The no pull debate

[michele5611]

www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html

[RealPitBull]

I agree with Pat (like usual LOL) although I can definitely see what Dr. Zink is getting at. But really, we do the best we can with what we have, and sometimes there is just no alternative because people need to be able to hang onto their dogs WHILE training. I know I personally strive to do the least amount of harm and restrict as little as possible when training. In a perfect world, every dog would start getting (clicker ) training as a tiny puppy and we'd circumvent any and all behavior "issues" and problems.

[Dave]

This is not something I've ever really thought about. When I walk Sedona, I always just let her be herself. She decides whether or not she's going to pull. I only stop her from pulling if it's uncomfortable for me, and I only allow her to pull on hikes because it's really great exercise for her. She doesn't get exercise any other way since she's always averse to being outdoors. She's never shown any adverse effects of having pulled against her halter.

Rocky and Lola are the same way. Although they never really pull as hard as Sedona does, there are times that I stop them from pulling. They also have never shown any problems from pulling.

Maybe the type of halter that I use on them makes the difference? All 3 dogs use a freedom harness.

[megan]

Interesting.... I never thought of that. When we first transitioned Roxy from the Halti Head Collar to the Sense-ation harness, she figured out if she pulled on an angle, it was easier so there was some initial training to be done to teach her to "use" it properly, but I've never noticed any sort of issues with either dogs' movement or anything while using a harness. And we've recently switched over to the Freedom harness and haven't noticed any issues with that one either.

I guess I consider the alternative.... for Roxy I like the harness because it gives me a handle if I need it, people inevitably approach and attempt to pet her or introduce their dogs to her face despite my requests to leave us be, and sometimes I need to grab her and move. The alternative would be to grab her collar, which I'd rather not do unless it's a last resort, especially if she's reacting towards another dog. And for Buster, no amount of training has helped him understand that him pulling on his leash (when attached to a collar) chokes him. The harness is to protect his neck because he is sort of a dope