Am I Boring My Dog? (21 page)

That doesn’t mean we should start drugging our dogs for acting doggy—as we dose our kids with unneeded Ritalin, say. As with everything in life, it’s a question of balance.

In the best of all possible worlds, your impeccably trained dog would walk calmly by your side without a leash and never jump on—or hump—your visitors. And we would have lasting peace in the Middle East. In our actual universe, we need restraint equipment to help keep our inquisitive pals from endangering themselves, from driving us nuts, and from falling into the clutches of animal control. Call it the hardware to the software of training.

Naturally, there’s no consensus on which restraints are the most humane and the most effective. On one end of the spectrum are people who believe that dogs shouldn’t wear neck collars of any kind because they’re ineffective and/or harmful; on the other are those who regard shock collars as the only way to get dogs to toe the line. Similarly, opinions on crates range from considering them safe havens to condemning them as doggie lockups.

Any restraint is only as benevolent as the dictator who administers it, and even cruel tools can be used responsibly by skilled practitioners. Still, the following assessments take into account the ease with which well-intended but inexpert handlers can screw up and harm their pups. In theory, most of these should be used for training only; in practice, many of them end up as permanent accessories—which is another reason to avoid some of them in the first place.

Time was when few questioned the neck collar as the anchor for a leash and ID tags. In recent years, however, the efficacy of trying to guide dogs by the neck—with or without pain—has come under dispute. The base of the neck doesn’t have many nerve endings, the argument goes, which is why bridles are used to get horses moving and nose rings rule in camel caravans.

The neck collar’s effect on canine health has been examined, too—especially for small dogs. The neck may not have nerve endings, but it can be damaged by constant pressure.

Nevertheless, the following items still dominate the racks at pet supply emporia.

 

The standard default collars, these don’t do anything but hang around the neck. They’re fine for dogs who don’t tend to yank or pull vigorously.

You’ll be spoiled for choice in this category. To start with, get something adjustable, especially if you have a rapidly growing puppy. A collar should be loose enough for you to slip two fingers
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into, tight enough so your dog can’t escape; three fingers usually leaves too much room. (Wait until your dog relaxes a bit to perform any digital measurements.) The smaller the dog, the wider the collar should be in proportion to her neck; otherwise a swift tug can turn it into a garrote.

After that, anything goes. People who wouldn’t dream of dressing their dogs get their sartorial kicks with collars—metro-bling, natty nautical, Guatemalan-weave, ethno-chic … you name it and it’s available in a real or virtual pet boutique. Most collars simply make a fashion statement, but others are also utilitarian. If you walk your dog at night, for example, consider neckwear that glows in the dark or pulses flashing lights.

 

As the less frightening of its aliases suggests, rather than buckling or snapping together, this collar slips around a dog’s head. Whether consisting of chain link or nylon, it bears a metal ring at each end. One is inserted through the other and attached to a leash. When the dog tugs, so does the collar. If put on or used improperly, the slip collar may choke your dog ceaselessly (and, if it accidentally catches on something, fatally). If put on and used properly, it chokes your dog selectively by applying a quick, snapping pressure that serves as a correction.

If you don’t have a problem with booby-trapping your dog’s exercise, perhaps you’ll be dissuaded away from this collar by the fact that even correct use may be harmful to his health. According to one post-mortem study, some 92 percent of dogs on whom choke chains were used showed damage to the soft or hard tissue of their necks. In particular, the trachea and esophagus of small dogs were vulnerable. Additionally, choke chains can put pressure on the ocular nerve, bringing on glaucoma in breeds that are susceptible to it. They may also create pulmonary edemas in brachycephalic dogs—the ones with pushed-in faces.

 

Originally designed for dogs with heads narrower than their necks, such as Greyhounds, these collars combine the flat collar and the choke chain—only without the choking part.

That is, they only tighten slightly when a dog pulls on them, which keeps the collar from slipping off. Usually. That’s one of the disadvantages of this type of restraint: if the flat part that goes around the dog’s neck isn’t adjusted to exactly the right length, leaving a gap between the rings to which the leash is attached, or if the dog backs up suddenly, he can slip out of the collar (and not just partially).

 

Ouch! This collar consists of a series of wide chain links, each with metal prongs that turn inward toward a dog’s neck. More similar to a Martingale than to a full slip collar in that it limits the extent to which it can constrict the throat, this device compensates for its inability to throttle by its potential to inflict sharper and more constant pain. It looks meaner than a choke chain, too—the better to advertise your sadistic tendencies.

 

The most infamous of the distant-control restraint devices, the shock collar does exactly what its name states. Not only is the idea of wanting to apply even a slight jolt of electricity to your best friend unfathomable to me, but these collars are far from reliable as training tools. For example, you can accidentally set off the current with your TV remote, thus causing your dog to cower every time he hears the opening notes of
Law and Order.

Less obnoxious, the citronella collar is designed to distract a dog from any unwanted behavior. The most commonly used variety is voice activated, spritzing the pup with an annoying burst of lemon whenever she barks. These collars are not cheap, and finding the cause of the barking would be far preferable, but they’re not dangerous, either.
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And who doesn’t like a quiet, mosquito-free pup?

I was taken aback when I first began noticing dogs along the trail wearing these restraints, which wrap, muzzlelike, around the mouth. What could have made all those benign-looking Golden Retrievers turn evil, I wondered—and could Frankie defend himself if one of them escaped? I have since discovered that these so-called head collars, which fasten around the back of the neck and drape over the top of the snout—similar to halters used on horses—aren’t designed to keep dogs from biting. Rather, they’re intended to keep them from tugging on a leash by replicating the action of mother dogs who lift puppies by the scruff of their necks and/or put their snouts in her mouth. Far from being violent offenders, haltered dogs are simply pups taking direction from a mommy surrogate (you). They can open their mouths, drink, eat, carry toys … all the things that good dogs are allowed to do.
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Many dog owners swear by these items, sold under such names as Gentle Leader, Halti, and Snoot Loops. They’re thrilled by their ability to get their charges to do their bidding without painful coercion. Dogs are not as uniformly enthusiastic; judging by their often-fervent attempts to remove them, halters are probably as uncomfortable as they look. In all likelihood, you’ll need to introduce your pup to this headgear slowly, with lots and lots of food bribes.

Two caveats:
Although halters are usually safe, if you jerk your dog’s head suddenly, you can cause a neck or spine injury. And for obvious reasons, they’re not an option for dogs without snouts—Boxers, Pugs, Brussels Griffons, and so on.

Dashing through the snow … Okay, harnesses are not only for sled-bearing Huskies (or reindeer). In fact, small breeds with sensitive tracheas are the most likely to get strapped into these chest cradlers, although most other dogs, and especially escape artists with skinny heads, can benefit from wearing them, too.

In general, because the pressure from a harness is equally distributed, you can’t harm any part of your dog’s body with them. Even the potential discomfort from chafing straps can be mitigated by felt- or velvet-lined versions, as well as those made from soft nylon webbing.

It’s the fact that they’re cushy that makes most harnesses unsuited to large dogs who like to go their own way; if you don’t let go of the leash, your big lug may have the leverage to pull you down the street, which is embarrassing. The so-called “no-pull” harnesses, however, discourage such behavior by tightening under the front legs and shoulders when your pup tries to haul you away. And those designed so that the leash attaches to the front have the added advantage of getting your dog to move toward you, rather than away from you, to relieve the pressure.

The down side of harnesses? They must be carefully fitted; they have to be used in conjunction with a collar bearing your dog’s ID tag; and they can be a huge pain to get on. I bought one for Frankie that has a strap intended to go between his front paws and hug his chest. He prefers to insert both feet on one side while trying to chew on the seatbeltstyle plastic buckle that goes around his middle. To be honest, I only use the harness to be PC.
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Frankie likes to walk behind me, with the rare collar tug therefore catching him on the scruff and not the throat, but I don’t want anyone to think that I’m injuring him. If I need to leave the house in fewer than 20 minutes, however, public opinion be damned.

There are two general types of leashes: the sensible kind and the retractable variety that holds 15 to 30 feet of nylon line in a plastic handle. Too many things can go wrong with retractables to enumerate, but they include: uselessness in case of an emergency (they lock up when they’re stretched taut); the ease of getting them tangled in another dog’s leash or of having another dog owner trip over them, because they’re so thin they’re practically invisible;
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and frequency of breakage of both the handle and the nylon line. Use the wrong strength, and you can accidentally jerk your small dog off her feet. All in all, if you feel the need to reel something in, go fishing.

Assuming, then, that you’re opting for the sensible variety, the main things to consider are length and material.

 

Four to six feet is a good standard size for both training and general strolling, the shorter length being preferable for urban walking, and especially if street-crossing is involved. For hikes and other outdoor adventures, the so-called long line, a clothesline-type rope that can extend as long as 50 feet lets your dog pretend she’s off leash. You can step on the leash whenever you want to stop her from forging through the forest, thus crushing her illusion of freedom.

The indecisive and those who enjoy lots of different activities with their dogs should consider adjustable leashes, which have clasps at both ends and several rings that allow you to shorten and lengthen the tether at will or whim.

 

Leather is the classiest and probably the most user-friendly for the holder, but it’s also the most expensive, most liable to be subject to sun and water damage, and most likely to be chewed by your dog.

Chain leashes are sturdy and definitely discourage chewing, but they’re uncomfortable to hold unless they have a leather or nylon handle. And if your dog accidentally slaps himself with the leash—ow! (And talk about not PC.)

Nylon and cotton are probably your best bets. They’re cheap, durable, washable, and come in lots of colors. You can get one for every outfit—yours and your dog’s.

I’ve seen the word “crate” used to refer to everything from snug, hard-sided travel carriers to capacious playpens that afford pups pacing space. It’s the in-between size, large enough for a dog to stand up and turn around in but too small for him to transform a separate area into a bathroom, which I’m talking about here.

Properly used, crates are intended to fill in for wolf dens or caves. A dog won’t soil the place where he sleeps, the theory goes, which makes these cozy enclosures ideal for maintaining (although not initiating) housetraining. And because canines often need a retreat from irritating
Homo sapiens,
a crate also doubles as a sanctuary.

Nor is there anything wrong with occasionally sending your pal off to chill in a crate during the visit of a dog-averse friend.
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All too often, however, crates are turned into lockups
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for dogs who destroy stuff out of loneliness and boredom while their owners are away from home for extended periods. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating here: “Bad human, bad human!”

No matter what your intent, you can’t stick a dog into a crate cold turkey and expect her not to regard it as punishment. Crate training takes time and effort; the extent of both will depend on your dog’s age and her history with confinement. Dogs who come from puppy mills may be used to being caged and find it comfortingly familiar, while those who land at a shelter after living in a home for many years may resist anything that reminds them of the pound.

The Humane Society’s website,
www.hsus.org
, offers a detailed program (click on “pets” and then “pet care”) for crate training. Some quick tips for acclimating your dog to her faux den include …