>I have  tried walking her with one of those collars with metal prongs
>on it. She  pulls less, but still enough that walking her is a case of
>being taken for  a drag.It is tiring, frustrating. I realize that the
>problem is *mine*, I  don't know how to negotiate with her. She is
>playing alpha and I don't know  how to take control properly.*I* am
>alpha until the second we go for a  leash walk. She is quite literally
>"jerking me around." Yelling doesn't  work for more than five seconds,
>tugging at the collar, nothing. My husband  whacks the leash hard
>against her back, that works for him but A) I don't  like that, and
>B) again, it only works for me for five seconds. I refuse to  try a
>'choking' collar. The very thought disgusts me. What is it *I*  need
>to learn?Alexandra in MA

My guess is that the prong collar didn't work for you because it was
not the right size and was not properly fit to the dog's neck. These
collars should be snug against the neck and higher up, must be put on
by being clipped around the neck (never over the head) and should be
small to medium sized prongs (not those big heavy things you see at
stores). Well fit prongs generally do work when used properly.

A couple more hints;

- Just because you have 6' of leash, doesn't mean you should USE it :)
One of the biggest problems I see with owners in class is that they
give their pulling dog far too much leash. Pick a side you want your
dog to walk on and give them just enough leash to stay at your side.
The leash should not be tight until they are pulling and then should
loosen up as soon as they stop. It is far easier for dogs to learn what
is expected if you give them specifics. "Walk without pulling" doesn't
make as much sense to a dog as "Walk at my left side with me".

- The moment your dog begins to pull say "No" back up and reposition
her at your side. When she is walking nicely praise her and give her
treats. The trick to this is be consistent! You need to do this
whenever she even starts pulling. It will take several walks of doing
this (don't expect to get far the first few days!) before she realizes
that the rules are changing.

- Don't use retractable leashes, at least not while you are trying to
train your dog to walk nicely. Retractable leashes reward dogs for
pulling, which is the exact opposite of what you want to be doing.
Also never use a retractable leash with a prong or other anti-pulling
harness. I would never use a retractable leash with a dog who has
killed another dog, it just doesn't give you enough control and
you never know what might run out at you. I'd also probably carry
citronella spray to ward off small loose dogs who might approach you.

- Don't stop along the way whenever your dog decides to stop. Instead
allow your dog to stop to sniff here and there and then have them back
at your side for further walking. Most dogs have no idea that their
owners are supposed to be in charge of the walk - they pull them where
they want to go, at the speed they want to go and start and stop at
they want.Most owners have never properly explained what they want
the dog to do on a walk and then get frustrated because they pull.

- You and your hubby should be doing the same thing on walks to get the
same effects. However dogs will learn that rules apply to one person
and not the other. I'd never suggest whacking the dog on the back to
get them to stop pulling.

I will add about other no-pulling equipment and my experience. IME most
dogs dislike Gentle Leaders and headcollars a great deal. They will
claw at their face, rub their heads on you and the floor and often
get quite depressed about wearing them. IMO they are a very negative
training tool to use and I'd suggest trying the prong again before
trying one of these. I have never had any kind of luck with large,
dedicated pullers and any form of no-pull harnesses - they just don't
seem to be all that effective and the front attach ones are fairly. I
have tried them on multiple class dogs and for the most part of the
dog pulls bad enough to need a tool, these ones don't stop them.

Nikki

[Posted in FML 5596]