I tried taking Gracie out on a collar and leash when she was a puppy. This was before I knew anything about CT. She wanted to go out, she was tiny, and the harness I had ordered had not yet come in. As soon as the door opened she started to pull and also started making horrible coughing sounds. But she continued to pull. It was a very short walk as I was very concerned about the coughing.
When the harness arrived we went out the door and she continued to pull but with no coughing or choking. We had already worked on the sit command so I had to make her sit before we went any further. As soon as she started to pull we stopped and went back into the sit. She learned how to walk without pulling in minutes. You can teach your dog the same obedience as other larger dogs learn without a collar. It just takes some modifications of the method.
CT is a degenerative disease. Pulling on a collar just makes the degeneration proceed faster. All small dogs lack the muscle and tendons that protect the neck and throat area that larger dogs have. They can suffer injury easily from techniques used by some trainers. Pulling on a collar should never substitute for proper control and training of your dog.
I'm glad your little guy responded so well but so would I if I were that size with huge dogs around me. I hope he continues to do well and does not run into a cranky German Shepherd or other larger breed dog some evening.
After suffering a surprise attack on my small dog by a medium sized dog I would never take my little girl to a class full of large dogs. One split second can cause irreparable harm. I still cringe when I see a dog approaching us. I just won't take the chance. |