There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but in our experience we find that collars provide a better feedback mechanism to the dog or puppy being trained than what body harnesses do.
Then there’s the question of full or half choke collar. We strongly recommend Martingale or half choke collars for our FurbBuddies which gives the best comfort, control and feedback on leash.
Choke collars or chains can cause pinching, choking and injury if used incorrectly during on leash training or walking.
The Martingale or half choke collar is a best of both combining the comfort of a traditional collar with the flexibility of a choke collar. The collar is the primary feedback signal or mechanism to your dog or puppy during training, especially when teaching leash walking, or addressing behavioural problems such as leash aggression.
Typically, Martingale or half choke collars are a combination of the traditional webbing collar with a chain loop to which the leash is attached. When the dog or puppy is at rest or in a neutral walking position, the collar imitates a traditional static collar. If the dog or puppy starts pulling or chasing, the tension in the collar increases, which together with a verbal command will break the leash pulling cycle and provide positive reinforcement when the dog or puppy backs off and the tension in the collar is released.
We are currently testing the latest type of body harness, the no-pull harness which provides similar flexibility to a Martingale collar and will provide an update in a future post on our findings as the use of that as a training tool.
As to where the name originates from, it likely derives from the piece of tack used in horses by the same name, which is designed (in horses) to prevent them from lifting their head too high. The smaller of the two loops on a martingale collar contains a D-ring, where the leash is attached.
FurBuddies is an official RedDingo partner and we can supply your dog or puppy with a his or her own swanky martingale collar. For more information visit https://reddingo.co.za/products/dogs/collars/martingale/ – Pricing on request, simply provide us with the size, colour and design for a quote.
