I had the same problem with my Aussie wanting to pull me. When we went to dog obedience, they recommended a Halti. You will find it in the better pet stores. I found mine at Pet Smart. Also, I know this sounds Hollywood, but watch the Dog Whisper also. Most of the dogs he works with have a pulling problem. It will give you confidence. I have personally used some of his ideas and they work. You are the Alpha and even at a young age he needs to know that. Cesar on the dog whisper has great ideas and when you start applying his techniques you will be a more confident pet owner. You'll do great.

There are two Gentle Leader products that might work in your case. These products were recommended by our doggie obedience class trainer.

The Gentle Leader Headcollar looks like a small nylon horse bridle. It goes on over the dog's nose and puts pressure on the back of its neck if it lunges, pulls, etc.

The Gentle Leader Harness applies pressure to the chest and shoulder blades when the dog pulls, lunges, etc.

I think either product seems a bit more humane than a pinch collar. If you dog doesn't like to have things pulled over his head (many don't), the harness might be a better option.

Here's a link for more info:

Here is a link that might be useful: Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness

We've been using the gentle leader head collar for our 5 month old pup and it works great.

We always used the prong collar on our Lab and she only had to be corrected once,, and it worked like a charm after that. Our new gal, the prong did not fizz on her and we tried the halti and it works wonderful. She pulls no more unless we forget it and try walking her to the park on a regular collar. She is also a 60 pound dog and we really like it.

We use the gentle leader on our lab--it was a godsend. I would have paid double what they asked for it if I knew ahead of time how well it works. You can now walk her with one finger on the leash. People look at you funny like you have a dangerous dog and think it might be a muzzle, but I don't care. We met up with another couple with a larger lab than ours and she was as docile as could be. They commented that her whole demeanor changed when they put it on her.

De

I have a halti on my 75 lb rottie. It works very well in conjuntion with a 4 ft leash & a firm, consistent hand. Please, don't use a flexi lead if you have a large dog, they afford you NO control over the dog. As far as the whole "muzzle" thing goes I just explain to people that the halti is like a bridle on a horse. It isn't really but people tend to think bridle= nice horsey & muzzle = vicious dog.

A word about prong collars. A properly fitted and properly used prong can be a valuable training tool. They may look barbaric but they pinch rather than poke (yes, I tried one on myself before I would even consider using one on my dog...you should have seen the looks I got in the pet store).

You might want to speak to a trainer about what sort of collar would work best on your dog. Flat, buckle collars can provide no corection but some dogs don't need any. Choke collars can easily be misused, cause damage and dogs will build up a tolerance. Whatever collar you choose the key is to use it properly.

Good luck!

Nina

Harnesses work great for some dogs. SOme dogs just dont get it no matter what you use. Try making your dog sit and stay and wait for it to be calm before going out the door. GO OUT THE DOOR FIRST. Make your dog sit and stay before and after every door way. If your dog is treat oriented, take some, put them in your pocket. Keep the dog at your heel next to the pocket (you dont have to give the dog a treat, its just being there might be enough. SOmetimes you can help REMIND the dog who is boss, by taking a few steps going in one direction and then suddenly turn around and go the other way for 50 feet or so, then turn around again - as soon as your dog gets wiley, turn around again. Good luck, keep up the hard work.

Thanks everyone for your input! We are off to the pet store tomorrow to see what selection they have. We are also getting an African Moon Crab too! hehehehe! Like I need another animal! LOL!

Incidently I used a haltie with our border collie and it was the ONLY way I could take him for a walk! (He was a nipper, so the haltie helped for that as well!)He smartened right up with the haltie and with in a few seconds, walked like a prince in it!

"sigh": I would of loved to see the stares you got when you tried on the prong collar! hehehehe! Too funny! They do look barbaric though...

Thanks again everyone!

We used to call it the killer collar. We went right to a breeder and she took our dog into a big ring and worked with her for half an hour and showed us how to use it. One correction in the ring and I never really had to again, it was great.
Yes, there is alot of contraversy on these collars, but as usual, it is due to inappropriate use.

for dogs that are just total butt heads try this, it's a way you can make your own no pull leash, link below

Here is a link that might be useful: instant no pull leash

OK, here's my take. My ex has been a professional dog trainer for many years. I was involved in the business for about 5 yrs. before I created my own website for pet products.

She started out recommending and selling the Halti, then she discovered the Gentle Leader and found it to be a MUCH better product and sold a ton of them. Then she discovered a whole new group of products that fall into the "no-pull" harness category. They don't go over the head, so they don't look like a muzzle. And, instead of having the link to attach the leash behind the dogs neck, between the shoulder blades, the link is in front of the dogs chest. So, when the dog pulls, it pulls them a bit off balance to the side and it annoys them, so they stop pulling - really quickly. Like http://www.softouchconcepts.com/ and others.

Then she invented her own product which combines that principal with a service dog vest. She's a good resource for answering this question because she's studied it extensively. I obviously can't put a link to her site here or to mine because of the terms of the site. But, you can email me if you want more info.

Good luck with your pulling issues.

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: My email is on this site.