clicker training/ harnesses

Question
Hello

Could you tell me what clicker training is?

Would a harness be better for walking a puppy and training her not to pull?

Answer
In clicker training the dog is taught to regard the click as a reward.  Clicker training is very positive reinforcement oriented.  When the dog does what you want, it is rewarded with a click.  I have never used it, but those that do love it.  For more on it, look for an expert here called Findley.

I never have heard any convincing arguments in favor of the harness.  Somebody may have good results with them, but it is not common.  If you dog is at least 4 - 5 months old, start with a good 6' leather leash and a sturdy slip collar, the metal chain ones with the rings on each end. You want the shortest one that will go on
and off easily. If you walk with the dog on the left, pull the chain through
one loop forming a "P". Facing it, slip it over its head. The free end
should come over the neck to the leash, and the other end should drop slack
when there is no pull on the leash.  The slip collar is a training tool.  Take it off along with the leash.  Before 4 months use a conventional flat
collar to protect the tender young neck.


Easier dogs will give up their pulling with a few good snaps of the leash
combined with a stern "Bad dog!".  But
you don't want to use any more force than you need.  One gentle technique I
like is to just stop when he pulls.  He wants to go.  If you move forward when
the leash is slack, and stop when he pulls, he should quickly figure out the
only way to get to go, is not to pull.  This is about teaching him not to
pull, not getting somewhere.  The man that taught it to me said "If in a half
hour you haven't made it out to the front walk, fine, you have taught him a
lesson.

Still, you may want to switch to a head collar.  The leading brands are Promise,  Haltie, and Gentle Leader.  They have a
strap going around the dogs nose looking something like a muzzle.  They work
by pulling the dogs head around.  No other way gives you such great control
with so little force.  The prong collar is now a dangerous relic of value only
for its macho looks.  Do not consider using one without hands on instruction
from somebody with plenty of experience with them.

All but the most recalcitrant young puppies can be controlled before they are 4 months old with the flat collar and patience.  If you must have something more with a younger puppy, use a fabric restricted slip collar.  These are sort of a cross between the conventional flat collar and the slip collar.  Some of them are adjustable, Good for a growing puppy.  They have a fabric loop at one end with a metal ring holding the other end in the loop, allowing it to slid back a forth.  find one, or adjust one to where it will go on over the puppies head, but will not tighten up past a snug fit around the neck.  Put it on the same way as the metal slip collar.  The service dog school my Pepper belongs to uses them on all their dogs, puppies and working dogs, except where they must use a head collar.