doggie wont walk nice

Question
I have a 2-year old fox terrier that pulls 95% of the time when I take him for a walk. This occurs mostly when he is walking in an environment where there are new sights and smells. When I walk him on our street he is a bit better, but anytime another dog appears, he pulls. He also tries to pull to a stop when he sees something of interest on the ground. He seems unaware of the correction chain he is wearing. This is not the one with sharp points, just links that tighten around the neck.

He is always wearing the correction chain when I walk him, in additional to his usual leather collar. I remove the correction chain when his walk is done. I have it on correctly because after each correction, the collar loosens. Sometimes after a correction "snap" he even pulls further from me. I usually allow a little slack, so it hangs like a U shape, but then he takes advantage of the slack by pulling further. He does the same when I try walking him very close with no correction. I don't know what to do to get him walking nicely with a little slack and no pulling. I don't want to be doing excessive yanks because that is bad for the spinal column and will result in referred pain later in his life. Any suggestions? Thank you.

Answer
David -

I had to chuckle at the title of your question.  I have one of those too. My jack russell does earthdog, agility and obedience work and when I put his earthdog collar and leash on him, he turns into a freight train.  Luckily, I've done enough obedience work with him on a different collar and leash that he "gets" the difference and is a gentleman the rest of the time.

I assume you mean what is often called a "choke" chain collar.  There are 2 reasons I do not recommend them.  1 - If not put on correctly, the chain does not promptly release back to the non-corrective position, and 2 - tons and tons of studies and experients have shown that this negative reinforcement is less effective that some of the less tug and yank kinds.

There are aeveral good options I would suggest you think about trying.

The best is a harness that clips to the leash on the chest. This has the simple action that every time the dog starts to pull, he automatically turns himself around to face you.... Petmart has these on their webpage called premier easy walk harness

Then there is also a Sporn no pull harness , and there is also a halti-halter or a gentle leader.  The last 2 being a halter that goes on their face.  If you opt for this, you must be trible sure to use the attachment that also goes to the collar in case he managed to slip out of the halter. Petsmart also has all of these on their web page.

I only tell you that Petsmart has them so you can see and read before buying from the place of your choice.

I would recommend you look at these and think about which you would feel most comfortable working with, and then have a go at it.  I also always recommend a beginner obedience class for every dog so they get the basics of what you're expecting before you are left alone trying to do the work

Best wishes !

Beth Adams
Col Potter Cairn Rescue Network
Above & Beyond English Setter Rescue