Standard Poodle....squashed esophagus

Question
I was reading some of your postings and saw a recent one that mentioned a "squashed esophagus" and mentioned the type collar that should be worn.  Is this true with all poodles?
Also thanks for your answers to my questions on "jack" the timid Red Standard... I also read that you feel the reds are for some reason prone to being fearful of men?? What?
A neighbor down the street is going to begin helping me with the training of "Jack". He has reccommended the same technique for socialization as you. Get him out have treats in my pocket for people to give him. He needs to know that people are okay. (I want him to know my husband Don is okay as well!) The neighbor is in law enforcement, and has also trained competition dogs for 20 years. He thinks that Jack will be easy to train... a "soft" dog. But, neding socialized!

Answer
Hello again Patty,
Sometimes when you get a dog that pulls on their collar alot or if you are heavy handed on a little dog, you can cause damage to their esophagus.  In this case, its best if you walk your dog or take him out on a Harness rather than a Collar because the Collars can cause further damage to the esophagus.  You can also get thick Martingale collars that Greyhound owners use for their dogs.
Here is a website that sells these types of collars and also has Harnesses;
http://www.thestylishhound.com/?gclid=CI6SgePg6pECFQQilwod9WNoeQ

What I meant with the Red Poodles is that the Red and Apricot Poodles tend to be more shy around strangers (not just men)at first and sometimes require more work to get them socalized than the other colors.  Each color tends to have its own characteristics and being a bit aloof seems to run with the Reds/Apricots.  My mom and I have bred the Red Poodles for several years and it takes a bit more getting them out and around people before they are comfortable than the other colors (we also breed Silvers, Apricots, and in the beginning, blacks)
Reds do tend to be "soft" and take to training very well.  They love to please and are super at Obedience/Agility.  Correct gently because they don't react well to harsh corrections.  They respond wonderfully to praise and treats work good also.

Good Luck with him and I would love to hear how he is doing.  
You can e-mail me at MsTopkdog@yahoo.com
Talk to you later,
Kim