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mckee.lucie User is Offline

Seattle, WA

MH
Posts:202

07/10/2012 10:34 AM
Anyone here use a slip lead or martingale collar for daily walks? Luna's walking has greatly improved, ie. pulling, over the past few months of using a prong collar for walks and I feel like we could take a step back on what we're using and have seen a few other people with GSP's using slip leads and occasionally martingale collars. Our dog walker recommended we try a martingale, but I wanted to see what you guys may recommend. She normally walks on a 4 ft. leash. Thanks!

Nancy D

No. Lower MI - Gaylord Area

MH
Posts:849

07/10/2012 11:16 AM
I have both a prong and martingale for Lucy. Depends on how she is on any given day as to which one I put on her. Inside the house and in the fenced yard, none of my dogs have their collars on for safety reasons.

Texas Belle User is Offline

Austin, TX

MH
Posts:7843

07/10/2012 11:52 AM
I use slip leads, but have in the past tried martingales. I just am so used to the slip leads it is hard for me to change. I do like both though because they are hard for a dog to throw their collar off when walking.

Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna) Yellow Rose GSPs "A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato

mckee.lucie User is Offline

Seattle, WA

MH
Posts:202

07/10/2012 1:16 PM
Thanks for your replies Nancy and Texas Belle. Can you see what would be a benefit of using one versus the other, more control and better transition from a prong? Do you have any specific kinds of slip leads or martingales you recommend? Thanks in advance!

Smylinacha User is Offline

Connecticut

MH
Posts:1208

07/10/2012 2:35 PM
I don't walk both dogs anymore after my incident w/ them but Lou does and I'll walk with him when I can. We have the collars that just go over their heads and there is slip in them so he puts them up high and then the leashes. He also uses the Tritronics E collars on each dog but they don't need to be corrected much at all when he walks them - they listen to him (unlike me).

DuckFever

Central Oregon

MH
Posts:321

07/11/2012 1:56 PM
Pinch/prong collar. IMO it's crueler to allow the dog to choke itself on a normal collar than it is to make the dog uncomfortable once or twice when the pull on the pinch collar.

The worst day of hunting is better than the best day at work.

Smylinacha User is Offline

Connecticut

MH
Posts:1208

07/11/2012 2:03 PM
We had the prong collars - the nice german ones - forget the brand but we couldn't use on Velvet because she was bald on her neck when we got her and it would have cut her up. She has hair there now but it's so thin. The prong worked great on Windsor in the very beginning but then he started to pull with that but I think part of the problem was it wasn't fitted properly and me being so short the walking was difficult trying to get the prong to stay up high. My husband could walk him w/ the prong. Then we got the tritronics to train them and use Velvet for hunting since that's what she did with her old owner. Windsor is a trainwreck so forget him hunting. And I need more training w/ the e collar to train them - I got some good advice in here but still too scared to walk both of them on my own - I still have scars from the roadrash.

Nancy D

No. Lower MI - Gaylord Area

MH
Posts:849

07/12/2012 8:53 AM
I, personally, prefer the martingale to the slip. Lucy's martingale is all fabric, no chain, and is 1" wide. She does quite well, but still pulls when we first get started. I ordered and just received a ComfortFlex Sport harness for her. Very well made, padded and does not fit right behind the elbows so it doesn't irritate the skin and cause sores. To be totally honest, I just finished reading an article about flat and choke collars that told of the injuries that could occur from a dog constantly pulling on a collar - from crushing or injuring the windpipe to damaging the vertebrae in their neck. The crazy part of it is that Lucy pulls less with a harness than she does with a collar. Of course, over time, that could change, but I hope not. That does not mean that I'm not a believer in the prong. I've used a prong on all my dobes and still do with my current one.

mckee.lucie User is Offline

Seattle, WA

MH
Posts:202

07/12/2012 10:03 AM
Thanks to everyone for all your replies. I too agree and am a total believer in the prong, at this point though with her walking immensely improved I still wanted to consider attempting to transition to the regular-type collar or harness. Thanks for the suggestions on the martingale and even the comfort flex harness, I'll look into that! The interesting thing with Luna has been that loves to do anything that involves going outdoors, gets excited by her e-collar and even run to me to put it on, when I say we're going for a walk or bring out her swimming toy because she knows she's going out to play...but as soon as I take out the prong collar it's like she runs and hides. We've worked on this with our dog walker/trainer a lot and she suggested that at times she's seen dogs like this with certain collar that may be inflicting some discomfort and that on the occasion that she pulls whether it's in fear of something that scares her on the walk or pulling to chase a squirrel that runs by she's not associating it correctly. Has anyone else seen this? I find it strange how it only happens when we take that one specific collar out, nothing else.

Nancy D

No. Lower MI - Gaylord Area

MH
Posts:849

07/12/2012 12:55 PM
I haven't had that problem. It could simply be that she doesn't like the feel of it on her neck. You can get tip covers. Have you checked into that?

juliej

Kentucky

MH
Posts:113

07/13/2012 9:29 PM
To transition, you can turn the prongs inside-out. That way they are readily available.

Julie Aldo von der Raucherei

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