Martingale Collar

Question
I have a 6 month old Maltipoo and we are starting our second session of obedience training. He did very good in the first session. I would like to use a martingale collar for boundary training and other 'serious' issues. I'm not sure how to use it and would appreciate your comments on that type of collar.

Answer
A martingale collar is a special type of dog collar that helps a dog stay comfortable while being completely secure on their leash. A martingale collar is made with two loops. The large loop is placed around the dogs neck and adjusted to fit loosely. The leash is then clipped to the D ring on the small loop. When the dog tries to pull their head out of the collar, the tension on the leash pulls the small loop taunt, which makes the large loop smaller and tighter on the neck preventing escape.
When adjusted properly the dog is never choked, but the collar stays snug around the dog's neck (just behind the ears) until the pressure is released. The key being PROPERLY ADJUSTED.

It is the flat version of a prong collar. When properly fit a prong collar is only snug when the two ends of the large loop are pulled togteher by the small loop. The rest of the time there is no pressure onthe dog. The martingale is snug all the time and gets very tight when the small looop makes the large loop ends meet.

While preferred by some trainers, dogs with soft trachia can be choked as easily with the martingale as a choke chain since it acts as a full circumfrence compression device. The prong collar only pushes where the prongs are, much as a mothers teeth, and cannot crush the trachia or blood vessels. Be sure the martingale releases properly after being pulled.

I prefer enticement (emptional desire to perform the task) over forced action and always recommend these be used only if necessary and only to be worn when you are with the dog in training, never when the dog is alone.

Regards,
Henry Ruhwiedel
Westwind Kennels LLC