Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To use a chokechain?

299 replies

AsahiGo · 02/10/2019 07:24

Looking for some advice and brutal honesty, hence posting in this section haha. Also sorry for the long post.

We've had our gorgeous labsky for two months, he's a second-hand dog, and aside from being an obnoxious teenager at times, he's generally good. However, on walks he is a nightmare.

He drags, and it's BAD. To add context, my husband and I are both powerlifters, and we both struggle with him! We've tried a harness (swiftly found it gives him more power to drag through his shoulders - I swear he thanked us for it!), We've tried a halti. With the halti, it did hinder his pulling BUT, he learnt that if he walks slightly side-ways, he can still do whatever he wants. And then he started walking on his hind legs whilst trying to get the halti off with his front paws.

The other issue we have is that he is fixated on cars. He lunges at anything that moves, and yesterday he knocked my daughter into the road in front of a 4x4 (SHE IS FINE! luckily). He was on a halti and another lead attached to his collar as a backup. He still managed to get off the curb.

At the moment, I'm walking him at 4am (less traffic!) and I'm wrapping the lead around my waist and using my body weight against him. It's the only thing I can think of doing at the moment. Treats don't work - he flat out refuses them on walks, in fact, he completely ignores me.

I loathe choke chains. But I feel like I'm running out of options, and due to his fixation on chasing vehicles, it's only a matter of time before an accident happens. We have seen a couple of trainers, and they didn't know what to do with him. The last guy screamed 'FUCKING HELL!' as he was yanked across his paddock.

Obviously I need to walk this dog, but I don't know how to do it safely anymore. AIBU to try a choke chain?

OP posts:
BalanchineBallet · 02/10/2019 07:30

You need to get a good trainer. Ask your local dog groups, or a local rescue centre?

I don’t think a choke chain will help. If he’s lunging, he will still lunge you into the road, and then once you’re pulled over the chain will slack anyway.

When you say treats don’t work- as in you can’t distract him with them?

If that’s the case, keep in mind the treat is not a distraction aide, it’s a positive reinforcement tool. You give the treat before the problem starts, so they associate a car with a treat, not the car comes and the owner attempts to distract the dog. The latter doesn’t work because Adrenalin for the fight or flight response numbs the appetite.

WaterSheep · 02/10/2019 07:31

It would be massively unreasonable to use a choke chain. They won't stop him from pulling, and are likely to do long lasting physical damage. You need to address why he is pulling, not choke your dog.

Also you say you're walking him at 4am, but go onto say yesterday he knocked your daughter into the road. Confused

needsahouseboy · 02/10/2019 07:32

My dog, although not as strong ax yours, use to lunge at traffic. Behaviour trainer said I need to go spend hours by the traffic sat on a bench and every time traffic went past feed him a little bit of meat. 2-3 hours it took but it worked a treat.

LolaSmiles · 02/10/2019 07:32

It sounds like you might need a specialist to help you train. I don't know enough about the choke chains and the harm, bit my gut instinct is they're cruel.

You could try posting in the Doghouse board and there's loads of posters with great knowledge there.

needsahouseboy · 02/10/2019 07:33

Sorry should haves said as you see traffic coming start feeding and keep feeding him little bits until it’s gone past.

CherryPavlova · 02/10/2019 07:34

Have you tried a figure of eight lead? It transformed our life. Ours is a big rescue Dalmatian who comes in at 38kg of muscle and who likes to be in front and moving fast. Mainly we take him off lead as he’s got good recall but on roads or in town s he just used to pull arms out of sockets and lunge at people who approached him.
The figure of eight stopped all that. He tolerates it better than a halti.
My husband runs him rather than walks him and that really helps too.

user1552403235 · 02/10/2019 07:34

Hi, choke chains are frowned upon BUT I once had a labrador who was a nightmare to get to walk to heel. I got a choke chain and it cured him. The secret is to get one with big links so that as soon as you release the pressure or he stops pulling it goes slack. If he pulls you should give it a fairly good yank and the combination of the pressure and the sound of the links should soon stop him pulling. It's important you put it on correctly so Google 'how to use choke chain on dog' . Hope this helps.

NoSauce · 02/10/2019 07:36

You need a good behaviourist OP.

Have you looked at the dogmatic head collar?

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 02/10/2019 07:36

Don't tie it round your waist! What if he pulls you in to traffic? Shock

dalmatianmad · 02/10/2019 07:36

Please dont use a choke, they are horrendous and cause damage to the dogs spinal cord.

You need a good trainer, it wont take long to have him walking nicely. Good luck.

italianfiat · 02/10/2019 07:39

I'm wrapping the lead around my waist and using my body weight against him.

Please stop doing this. It's the most dangerous way to walk your dog.

Itsjustmee · 02/10/2019 07:40

We use choke chains - proper old fashioned ones and we have done for years
As Long as you put them on correctly and actually know how to use them properly they are fine . The problem is when people use them and don’t actually know how to use them and use them to yank the dog back .

We have always had big powerful dogs and we also use a horse lead rope and put three knots in it to prevent rope burn rather than a traditional leather lead as they can cut your hand to pieces if a dog pulls hard
We also walk our dogs so that wherever possible they are close to a wall and a quick nudge with my hip corrects them into walking properly 😂
Lots won’t agree but with a big powerful dog you have to do what’s best for both of you
If it was a frenchie or something smaller then obviously a choke chain is a big no but in a much bigger dog I personally think they are fine

Original poster
AsahiGo · 02/10/2019 07:42

Thanks guys, I just don't know what to do.
@WaterSheep -lol, sorry, I do walk him early for his 'big walk', and he goes out again at lunch time, and in the evening. Kiddo was with me in the evening.
@BalanchineBallet I've tried both - as a distraction and a reinforcement. he just blanks them.
@needsahouseboy - dh stopped him by traffic and got him to 'watch it' although it wasn't as long as what you did, it was twenty minutes. Dog got fed up after about fifteen and lay ddown. After a bit, dh continued the walk and he tried it again. Maybe I should just try it longer next time?

Please don't think I'm some animal-abuser, I'm not at all, I just don't know what else to do atm.

OP posts:
Mrsducky88 · 02/10/2019 07:43

Please don’t use a choke.

Lots of positive reinforcement, exaggerated tone of voice- high and light for good behaviour. Don’t just use the dogs name, use a command for attention like “watch or look”- practise lots at home with treats and praise. Then out but not around cars then slowly introduce more distractions. Clicker training may also help. A figure of 8 lead can work better for strong dogs who don’t get on with a halti.

Is there a dog safe field nearby, we have used them before- costs a couple of £ for a hour and is great for burning off energy and training.

Alittleodd · 02/10/2019 07:43

Do not use a choke chain, your dog will still pull but this time will do permanent damage to himself.

I agree harnesses aren't the solution my collie/staff/lab/whatever years ago was the worst puller I've ever met (people used to assume I'd just got her from rescue because of how awful she was on the lead, I was like "nope, had her five years thanks for asking!") and a harness on her was just a better way of pulling my arm off.

It sounds like he needs specialist training with a behaviour specialist. Dogs at that age lunge because they are anxious, they pull because it is better for them to pull than to walk on a loose lead - they get where they're going faster, they get to go somewhere they weren't allowed to etc. A good trainer/behaviourist can help you with that.

Also - he's part husky. Sorry to state the obvious but he's going to need serious exercise, a chance to run flat out. Dogs from working stock sometimes fare better when they have a job on walks - my girl used to herd us all (stupid collie) but I've known other lab mixes who respond well to having backpacks - so they have things to carry, terriers have objects to scent, collies have things to herd, hunting dogs things to fetch etc. Working dogs tend to be on the smart side, if they don't have something to occupy their brains them they find something to do themselves.. like lurching at passing cars, running off after squirrels etc.

Itsjustmee · 02/10/2019 07:43

Also when people say big dogs they often mean dogs around 40-50 killos but ours have easily been over 70 killos so very big dogs
I’ve also found that most trainers are great with small dogs and medium size dogs but with the really big dogs they aren’t as good .

captainprincess · 02/10/2019 07:44

Sounds tough but please don't use a choke chain.
Like others have said you need an behaviourist to help you. There are some brilliant ones out there who will train without force. He has been allowed to pull so doesn't understand now why he can't.
Good luck and I hope you do some research and get it sorted.

WaterSheep · 02/10/2019 07:46

I do walk him early for his 'big walk', and he goes out again at lunch time, and in the evening.

How long is he out for, and does he ever get the chance to go to a dog safe field or similar for a good run? He's part husky, they need a heck of a lot of exercise, and just walking in residential areas isn't going to cut it.

ChocChocButtons · 02/10/2019 07:47

Try a lead collar for his head, we used it with our Labrador who used to pull. She doesn’t even need it now.

ChocChocButtons · 02/10/2019 07:48

Head collar*

Itsjustmee · 02/10/2019 07:50

Also like others have mentioned Husky’s need a huge amount of exercise preferably some sort of working type exercise . A thirty min walk on a lead isn’t going to make much difference to his energy levels

Original poster
AsahiGo · 02/10/2019 07:51

@CherryPavlova - I've never heard of them! It's worth trying. I will look into it. I am considering canix once he's older.

@user1552403235 - thanks. I feel scummy even asking about it because they're obviously not the 'nicest' option.

@NoSauce - we use(d) the Dogmatic one lol. He has a red one. First time we tried it he figured out how to unbuckle the leash clip from the hoop.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm not considering this out of some kind of punishment or whatever, I just want to exercise him! He has no recall, spent the first eight months locked in a crate, so we're the first people to walk him properly. So I know it's going to take a while. I have all the time and patience for him, however when it's dangerous to walk him, I don't really know what to do. I looked at trying to rent an enclosed field so he can just charge around that. Waiting for some people to get back to me.

OP posts:
WaterSheep · 02/10/2019 07:53

I looked at trying to rent an enclosed field so he can just charge around that. Waiting for some people to get back to me.

So he never has exercise off the lead?

MrsMozartMkII · 02/10/2019 07:53

Fund a trainer evidenced with large powerful dogs.

I've tried different trainers for my Rotties. Ended up with a lady who runs the local Rottie rescue: she understands the breed and how to train them.

As PP have said, a choke chain will damage the neck. I use a half-check. It's set up so it won't tighten and choke the dog, it's more the sound and feel that gets their attention if they've fixed on something. I'm hoping that working with this trainer will mean I can move away from it.