Sporn Collar - Stops Your Dog from Pulling

Some dogs are easier to leash train than others.  And even a leash trained dog will sometimes decide to chase a squirrel or another dog - and give you a good yank at the other end of the leash.  My girls are each about 80 lbs, and even though they're good on the leash, but they weren't always.  And 160 lbs of dog is tough to hold on to!

I've never been a fan of the choke collar.  I think they're mean and can potentially hurt your dog.  As a result, I went looking for alternatives.  I found a great one in the Sporn Halter Collar.  They don't ship to Canada directly, but you can get them from Ren's.

The collar has two restraints attached to the front that go under your dog's front legs.  These then come together through a loop on the back of the collar and attach to the leash.  When your dog pulls, the restraints tighten and pinch the dog's armpit region.  This is not painful for your dog, but it is uncomfortabe.  The equivalent of a poke.

I used these on both my girls when I was leash training them.  And now, even though I am confident that the girls are well leash trained, I still use these if we're going somewhere new. 

For example, I put them on when we go hiking somewhere popular where there will be a lot of people and off leash dogs we don't know coming out of the bushes in our direction.  It gives me something to grab them with and they can't yank me.

My parents' dog, Ernie wears his EVERYWHERE because he is strong and stubborn, so when he sees a squirrel or something he goes after it, leash or not.  It's comfy enough to wear when he's off leash and running around.  No chafing problems.

These collars take a little practice to get your dog into.  It's best to put the collar on first and then put the legs through the loops one at a time.  Ernie is so used to it now, he lifts up his legs to make it easier.  At first, your dog may not like the collar very much.  After all, it pinches them when they pull.  But it doesn't take long for them to associate the collar with walks and dog parks.  All of our dogs are THRILLED when they see their Sporn collars coming out.

So if your dog pulls on the leash, the Sporn Collar is the best thing I've found to keep your pooch in control without hurting them.  We've gotten a lot of questions about our dogs' collars both at the dog park and online, and I've gotten several thank-you's from others who had a lot of trouble keeping their dogs from pulling.  Or from people whose dogs are stronger than they are - like my parents.  I highly recommend these.  Best $40 (for two) I've ever spent!