Tag: Harness

Recall with scent work

Recall problems

Owners can find recall difficult due to their dog being distracted by the environment. The distractions could be people, other dogs, birds, or just following a natural scent. This is despite the fact that the dog may have a good relationship with their owner and be happy to take treats.

Scent work

Scent work / nose work involves your dog searching for a scent which they are rewarded for finding. The scent may be food with the reward being the food found. The scent could alternatively be something novel (e.g. catnip or specific essential oils) which is rewarded with food once the scent is found.

Scent work is a great activity since the dog uses its nose which is linked to the olfactory bulb in their brain. Using their brain will tire a dog out much more than just using their legs.

Recall using scent work

It would seem intuitive that coming back for a treat is rewarding, however for a highly motivated dog having to work for that treat can be even more rewarding.

Case study: Mabel the Cockapoo

Mable can get very distracted by everything in her environment including other dogs and birds. She can also get distracted following a natural scent.

This groundwork training session aimed to get Mabel more focused around her handler by utilising her interest in following a scent.

Getting her to use her nose (and therefore her brain) makes recall more interesting and makes being around her handler more rewarding.

This is the first time Mabel has done scent work so was learning the process as she went along.

Exercise one: Recall and follow the treat

In this exercise the treat is thrown out when the dog comes back so that she has to use her nose to find it.. Working for the treat in this way is more rewarding than just being given it.

Exercise two: Recall and find the treat

In this exercise when the dog comes back, she is sent out to search for the treat. The treat is hidden when the dog is not looking. The dog is asked to sit when she comes back to give the exercise some structure, so she is ready to look for the treat when the cue ‘find it’ is given.

Note how easily Mabel gets distracted even once she has come back. She becomes more focused as the session progresses.

Exercise three: Recall and follow the treat toy to release the treat

In this exercise when the dog comes back, the Clam toy, which contains a treat, is thrown out. The dog must therefore follow the toy and then work at getting the treat from the toy.

Note how Mabel becomes distracted by a dog in the distance but then goes back to trying to get the treat from the Clam toy.

Summary

  • Coming back for a treat is rewarding.  Mabel using her nose to find the treat can be even more rewarding.
  • Scent work exercises are focused around the handler.  This helps strengthen the dog-handler bond. 
  • Mabel using her nose will tire her out much more than just using her legs.

Products used

Groundwork

Groundwork training is where I help train your dog for you. This can be the perfect solution if you are stuck on a specific behavioural problem and don’t know how to move on.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

How safe is your dog in your car?

Would you drive without a seat belt or allow your passengers or child to do so?

There have been various changes in the law in the UK over the years with attitudes to safer car travel following. So, the answer is probably NO!

You may be breaking the highway code and invalidating your car insurance if you don’t properly secure your dog.

So why do you allow your dog to travel unrestrained or just being held in someone’s arms?

The answer in part is not knowing the best way to keep your dog safe.

Seat belts and child seats undergo rigorous mandatory safety checks. There is no official requirement for safer dog travel.

Where should my dog be in my car?

In the boot space

The advantage of this solution is your dog is not going to interfere with your driving and you can still use your seats for people.

The disadvantage is you have limited space for luggage.

Safety-wise if you break suddenly your dog may travel over the top of the backseat through the car hitting the back of your head or the windscreen. You should therefore consider the option of a crate, car guard or net, or to tether your dog in the boot space. Most cars have a tether point in the boot space to use.

Your boot is designed to be a crumple zone to keep you safe in an accident. This may therefore be the least safe place for your dog.

On the back seat

The advantage of this solution is your dog is not going to interfere with your driving and you can still use your boot for luggage. The disadvantage is you have reduced space for passengers.

Safety-wise if you break suddenly your dog could travel through the car hitting the back of your head or the windscreen. Tethering your dog will prevent this.

On the front seat

The disadvantage of this solution is your dog may be a distraction to you potentially causing an accident.

The advantage is your dog may be calmer being close to you.

This solution is similar to having your dog on the back seat except for the fact that you may have a front passenger airbag. Airbags are not designed for dogs and so could do more harm than good in an accident. You may be able to deactivate your car’s passenger airbag.

What equipment should I use?

A tether

This is the most simple and cheap solution!

It can be used in the boot, back or front seat.

Keeping the tether short will minimise travel in the event of an accident and reduce whiplash.

When the dog is just tethered by its collar in an accident the collar could fail and the force may cause seriously damage the dog’s neck.

A harness

The better option is therefore to use a harness. In the event of a crash the force would be distributed over the dog’s body. A loose-fitting harness may allow the dog to get free in an accident.  The harness should therefore fit snug to the dog’s body.  The harness should also be of good construction so no part would not fail in an accident.

A dog car seat with a harness and tether

A car seat helps to keep your dog more contained, it may also be more comfortable, and helps keep your car cleaner.

It can be used in the boot, back or front seat.

This in itself is not safely equipment so a harness and tether should also be used!

A dog crate

This has the advantage of keeping your dog contained during travel. The disadvantage is some dogs may find crate travel stressful.

In the event of an accident if your dog’s create is not securely tethered then not only will the dog be travelling through the car but the create will too. You also need to consider that your dog will hit the front of the crate in the event of an accident and the crate may not withstand the force.

Depending on the car, crate, and dog size the crate may be placed in the boot, back seat or front seat.

What’s the safest option?

In the absence of official comparative crash test data, we don’t know!

You can buy a seat belt clip for just a couple of pounds.

However, this crash test video demonstrates the inadequacy of many harnesses in an accident.

Look for a harness of good construction with sturdy clips.

Sleepypod have crash tested their dog car harnesses at 30mph.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

My dog pulls! What should I do?

Train your dog to walk to heel and not pull on lead.

Where to start

If you go to your local pet shop or search online you will find a hundred different types of special collars, harnesses and head collars which can make choosing the right one really difficult.

The first question I ask someone is:

Why is your dog wearing that equipment?

Common answers are:

  • Because he pulls
  • Because I thought they were supposed to wear it
  • Because my trainer sold me it

I will let you into a trade secret… the best piece of equipment to walk a dog can often just be a regular collar and lead! Okay I appreciate that does not help me sell you equipment but there is a qualification to my statement, which is your dog needs to be trained to walk nicely on lead first.

The time spent training your new puppy to walk nicely on lead is a good investment unless you want 15 years of being pulled down the street. Dogs that are already established pullers may need greater time and dedication on your part to learn to not pull. You may be helped in this process by using specific training equipment.

Let’s look at the equipment options for walking you dog:

  • Simple flat collar and lead – made of fabric or leather. This is the perfect solution for a trained dog who does not pull.
  • Choke chains. These do what they say, they choke your dog! This will be uncomfortable for your dog however he will eventually learn to ignore the pain. Unfortunately long term this can cause damage to his throat, neck, and spine.
  • Check chains. A marketing company realised that choke chains sound horrible so re-branded them as check chains.
  • Half-choke / half-check chains. These only half choke your dog. They are limited to stop choking him to the point of turning blue!
  • Prong collars and spike collars. These are more common in the USA that the UK but still used by some. They look like chock chains but have prongs or spikes that cut into the dog’s neck. These are nothing short of barbaric!
  • Harnesses with a back clip. These on the surface seem like the perfect humane solution to a pulling dog. The dog will no longer choke but will often pull more due to the reflex (opposition reflex) to pull against things.
  • Harnesses with a front clip / chest clip (e.g. Perfect Fit Harness harnesses). These are humane and remove the incentive to pull against something.
  • Head collars. These are also humane yet discourage your dog from pulling since they turn his head towards you. These may be the only option if your dog is very strong and other options do not give you enough control. These can be fiddly to put on and some designs can ride up the dog’s face into his eyes. I have found the Gencon to be not only easy to put on but also much less likely to ride up into the dog’s eyes. They can also clip back onto his regular collar for added security. Head collars can take time to get used to for some dogs.

Summary

There is no one piece of equipment that is suitable for every dog. The best solution for a dog that does not pull is just use a regular collar and lead and to train your dog to walk nicely. I recommend Perfect Fit Harness for dogs that pull since they offer control for you and comfort for your dog.

Perfect Fit Harness

Rainbow Dogs are based in Brighton, Sussex. Contact us for specific advice on training your dog to walk nicely on lead.

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