Pros and Cons of Different Leashes & Harnesses

Many people have trouble walking their dog because most dogs are allowed to pull, and pulling is usually a frustrating issue for owners. Here are some common tools that people use. I review the pros and cons of these tools as I have used them on my dog and evaluated their ability to control dogs on walks.

6ft Nylon Leash

Pros: Nylon leashes practically last forever. They dry fast and you can wash them often. They can be found to be less than $3, such as on DogSupplies.com.

Cons: It depends where you clip the leash on the dog. Also, dogs who chew go through them pretty easily.

$3-7 on DogSupplies.com

16ft Retractable Leash

Pros: This leash can be used to effectively teach a dog to come when called. See the video below demonstrating come when called using a retractable leash. 

Cons: Does your dog walking in front of you mean that he is pulling? YES. A retractable leash allows your dog to walk ahead of you, and even if you don't feel he is tugging you forward, in his mind, he is taking YOU for a walk because he is the one leading the walk. Many people let the retractable leash stretch all the way such that when crossing the road, the dog is in the middle of the road while the owner is still on the sidewalk. I don't need to explain why that is dangerous. In addition, in emergency situations where you want your dog to closer to you, it is impossible retract the leash if you dog is running in the opposite direction from you. Also, the leash is very thin and can often times result in rope burn to your hands, legs, arms, and consumer reports have reported finger amputations by the retractable leash.

$30 on Amazon.com

Hands-free Leash

Pros: You can use this for jogging without having to hold the leash in your hand. This is also an excellent training tool. You can use this to teach your dog to respect limits in your house if you don't trust your dog to free roam in the house. You can attach your dog to you and walk around the house with your dog in sight. Also, when training your dog outside, your hands will be able to deliver treats while teaching your dog to heel. 

Cons: You always have to adjust the waist size if multiple people are using one lead. Also, if you make the leash to the shortest length, the dog's legs always gets tangled on the leash.

$25 on Amazon.com

Gentle Leader Head Collar

Pros: It is a good tool to control your dog from lunging at other dogs or people, and easily control dogs from pulling. However, do not put constant pressure on the dog while the gentle leader is on him. Learn how to properly use the gentle leader before training your dog with it.

Cons: People on the street always think it's a muzzle, so they assume the dog is dangerous. I just tell them that the dog can still bite you if he wanted to. But it is unsettling that people think your dog is aggressive because of the "muzzle."

$11 on Amazon.com

Easy Walk Front Clip Harness

Pros: This is great for training dogs to not pull, but not effectively for dogs that lunge. The front clip harness turns the front side of the body around when you stop as he is pulling. This teaches the dog that  if he is pulling, his front body will get turned around.

Cons: First time putting it on may be confusing. There's alot of straps and multiple clips. But like many repetitive acts, it gets easier to put on each time.

$15 on Amazon.com

Back Clipping Harness

Pros: It is great for tugging you along on skateboards, bikes, and roller blades. They can use their entire body to pull you along.

Cons: The harness allows the dog to PULL. So don't use it if you don't want your dog to pull!

$4-17 on DogSupplies.com

Walky Dog-for Biking

Pros: When holding the leash in your hand and biking with your dog, he could easily pull you off your bike if he sees something in the perpendicular direction (yes, I have experienced that). This doesn't let them pull you and he will always run next to you. It is very simple to assemble, as shown in this video.

Cons: If you have a heavy dog, and he tries to pull head, the attachment on the bike tends to loosen up a bit and the walky dog stick will move towards your legs while you're biking. I need to tighten the screws everytime before I bike with my dog.

$49 on Amazon.com

Here is a wonderful article about the types of leashes out there by Whole Dog Journal. It is a very reputable journal that writes about positive dog training and holisitic ways of caring for your dog. This article talks about the responsible choices that dog owners make when choosing the type of training leashes available out there: Dog Training Equipment.

Slurp Slurp Slurp...!

Have you ever realized that if wash/change the water in your dog's water bowl EVERYDAY, it gets slimy and cloudy? Not only is the water filled with dog drool, but stagnant water is a great environment for bacteria to live and multiply in. Stainless steel bowls are general pretty good as a water bowl, but I decided to use another option, a water fountain water bowl. I figured that the constant flow of water will prevent bacteria from growing so that the dogs would always have fresh filtered water at low cost without much effort.

I ended up buying the Pioneer Ceramic Drinking Water Fountain. So far so good! The only thing is that I need to maintain the water line pretty high up so that the water pump is able to continuously keep the water flowing. There is also an option for a stainless steel finish instead of ceramic. I opted for ceramic because it is discreet instead of a shiny/flashy bowl. However, ceramic is prone to cracking if you drop it, so be careful! I've been good to it so far :)

Toenail Clipping- Because Your Dog Doesn't Want to Walk on Stilts

Why is it important to clip your dog's toenails? Long nails could easily lead to uncomfortable walking, so kinda like walking on stilts. Would YOU want to walk like that? Most people dread toenail clipping their dog or cat because they experience the torment of having to put a death grip on their pet in order to clip his nails. In addition, having a great nail clipper that suites your dog's size is important as well. I've had a $6 nail trimmer from Walmart for the past three years. It's treated me well, but I'd like to expand to other areas of professional clippers to see if it makes a difference. This link is from a blog written by Dogs by Nina and she lists some clippers and describes the different types:

http://www.dogsbynina.com/best-nail-clippers-for-your-dog/

I bought the Safari Professional Clipper from Amazon so I'll come back to review that once I've tried it.

Once you've chosen your clipper, the next challenge is to make sure your dog enjoys getting his nails clipped instead of running away from your everytime you take the tool out. First of all, make sure you know the anatomy of the nail. When you look at each nail, you will see that there is a "quick," which is the blood supply that runs through their nails. If your dog has black or opaque nails, rub some baby oil on it and it will become more transparent. BUT DON'T CUT THAT QUICK!! Just trim to where the quick abruptly ends. If your dog's nails are ultra long, you can cut/file the nails few days apart, and the quick will start to recede, thus allowing the nail to become short again.

When your dog is comfortable lying on his side, you can start trimming one nail at a time, rewarding him with treats everytime you make a cut. For dogs with black nails, you can use a flashlight to shine over the nail to assure that you do not cut the quick. In case you do cut the quick accidentally, there are home remedies such as putting flour or rubbing bar soap (soap stings though) to stop the bleeding. There are other products out there such as Kwik Stop to help stop the bleeding fast. 

NOTE: If you are trying to introduce nail cutting to your dog for the very first time, these procedures must be done gradually over the course of days. Do not attempt to do all introductions in one day. They will not learn anything and will not learn to enjoy nail trims.

Below is another video from Dr. Sophia Yin's website on how to condition an aggressive dog who growls and tries to bite anyone coming close to his paws. See how short amount of time it takes to condition the dog to like nail trims with food rewards.

Good luck with your nail trim with your dog!

Teaching a Reliable Recall

Does your dog blow you off when you call his/her name? Do you need to call your dog twice or even ten times repeatedly until he finally gives you a glance? Inadvertently, the repeated name calling is training your dog to ignore your first call, training him to come only after you are yelling at the top of your lungs. So let's fix that.

First of all, if your dog isn't coming when you call him, you shouldn't have him off leash anyways. What if there was an emergency you had to get your dog out of? If he isn't coming the first time you call him, you should practice come when called on leash.

I learned this interesting technique from applied animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin to practice come when called by using a retractable leash. The retractable leash should be used during this training, but it doesn't help in training dogs to heel because you cannot actually "retract" the dog if he is lunging or going the opposite way you are going. But it is effective in teaching dogs to come when called. However, you can also just use a long leash to practice this. Clip the retractable leash to your dog's flat collar. Throw some treats or wait until he is distracted by a bush or other dogs. While he is busy, unlock the retractable leash to lengthen it and then, say "Come Riley (or your dog's name)!" and run in the opposite way. Make it fun and fast by running the opposite direction and you'll find he'll come running towards you. Turn around and stop. As he is within 5 feet away, put a treat down to stop him in his tracks, lift the trick so he'll sit, and reward him once his behind touches the ground. Give him extra treats for remaining seated. Eventually, he can do this without a leash. But remember, just say the "come" command only once, and once only so that he'll be guaranteed to come the first time you call him!

Once they have a good come when called, not only can you use it to call them back on walks, but you can use it when they are barking at the door Here's the difference between two dogs: one who knows come and who doesn't:

Dogs repeat what works. So if you continuously reward your dog for coming when called, he will understand that coming to you is more fun than anything else he was chasing after. When he can consistently come when you call on leash, take the leash off indoors and call him. If he still comes, then take him outside in a fenced area and practice calling off leash. THEN, if you can bet your paycheck that he'll come when you call him with distractions, you'll know he can be reliable off leash. By then you won't need to reward him every time he comes back to you because he knows the behavior already. Instead, put him on a variable gambling schedule, where he'll want to come over just in case there's goodies to be had. 

For further explanation, please see Dr. Sophia Yin's website entry on come when called: Become More Exciting Than a Squirrel: Teaching a Reliable Come When Called

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or a certified dog trainer (yet). All these reviews on products and training only reflects on what's worked for dogs I've trained and their lifestyles. Adjust to how you see fit for your dog.

Utilizing Kibble For Mental Stimulation..What?!

Yeah, why should they get food for free if you can make their brains work for it?? Also, free food in a bowl is also boring for your dog and makes them a bit lazy. Make them work for it so that they can be better behaved and understand that food does not come free and that they actually have to be good dogs in order to receive any food rewards.

For dogs in training, I generally like to use their kibble instead of treats because they are going to have kibble anyways, why not put it to work? Also, training requires ALOT of food, and giving a lot of treats is not healthy since they are high in calories, and low in nutrition. Yes, even the "healthy holistic" treats can be fattening and not cost effective.

Dogs who free feed (ie. there's always food in the bowl) usually do not like to receive kibble as a reward. This can be corrected by taking away food from the bowl, and when they are hungry enough, they'll come begging for kibble. Don't starve them, but it usually takes 1-2 days until the dog figures out that their kibble only comes one by one from your hand instead of the usual food bowl. Note: you should following your veterinarian's instructions on how much to feed for growing puppies and pregnant dogs. But if you want to train puppies, you can take away the bowl while training them, and then put back the bowl when you are done with training.

Even if you do not have the time to train your dog with kibble, your dog should understand that kibble comes to those who earn it. That way, their brain is always working and thinking so that they aren't just sitting there waiting for food to be served. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise! Here are some products that I use for my dog when I don't have time to train him and don't want him to eat from a bowl:

The Bob-a-lot Interactive Toy ($16 on Amazon) allows kibble to be put into the toy, and has two compartments where you control how much kibble falls out; one at the cap and one at the side of the toy. The dog tilts the toy and kibble falls out, but the toy rights itself in the upright position due to the nature of the heavy bottom. The dog has to figure out that food only comes out if he moves and tilts the toy.

Premier's Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble ($16 on Amazon) is another food dispensing toy in which you put food in the middle of the toy, the dog rolls it around, and food dispenses. It is similar to the Bob-a-lot but dispense a lot of food at once and does not give good control of how much food is dispensed.

The Kong toy ($8 on Amazon) is very popular as well. The Kong usually keeps a dog distracted or bored, but you can also you it to dispense their kibble. It's a rubber toy in which you put kibble and a little bit of peanut butter or wet food to maintain the kibble inside. Some people like to buy the Kong Stuff'n, which is liver, cheese, or peanut butter spread in a compressed canister that dispenses like whipped cream. One way to make kibble last in the kong is to plug the smaller end of the Kong with peanut butter, put the kibble inside, fill the Kong with water, and freeze it.

One other amazing toy design is by Nina Ottoson, who makes puzzle toys for dogs that need to get through certain milestones within the toy to get the food. In the video, the toy is called the Dog Worker ($50 on Amazon), which the dog needs to figure out that he needs to pick up the wood pegs or push them to the center of the piece to get to the treat. Very stimulating!

All these toys will teach the dog that not only is it fun to get food from a toy, but it also give them a challenge.

Fat Weighing Your Dog Down?

Let's face it. Most dogs living in a first world country is a bit overweight, even if the dog's belly is not drastically dragging on the floor. First of all, if you free feed your dog (filling the bowl whenever the bowl is empty), your dog will be overweight. So why does it matter that your dog is overweight?  Just think of all the health problems you would encounter if you were obese, then apply it to your dog. It creates a series of health problems such as diabetes, joint problems, heart problems, cholesterol levels, etc.

Here is a summary breakdown of how to determine your dog's body fat:

Body Score of 1: 

• Ribs, pelvis, vertebra are all visible from a distance

Body Score of 3:

• Obvious waste line is tucked (between last rib and hip bone)
• Prominent hip bones
• Top of spine is visible

Body Score of 5 (IDEAL BODY SHAPE):

• Ribs, spine, and hip bones are easily felt without pressing through fat covering
• Waist is tucked in when viewing the dog from top
• Abdominal is tucked in

Body Score of 7 (most dogs are in this category):

• Ribs, spine, and hip bones are not easily felt, ie. you have to press into the body to feel those bones
• One or two ripples of fat behind the neck region

Body Score of 9: 

• Massive fat deposits on spine and ribs
• Numerous ripples of fat in neck region and limbs
• Abdominal tuck absent

Body Conditioning System made by Dr. Sophia Yin, modified from the Scoring System developed by Nestle Purina. 

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or a certified trainer (yet). All these reviews on products and training only reflects on what's worked for dogs I've trained and their lifestyles. Adjust to how you see fit for your dog.

After reading this, if you feel that your dog has more than a body condition score of 5, consider cutting your dog's food back a bit (start by feeding 75% of original diet), or stop free feeding. If you feel that your dog has a body score of 9, do not drastically change his diet because it can have devastating changes to the digestive system. Instead, consult with your veterinarian about a diet plan. Not only a balanced diet is important, but a developing a different exercising routine should be incorporated into the plan. 

Riley's Nose Knows

I've always been curious with nosework/scenting/tracking in dogs, so I decided to take a canine nosework class with Tracey Louper (http://aintmisbehavin-k9.com/). She is a dog trainer who has trained her own dogs in search and rescue, and have obtained tracking titles. I have been working with her on Riley's nosework training for about two months. It has been very fun, and maybe I will enter Riley in a nosework competition next year. 

A little insight on nosework that I've learned thus far:
Nosework is a canine sport that any dog can do! All dogs have powerful noses that can sniff out the slightest scent. It teaches fearful dogs to venture out into small crevices, and to build their confidence in new places. I also had to train myself to let the dog lead me into the scenting course. I am also used to the dog walking next to me NOT pulling. However, the instructor said that he needs to lead me to the scent, and to avoid obedience work so the dog can take the time to just think about nosework, and not about obeying commands. That was a hard habit to break. The dogs wear a harness instead of being clipped to a head halter or flat collar because it is easier to lead on a back-clipping harness and doesn't restrict access to what's in front of the dog. Riley now wears a harness during nosework, which he percieves as "let's get to nosework" when he has it on. As we approach the "start line" of the nosework course, I keep ahold of Riley for about 3-5 seconds to let him take in the atmosphere, and he is released when I say "Search."

For the intro to nosework class, the instructor put out opened empty cardboard boxes. She puts treats in one of the many boxes randomly laid onto the ground. The dogs are curious and sniff every box to see what's in it. Once they find the box that has the treats, they eat, and you reward them for finding those treats by dropping more food into the box. This way, they are learning to keep their head inside the box. In other words, "good things happen when my head is in the box," says the dog. When yo are done, do not drag the dog away from the box. Rather, pick up the box and walk away with the dog. This way, the dog doesn't perceive you punishing him by dragging him away. When the dogs learn that the boxes mean it's nosework time, you start putting the treats in a small container (like a small lotion can or soap box) and poke holes so the scent can permeate. The container is put into an empty box among other boxes on the ground. The dogs search and when the find the container, you place treats onto the container so they learn that good things happen near the container and they are rewarded when the find the container. When they are good at this, you can remove systematically remove the boxes and start hiding the container between doorways, next to trash cans, door stops, etc. If they get stuck, add in a few empty boxes to prompt them that this scenrio is for nosework time. In class, we practiced outside, but at home, I practice in my living room. I started hiding my soap box container on bookshelves, under the coach, under the dog bed, on top of boxes, etc.

A few hints on success:
1) Never stop moving. If you stop walking, your dog may stop searching.
2) Deliver the treat to the dog as soon as he finds the scent, and deliver right next to the scent.
3) Have your dog potty before nosework class, and in between trials. Do NOT let him pee while he is searching in order to prevent the search from becoming contaminated. They should not be allowed to do anything else but sniff out the scent.
4) Hold the dog for 3-5 seconds before allowing him to cross into the scent arena. This helps the dog get a grip of the scenario. 

Scent is a very strange concept to me. But of course if comes naturally to the dog. The wind can either help or inhibit the dog from finding the scent. In this video below, Riley is doing nosework indoors. He walks past the soap box containing the treats, but then catches the scent and makes a "hook," meaning he makes a U-turn back to the scent. This happens alot during nosework. One other interesting aspect is that not only does the dog learn to sniff out odors on the ground, the dog learns that sometimes he needs to smell one level above his head. So I started hiding the odor on the couch, on the third shelf of the bookshelf, on a chair, etc., so that he learns he needs to lift his head to search for the scent as well.

As we move onto more advanced levels, Riley will learn to scent odors that aren't food related such as anise or wintergreen. THEN we'll see about entering him in nosework competition. More updates later about this!

Cheers,
Tina & Riley