Effective Training Collar Use
Training collars such as choke chains and Martingale collars are designed for very specific purposes; namely to help combat problems that include excessive pulling and trying to pull back in order to remove the leash.
Flat Buckle Training Collars
Flat buckle collars are the most basic dog training collar. These are the best type for most situations and are the type of collar that you should use with young dogs that are not displaying any specific walking, behaviour, or obedience problems. They enable you, as the walker, to quickly and easily give a quick pull on the lead when your dog is doing something wrong. This is corrective walking training and should ideally be started when your puppy is very young and before you start walking them.
Becoming Accustomed To The Training Collar
Young puppies need to become accustomed to the feel of a leash and collar before they will be comfortable wearing one for walks. Put the collar on your puppy when she is eating or playing, so as not to distract or upset them too much. In the majority of cases they will try to scratch or otherwise remove the collar, which is perfectly normal behaviour. Do not remove the collar while they are doing this and, instead, wait for the puppy to calm down before removing the collar. Keep doing this a few times a day until they become completely comfortable with the collar on.
Introducing The Leash
Once your puppy has become accustomed to wearing their collar you can start to introduce them to the leash in the same way. Begin by attaching the leash to the collar and then allowing them to walk around the house dragging the leash behind them. The extra weight and the noise of the leash dragging behind is likely to cause her to become distracted and she may begin trying to remove them again. As with the training collar, wait until she calms down before removing the leash.
Continuing Leash Training
After a couple of days of walking around the house with the leash attached, she will become quite used to the new feelings. At this point you can pick the leash up and start to walk around with her. Young puppies will instinctively follow their new owners in many cases and this will allow you to get her into the habit of walking on a loose leash without pulling and without getting stressed. Keep doing this until you both feel confident in walking and you are able to leave the house.
Dog Training Collars
Training collars such as choke chains and Martingale collars are designed for very specific purposes; namely to help combat problems that include excessive pulling and trying to pull back in order to remove the leash. You should avoid using these unless it is absolutely necessary because corrective training using a simple dog training collar will help you to gain a greater degree of control over your dog and enjoy loose leash walking without having to worry about any bad habits at all.