Training Myths

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Training Myths

Myth 1: You need to use a choke collar to leash train your dog. This makes no sense. Choke collars do exactly what they say -- they cut off all your dog’s air supply! Needless to say, it’s a health hazard and you can do serious damage to your dog’s esophagus! There is an appropriate way to use a choke collar. They should not be used in all situations. Avoid trainers who will throw a choke collar on every dog that walks through the door.

Myth 2: You need a prong (spike or pinch) collar to train “tough” dogs. Prong collars have spikes that jab into your poor dog’s neck every time you jerk the leash. And you know what? Most people do NOT need to discipline their dogs this way! Only experienced, trained dog professionals should be using prong collars -- and only for special situations! Some dogs have too much muscle around their neck to even feel the pinch. The average dog owner should NEVER be advised to use these collars!

Myth 3: You need an electronic shock collar to stop your dog’s barking. This one makes me mad. It’s EASY to stop a dog’s barking without using something as inhumane as shocking. And you know what? Studies show that these shock collars only work a small percentage of the time anyway, and the dog just learns to be afraid of the collar (or worse…they learn to be afraid of what they are barking at, making the problem worse). Never mind the serious damage these collars do to your dog.

Myth 4: You need to dominate you dog by using physical force (smacking, hitting, choking). Okay, yes, your dog needs to view you as his “pack leader”. But you don’t earn this respect by beating your dog!!!! There is never a good reason to hit your dog!! In the wild, a pack leader doesn’t suddenly overreact and beat its pack members into the ground. A pack leader is calm, consistent, and fair. So hitting you dog won’t win his respect -- it’ll just make him fearful of you. And fear can lead to aggression.

Myth 5: You need to yell at your dog, so it perceives you as tough. This leads back to number 4. The pack leader needs to stay calm and consistent. To a dog, yelling sounds like frantic barking -- which confirms in their mind that something is wrong! A good trainer can easily control their dog with a quiet whisper and hand signals. A lead dog doesn’t yell at the pack. The lead dog signals the dogs in the pack what to do with a tail or ear flip/twitch. This is why dogs respond to hand signals a lot more consistently than verbal cues.