what is your opinion on choke chains on a puppy

[chellard]

I had one, but someone told me it was bad for puppies so I got him a harness instead, then today I ran into a dog trainer who said the harness was bad cause it encouraged them to pull

what should I use?

[luckypenny]

Puppies will pull with choke chains on too with the possibility of doing some serious damage to their necks/throats. Personally, I wouldn't use a choke chain on a wandering two year old if I took them to the mall, why would I want one on my dog ? What you have to remember is that whatever you choose to use, it's just a tool....you're the one who has to teach your pup to walk on a loose leash, don't ever rely on tools to do so.

That being said, we only use the Easy Walk Harness on puppies in our home. It doesn't encourage them to pull as the leash attaches at the chest and the pup is re-directed in the opposite direction if he does try to pull. http://www.gentleleader.com/View.asp...lk/description You can start by attaching the leash to both you and your pup in the home and simply have him follow you as you go about your business. Don't forget to reward him every now and then with treats, praise, play, etc. to teach him that being by you is the best place to be.

On teaching pups of different ages loose leash walking: http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti...01/lltotal.htm

And a free downloadable book that's indispensable for all new puppy guardians: http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/AF...ur%20Puppy.pdf

Good luck and enjoy your pup!

[Marty11]

Luckypenny that is exactly what I use on both my terriers. I love that harness. I just purchased one for my 6 year old cause even still he will bolt and hurt his throat. I highly recommend it.

[MyBirdIsEvil]

A harness doesn't encourage a dog to pull anymore than any other aid as long as the owner takes the time to teach the dog how to walk on leash.

I haven't used a choke chain in a long time, and only on dogs that don't pull on them. Some dogs will still pull on a choke chain (most will actually if they're not trained to not pull in the first place) and can hurt their throats. A puppy would be more prone to injury since their necks aren't fully developed and muscled yet.

Nothing wrong with a harness. Use what you feel works on your dog and is safe, and put time into training them not to pull. I've used them all, and the closest thing I can think of to a quick fix for pulling is a head halter, which some dogs will still pull on and can still cause injury on the wrong dog or used incorrectly.

I haven't used the easy walk harness like Luckypenny posted, but I've used a leash attached to the front of a normal harness, and it's the same principal. It works fine along with training.