New English Mastiff owner

[mklamcc]

Hi! My name is Kim, I'm married with 2 children. We have 2 dogs, 1 cat and now we just adopted a 9 month old English mastiff. His name is Leo. He was my friends dog and but they can't keep him. He has very little experience walking on a leash but is making good progress. I think a harness would do a world of good (as it did with my other two dogs) but my husband thinks a pinch collar would be better due to his size. What do ya'll think?

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

There are plenty of opinions on both here, have a look and you will soon find a variety of different opinions. All I will say is go with what you are comfortable with. Personally I wouldnt use a pinch collar for all the tea in China but this is only my personal opinion and in know way would I judge someone who did.

 

[mklamcc]

I have never used a pinch collar. They look horrible but I know people who have/do and they swear that it doesn't hurt the dog and it works. I am only considering it because of Leo's size and strength. That is why I figured that I would come on here and get opinions from people who have the same kinda dog and would know.

 

[jreach72]

I am a fan of the pitch collar. I know it sounds horrible but if you put one on your arm and give a tug you will notice it really doesn't hurt much at all. The key is using it properly firm, but not excessive correction. I used one when training our Siberian husky (now passed) and plan on using one on our mastiff when old enough. Our lab mix also uses one and I was surprised at how quickly he took to it. Again, I concur with the above posts as this is just my experience and in no way to I fault anyone who chooses an alternative method, nor do I think this is the only way to go.

 

[Confused68]

I have used pinch collars they do work and they do correct but the idea is that they are used until the dog learns not to pull then you switch to a regular collar. My only advice is not to let anyone walk the dog with the pinch collar on that is not experienced with it. I have teenage boys so we took them out and taught them how to use it prior to us allowing them to take Viking for walks. It did work but I have to say I was glad when we didn't need it any longer and I do feel that they should only be used if the dog is too much for you to handle.

 

[jreach72]

100% agree with Confused68...I also do not leave the collars on, only while training.

 

[DennasMom]

It's hard to make a recommendation without seeing the dog in action.

Some dogs react poorly to the pinch collar. It can make them MORE reactive, feeling the pinch can escalate their discomfort and lead to anger. But for others it can have a calming influence - and for those a very light touch is normally plenty to get the point across. For hard-headed types that get really focused, sometimes a good snap on the pinch is required to break their concentration - a harness would probably do no good in that situation. But, a 9 month old puppy shouldn't be at that point.

The trainer in my all-positive class recommends the harness - where you can attach the leash up front, so when they pull, the leash pulls them sideways. If you attach at the middle of the back, they'll just learn they can pull you around like a trailer.

Our mastiff is a push-over. She's good on just a flat collar. I put a pinch on her, and she fell over - collapsed to the ground - and wouldn't move. I now have a slip collar, which I like, because it has some 'spring' in it - so when she hits the end of her long-line, there's a little shock absorption for both of us. And, most of the time, she's not pulling anyway, so there's no pressure anywhere, it's just a nice loose necklace. We've really enjoyed the all-positive approach... lots of treats, but we both leave class very happy to be around each other. And, when out in the 'hood on a walk, all I have to do is open the treat bag, and she's right at my hip, eyes on mine, focused on what I want her to do next. We'll work on phasing out the treats later. She's still just 7.5 months old, and learning.

I'd enroll in a training class that follows your philosophy (all-positive clicker/reward based or a more balanced approach with corrections), and talk to the trainer about the right equipment for your dog. They should (should, not always) be better able to make recommendations after seeing how the dog works in person. Finding a trainer you like might be the hard part, though.

And... our dog goes naked at home, too... collars are only used as needed or if we're away from home.

 

[mklamcc]

Thanks DennasMom! We ended up gettig a harness like we have for our other two dogs. It helps but he still needs alot of work. He spent most of his time in a crate at his former home and wasn't walked so we are having to start from scratch. He isn't too bad though. Just big and strong and a bit stubborn. Not a good combo when trying to walk him. But he seems to be catching on fairly quickly.

 

[mklamcc]

This Leo. I have more pictures but for some reason I am having a hard time getting them to post.

 

[musicdeb]

Agree with DeenasMom. Personally, I've never used the pinch or prong collar. Titan does pretty well with a regular collar. BTW, Leo is handsome!

 

[Smokeycat]

My EM is also 9 months and I can understand your comments about how strong he is. Kryten has been walked on a flat collar since I got him. When he was under 7 months he walked perfectly on leash. When he reached the start of adolescence, at 7 months, he started to pull. I did the start/stop manner of teaching him not to pull. We had one walk in which we did less than 1/2 mile in 1 hr.

 

[raechiemay]

I think that pinch/prong collars are effective on certain dogs but believe that they aren't for everyone. I am still seriously considering using one for my parent's lab/chow mix who pulls & pulls on walks & no amount of correction will get her to stop, but having little to no experience using them, I'm not just going to throw one on her without having done some more research & watching some videos.

With Duchess I've been using a flat collar but she has a bit of leash reactivity & shys away from other dogs. I thought about using a martingale type collar but decided to enroll her in a basic obedience class after I get back from vacation. Personally, I don't want to use anything other than a flat collar.

I'd be careful using a harness as he might use that as more leverage to pull. But if it's working than more power to ya. He's very cute btw. Love his face

 

[jreach72]

One idea to try that we used on our Siberian who was by far the MOST STUBBORN DOG ON THE PLANET (failed obedience school TWICE!!!!) Anyhow, I really miss her today but am grateful for all she taught me about training dogs...going through the classes as much as we did I can honestly say I could teach that class. Back on topic, one thing that worked with our husky was every time she pulled on the collar when walking I would quickly turn and start running in the other direction (always keeping a few loops on a leash available to avoid dragging her) and she would instinctively start to follow me. When she caught up and began to lead and pull I would do the same thing. My neighbors probably thought I was nutz as we never got passed our own property line on our sidewalk. After about a week of that I could walk her without her ever pulling on the collar. It was a huge improvement and I have since used this approach with other "stubborn" dogs.

Note: I have not tried this with a mastiff that weighs as much as me...I might be the one on my backside being dragged

 

[musicdeb]

I tried the technique of turning around and going the other way with Titan. It took us 1/2 hr to walk about 1/8 of a mile. What worked for him is I would stop and make him sit. I would tell him easy and start walking again. It took a few weeks for it to work but now he knows when I say easy, it means easy or we do not move.