Things You'll Need:
- Patience
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Step 1
Using a choke style collar: I’m not an advocate of choking dogs. You should never pull the choke collar hard enough to hurt your dog. It should be used as nothing more than an attention getter. Shop for a nylon or cotton choke collar, and before you put it on the animal, attach his tags or some keys to add noise. If you choose to use the metal type of choke collar, with your dog standing facing you, make a “P” with the collar, and then slip it over his head. Attach a bell or a few keys on the end of the collar to create a distracting noise. Attach the lead to the collar’s end.
To properly execute a corrective jerk, give a snap on lead just enough to make the bell or keys jingle. The collar should tighten, but the dog’s body shouldn’t move when done correctly. Always say ‘no’ when using this method of correction. Practice this on your own arm before trying it on the dog to get your timing right, and to get the right pressure. -
Step 2
Using the Scruff-Shake: If you simply cannot stand the thought of using a choke collar on your dog, or your dog is of the pocket sized variety, don’t fret, I have an alternative. It’s called the ‘scruff shake’ and it’s often very effective. To properly use the scruff shake method, grasp the scruff of the dog’s neck (between his ears and above his shoulder blades) much like his mother did when he was with her, and shake it a little while saying “aaaahhhgg” simulating the mother’s growl.
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Step 3
While training your dog, the object of your game should be to set the dog up to succeed. Try at every opportunity to allow him to win! When you aren’t both having fun at this, you are less likely to succeed. If at any point during the training process you see that your dog is regressing, or not responding as consistently as he did at first, take a step back and start that part of his training over. If aggression or other disturbing behaviors arise, please don’t’ hesitate to call a professional trainer.
