|
Petco Training Class!!! Annie starts Basic Training today at Petco. We had orientation last week without her. One of the things that the trainer told us that we had to do was put the dogs on collars. Annie has never worn a collar. From day one we have been told never to put a collar on yorkies cause of their fragile tracheas, so I am very torn on what to do. Should I listen to the trainer and put a collar on Annie or be naughty and leave her harness on her? I don't want to get into an argument with the lady on the first day because I refuse to put a collar on my baby? Any suggestions or thoughts? |
I think if I were in your shoes I would use the harness. Show up a little bit early and talk with the trainer about your concerns. I am pretty sure that the trainer will understand. Good luck, let us know how class goes! ;) |
When the trainer brought up the collar thing my husband saw the frown on my face so he brought up the trachea thing, and this other lady chimed in too. But the trainer was like well we have to teach our dogs not to tug on on their collars and showed us with her VERY big dog... :( |
I don't know anything about your trainer or her qualifications, but I can tell you, that my trainer never had a problem, with collar, harness or what ever! She was a "positive reinforcement" trainer and collars were not necessary. Our puppies were expected to walk on a leash without pulling, tugging and biting, but there was no need for it to be collar specific. So I am not sure why the importance of the collar to her training methods. |
Harness vs Choke Chains Personally, I would very nicely inform the trainer that my Yorkie WILL wear a harness, NOT a collar. It might be easier for the trainer to teach his/her BIG dog with a collar/choke chain, but Yorkies are not big dogs. No matter what they (the Yorkies) think!! Yorkies have very tender necks and I for one would not use a collar for training especially in a place like Pet Smart. There are too many distractions for dogs in there. And no matter how well they behave, someone, is going to approach your dog with the "ahhh, isn't he/she cute. Can I pet him/her/" question. I've seen it happen more than once. So good luck. The trainer might be a bit miffed, but who's more important here?? The trainer or your dog?? I think we all know that answer!! :D |
I went to Petco classes and coco had a harness and it was not an issue. The trainer is the one that recommended it to me. I personally dont like using a harness. I like the collar better. Especially because I'm worried when I'm not aroud and a friend has to walk her that she will get out of it which she has done on numerous occassions. I swear she is Houdini because I don't know how she does it. The collar is fine with me because she does not tug on the leash. So I have no fear of her trachea getting crushed. |
If your dog pulls on the leash then a traditional harness will only encourage pulling. My trainer called them "sled dog" harnesses at our first training session. For training and leash walking she suggested a Gentle Leader Easy Walk harness for Loki. It's a harness but it fits differently and the leash goes in the front so it actually discourages pulling. We LOVE Loki's harness. I also leave his collar on for his tags, but serious training and walking requires his harness. Be careful of "correction" which requires you to yank on your dogs leash. This is NOT a good form of training. Positive reinforcement only! I think Petco only does positive though. They sell these at our Petsmart, but here is a picture online. http://www.premiumpetmart.com/premie...lk_harness.htm |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:12 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use