nowwown Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hi, We continue to train Cody to heel and walk nicely but he PULLS so much and he's so strong. So we had gotten a Sporn halter that goes around his neck, then down his chest and around his legs, back up to the collar. We try not to keep it very tight during walks but it tightens when he pulls. As a result, he has reddened skin and very little hair by his "armpits". It doesn't seem to hurt him at all; when I touch the reddened areas he doesn't seem to mind. However, he has lost so much of his hair there! Is there any safe salve or antiobiotic cream I can put on that area to soothe it and help it heal? I don't want it to be harmful to him if he licks it. He may never get the hair back but maybe have less reddened skin. We are reducing the use of the halter to just his morning walks, and stepping up the heeling training, but want to continue the use of this halter too. Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Neosporin never harmed my dog, and he had plenty of licking to do when he had some injuries. The only problem is Cody might like it so much, that each time one of you will have some ointment on one of your scraps of cuts, he will learn to lick it off you Maybe the halter is not such a good idea, I know that there are other solutions such as a Gentle Leader (?), and even (used is VERY moderation and with care), a prong collar (I used it on mine for about a month, when he was about 7-8 months old and it did wonders - just the weight of it made him realize he should't pull). He still pulls ocasionaly, but he's much better now. There might be a lot of people speaking against the prong collar, I guess it depends on the dog and how you use it. But given the ill effects of the harness you're currently using, if I would be you, I'd try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I agree with Anda. I'd stop using the harness if it's causing him to lose hair and have redness. Sorry, I'm not sure what you might put on it. Maybe give the Gentle Leader a try. If you want to try a harness, the same company makes the Easy Walk harness. I have one of each, for two different dogs, and have been happy with both products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoZo Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I've been using the Halti on Zoey for a few weeks now and it's incredible how well it works. The part that goes around her muzzle seems to calm her and the pulling instantly disappeared. It's a miracle! I can hardly believe something so simple can work so well (and how dumb I was for waiting so long to get one). There's even a noticable improvement just using her regular collar as a result. I can walk her anywhere now without having to endure her kangaroo impersonation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSnappy Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I'll put a prong on a dog over a halti any day. The thing about all of these devices is that none of them teach a dog not to pull. YOU have to do that. The devices just prevent them from doing it. Having said that, my experience is that dog seem to learn the fastest with the prong. RDM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowwown Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 If I go to EBay to buy the prong collar, what brands do you suggest I look at? I'm really not familiar at all with these. Thanks for all these good suggestions. I already went onto EBay this morning and bought the Easy Walk halter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 I think the best thing is to go with Cody at Petsmart or Petco and try on a prong collar, ask those guys for help. It's about $10-15, not more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Anda, I agree with buying one that you have tried on the dog. (Since you are in NC, nowwow---Jack's cost $8.99 from Carolina Pet Supply in Kannapolis. They also sell extra links.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 And smaller links are better than the large ones. Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzy Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 A bike worked good for me to train a dog years ago while I was pregnant. I walked beneath the bike, the dog on the other side. I used the bikes brakes to get the dog to a steady tempo without having all the pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lin Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Since you've ordered the Gentle Leader halter, I'd try that before going to a prong. The Gentle Leader halter works wonders for my dog. I'm not against a prong collar temporarily IF the handler knows how to use it. Most people don't -- including me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheri McDonald Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 I am with RDM, love the prong collar when used correctly it is great! I would not use the halter but that is just me. Neosporin is part of our dog first aid kit and gets used often in our home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amberkaster Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 You may need to look for it on line. I use honeyguy waterblocker products for all types of skin problems. It won't help with the hair but heals many skin disorders on humans. Ingrediants (honey, beeswaxs, borax and water)www.honeyguyproducts.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Having had a BC who thinks she's a 30 lb. sled-dog, I can relate to your problem. I didn't use a harness type set-up for teaching Allie to walk on a lead, because it merely redistributes the weight of the pull and some dogs (despite the discomfort) use that pressure to strain harder. I had some success with using a Halti/Gentle Leader and have also used the prong collar before (not on my BC, but a previous dog), also with good results. It sounds like you are working consistently with Cody and he will eventually "get-it" . This is the technique (which is really just a modified heeling practice) that got the best results with Allie: I put a 4 - 5 ft. leash onto her collar, put her into a "sit" at my side, and then slid my hand up the leash (giving only about 6-8 inches or so of slack), gave the release and then "heel" commands and began walking forward. (The dog will still tug and pull, but the short lead limits the amount of movement.) We continued walking around for a few minutes, and then did the "sit" and "stay". I repeated this step several times. I then increased the slack length on the leash and repeated the above steps. If that is successful, you can increase the slack length each time you do the exercise. If the dog continues to pull and strain, you start over with the shorter lead. Allie's recall is excellent and so once she had the idea, I left the lead on, but dropped it after she was in the "sit" and we did the heeling exercise without the use of the lead. If she did well on the "heel", I gave her the release and let her go ahead for a minute and then called her back into the "heel". I wouldn't do a released walk off-leash, however, unless Cody's recall is very, very good or the exercise is done in a controlled area. Allie does very well on the lead now and we can walk on leash without it being a pull and choke-fest. Hallelujah! I also think that Neosporin works well for healing rubbed skin. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.