check

The check chain, which when used correctly, has an effective sound that usually gets your dog's attention. They come in different sizes for smaller and bigger dogs. To get the right size you could take your dog to the pet shop and try a few on - they need to be as light and strong as possible for your sized dog, and long enough to slide easily. There's only one way a check chain works properly, that is with the long chain over the top of the dog's neck, this way the chain slides easily and loosens quickly. Don't use it the other way, it just won't work and it will cause damage to the animal

Most pet shops that I go to do not sell the chain nomore ,

Most people would feel the need to use them if you have a very difficult dog and needs the more sturn handeling .

there are many other different ways in which a dog can be handled with more corrective tools than a choke chain. any professional would use a choke chain in a last resort if all other methods and tools had failed. all dogs and breeds are individuals and completely different to each other. a choke chain can mentally scar a dog if it is used incorrectly and may become fearful or fearful-aggressive towards their owner if its not used correctly. most people use choke chains to help keep control powerful breeds such as rottweilers but if a dog is taught how to walk properly and learns manners whilst on the lead then there should be no problems when out walking in public on the lead.

i am especially lucky with vegas my rottweiler as she loves going out on her lead and doesnt pull, she keeps to our side unless we give her the leway to walk on. when she is older obviously she is going to be stronger and more powerful and her manners may change on the lead. but i would first try out other training tools first and if none of them work i would try the choke chain again as a last resort! as i have never used one before i would have to consult a professional and get a chain fitted for her! i will never use a choke chain if i dont have to!

we did on lightning briefly - we really dont like them -

our trainer wanted us to use it - as lightning kept pulling - i told him it wouldnt make a difference to her and that she would still pull - he wanted to prove a point that it would work so i allowed him to put it on her to prove his point - it didnt work she pulled even harder.....!!!!!!!!

after trying lots of collars we came to the conclusion she dosent like things attched to her neck, shes ok with a collar on as long as you dont attach the lead to it - as soon as you do she pulls - so she has to be walked by harness........

some professional behaviourists have got to make their point and try make it count all the time. most of them are better at doing the paper work, not the training and will make you listen to what they have got to say and do what they say.

i went to college, studied animal behaviour and there are many ways in which you can solve an animals problem, most of the time its the owners fault not the dogs. all problems can be fixed and not all dogs respond in the same way to training aids. all are different and individuals and need different help.

say two dogs pulled on the lead, straight away you would think that a choke chain would solve the problem for both dogs. but you are wrong, one dog may respond perfectly to the choke chain and stop pulling, but the other dog may need another useful training aid such as the dog backpack which gives the dog a purpose whilst out on the walk so the problems will stop because the dog has something physical and mental to do. there are many training aids which can solve so many behavioural problems, you may go through 20 of them ands only find that 1 of them work for your dog.

After it failed to work - he gave up trying to get us to use one and realised it just wasnt going to work for her - he was an ex police dog handleder so has been trained to use them on dogs. but quite right as you say all are different and react differently - lightning just hates having things attached to her neck. she stills pulls a bit n the harness - but thats usually though excitement - she much better now...... god the things we've been through with this dog.....!!!!!!!!!! every problem in the book i think!!!!!!!! but i love her.

Absolutely every dog is individual and should not have something forced onto them. lightening proberly got so frightened from that experience that it has proberly come out in different ways, such as they destroying the walls!
dogs are funny creatures and even though dogs live in the moment, they remember what had happened in the past, hense the choke chain experience. another reason why she doesnt like having things around her neck could also be due to the choke chain experience, these things are mentally scarring for dogs especially if they dont work for them and get dragged and pulled around by one!

possibly... but she was always funny about it right from a pup - i think it prob made her worse though - as now if you put a lead on her collar she'll pull harder and choke herself rather than stop.

its better that shes on the harness then because she wont choke herself!

I use a check chain on both my dogs not because they pull but because i found they pulled with a regular fabric coller. suki seemed to get the urge to pull when something is round her neck, the check chain is great for correction also as the noice it makes is enough to distract from bad behaviour. titch has never had a coller so when i tried putting one on him he hated it and ripper fur our trying to get it off, the check chain is great as it slotts over his head and he doesnt pull anyway.

try the canny collar insteas, will explain tomorrow properly when I am more awake!

I have never used a check chain on Scifer or Megan - both walk exceptionally well to heel and are on normal collars and leads but if you need a bit more control try the above.

i dont use the check chain as a check chain as such its more of a loose coller, i dont really use a lead unless its round the school and then they dont pull anyway.

Ive heard the canny collar is very good

whats a canny coller?

never used a choke chain on george but did have a harness which was very useful ,i do think that they are really a last resort but i certainly would never use one.

i think it all depends on the way you use them, titch would do damage to himself if i put a normal coller on him, either rip his fur out of pull so hard he would damage his neck, with a check chain he doesnt pull at all.

some dogs are better off with choke chains as they learn quickly not to pull on the lead, as this type of collar is designed for this type of training and as i do stress that they should only be used by responsible owners and people who know what they are doing with this type of collar as it caan do damage if in the wrong hands.

i agree

Yes I agree too

I use a check chain on my male. I have always used them in the past on various dogs and will continue to do so. I see no problem in using them at all. They will only help in stopping a dog from pulling if it is fitted correctly. It should sit right at the top of the dogs neck, not be lying around the withers of the dog!! I prefer to have Blue on a check chain so I can be copmfortable that should anything kick off when I have him out walking or at shows, I can remain in full control of him at all times. You would find most people have males on check chains at shows. I have seen many leather collars and fabric collars snap under the strength of a male rottie pulling at the lead. I prefer to know my dog cant do that!! Blue doesnt pull on the lead, he walks to heel very well as do the bitches, with or without a check chain on. Thats is purely down to training, not what collar the dog has on.

Oops!!! I posted twice there!! LOL LOL!!

Regarding the canny collar - I have one but don't like it.

I prefer the gentle leader or halti.

The canni-collar is similar to the gentle leader but it threads through and comes back up behind the head. I find it fumbly to deal with and do not think it has quite the control that the other two have.

It was expensive when I bought mine at about £17. I used it last week again on my foster girlie - once - and it has gone back into the package again.

Will be interested to hear if other people have got on well with them.