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Thread: choke chains

  1. #1
    Veteran Member Jillian's Avatar
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    Default choke chains

    Anyone have any thoughts on them? I always thought they were mean, but my doggy has no attention span at all and is starting to think he's the boss of me...and Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer) swears by 'em...


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    God/dess PaigeDWinter's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    I dont use them, personally. Even when I bred/showed/trained... wouldnt go near them.


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    Default Re: choke chains

    I think it can teach reinforcment, like when you smack a child's hand when they are playing with an outlet, etc. Sometimes animals can only learn through things like that. I don't think it's abusive when done the correct way, and the animal always has control over whether or not he is being choked, and you'd never want to put your dog, yourself or anyone else in danger with an out of control dog.

  4. #4
    Miss. Kristina Lee
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    Default Re: choke chains

    choke chains are cruel. try gentle leaders. its a leash that looks somewhat like a muzzel but is not.

    do a google search they sel them at petsmart and many other places.

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    Default Re: choke chains

    How big is your dog? I'd use it if he were dragging you around. I don't see how they're cruel if you're only using it to train him to walk... But, have you tried other things?
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    Default Re: choke chains

    I don't like them, but I've heard that it also depends on the breed. For example, I have an English bulldog, and would never use a choke chain on him (although his collar has a choke chain...but we just like the look of it). Primary reason is that Bulldogs tend to have respiratory problems...and are very stubborn...which can lead to too much stress on his neck and trachea during walks.
    I think the best alternative is a harness for walks, so we can pull and train him...but the stress is distributed on his body and behind his legs. Much healthier and safer than a choke chain.

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    Default Re: choke chains

    When I had my Jack Russell Terrier, the ex tried training him with one. That was short lived. I was able to get him to listen and obey me, but for some reason he wouldn't listen to her. They just are soooo painful.
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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    You don't need them if you train your dog well. Patience is much more powerful with a dog than pain. When your walking and your dog pulls the leash, just stop. Stand still and don't let the dog go anywhere until he stops pulling.

  9. #9
    Cally
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    Default Re: choke chains

    Take him to obedeance class. I took my pitbull(like 4 years ago) to obediance and we clicker trained him. He turned into a gentle lamb. I dont have him anymore though because of the pitbull ban

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    God/dess Jenny's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    If your dog is wearing it only for training and it is worn corrrectly, it can be effective. People have a tendency to put them on backwards. The choke chain should not (perhaps unexpectedly) choke your dog - on the contrary, if it is choking your dog, your dog will uncontrollably and instinctively pull against it. He or she can't help it - dogs pull against things yanking at their necks. It has to used in conjunction with a training regimen. I would also recommend the gentle leader or the halti. It will make you wonder why anyone ever thought dragging a dog around by the neck was such a good idea. Other thing - treats, treats, treats. More treats. They work. Contrary to the treat nazi's beliefs the dog WILL still listen to you if you don't have a treat in your hand.

    Start with sit - sit is important because it is easy to learn, and when your dog is sitting it can't do all sorts of other things - like jump, pull, run away, etc. Use hand gestures - for sit hold your hand (with a treat in it to start) in front of the dog's face. Say "sit" and pull your hand up from the elbow (like a beckoning motion). I'm not sure why this works, but it is quite effective. If you train your dog to respond to gestures they tend to pay more attention to you.
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    Member TeethOfTheHydra's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    What Jenny said about the gestures is good advice. One of my particularly out-there career ideas involved being an exotic animal handler. I interned at a wolf sanctuary and I saw wild-born wolves trained to obey gestures. They couldn't do anything complicated like fetch or roll over, but they were trained to sit, lay down, and stop (like if they were being rambunctious or charging). Anyway, my point is, that if wild canines can effectively learn hand gestures, domestic dogs can probably learn them too. And it's all about positive reinforcement with pets... the people who ran the wolf place held bits of salami or other fragrant porky products while training the wolves, and many of them caught on very quickly. This is of course a more involved method than simply applying a choke chain, but if you have the time and patience (and a dog that isn't really, really out of control) it seems worth a try.

    Edited to add: Oh yeah, I never became an exotic animal handler. Just so y'all didn't get too excited and start to think I was cool.

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    God/dess Lena's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    Choke chains are cruel and, when used by the average owner, usually not effective. They've done studies and found that most dogs who've had choke chains used on them have permanent trachial damage (something like 70% for adult dogs and 90% for dogs under a year).

    If you do use one, follow Jenny's advice and make sure it looks like a P when you put it on, and only "pop" it - keep it loose the rest of the time.

    If you insist on using punishment, a prong collar is much more humane.

    If your being dragged along and just looking for something to give you some control, try a Gentle Leader (NOT a Halti).

    If you're interested in classes or private training call 1-800-PET-DOGS to find good reinforcement based trainers near you.

    If you're interested in learning how to get your dog to do what you want, read Don't Shoot The Dog! by Karen Pryor and Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.



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    Veteran Member big_daddyII's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    We use to always use them until we lived out in the country and just let the dogs run. I will NEVER use one or tie up a dog again, EVER!
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    God/dess PaigeDWinter's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    I firmly believe that a chest-binding harness does more to teach a dog to stop than a choke chain. It controls more of the body and halts them much better... and it is SO much more less likely to harm the animal.
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    Default Re: choke chains

    Quote Originally Posted by Jillian
    Anyone have any thoughts on them? I always thought they were mean, but my doggy has no attention span at all and is starting to think he's the boss of me...and Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer) swears by 'em...
    They're not cruel if used properly. If you cannot find a reputable trainer who will educate you on how to properly use a choke collar on your dog then don't do it. Improper use of them can injure, intensify unwanted behavior, and cause aggression in dogs.

    I don't beleive it's the answer for all dogs (or dog owners). Dogs, like people, have different learning styles and all other possibilities should be exhausted before deciding to use it. My dog is trained on it and I've been trained to use it humanely and effectively. It's not just for walking, it's for sits, stays, downs, and behavior correction. PM me if you have more questions about it.

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    God/dess VenusGoddess's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    More important than what type of collar you are using, is making sure that you are the one in charge. With most dogs, if they feel that they are the Alpha in the family, no kind of collar, etc will work on them.

    My aunt has a rottie which she has no control over. Let the dog out on a leash (she used to have a choke chain on it) and it would still just pull her around. Choke chains don't always stop the dog...especially when they get used to the constriction. Now, though, that she knows HOW to control the dog (properly), she has a regular type collar on the dog and the dog is completely submissive (well, mostly, she's still working) to her.

    It's not about what you use, but how in charge of the dog you are.

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    Veteran Member Jillian's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    Thanks for all the advice. I still haven't picked one up, my dog is young and I don't want to cause him any harm, so I'm not sure that I will. Roscoe is a puppy and has TONS of energy. He knows how to sit. He comes about 50% of the time. I have been giving him treat upon treat. I want to get him into puppy school bad, but I'm not sure that I'll be around for it's duration. Hopefully I get a full time job and move soon. Yesterday I did get him a gentle leader so hopefully that helps.

    He used to use a harness, but graduated to a regular "big boy" collar, but since then he's gotten quite rambunctious, perhaps we will go back to the harness.

    He's driving my parents and their dog crazy right now.


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    God/dess VenusGoddess's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    ^ Make sure you are exercising him a lot (like making him run instead of walk) to burn off that energy. I think if you do that consistently, you'll find he's much more manageable.

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    God/dess Lena's Avatar
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    Default Re: choke chains

    ^ Yep, a tired dog is a good dog.

    This - http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/Lesson6.html - is a great way to teach "come" for most dogs.



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