Paw-sitive Partner Program

Harnesses

Paw-sitive Promise

Summary:

At Top Dog Behavior and Training, we prefer dogs to be trained in a well-fitting harness. Prolonged pressure on the neck caused by collar walking may cause tissue damage and an increased risk of tracheal collapse.

Your harness should not restrict your dog's natural movement, should not cause pinching or chaffing, and should be checked for signs of wear and tear before each use.

For dogs that need extra support while learning leash manners, opt for a front-clip harness!

Our favorite harnesses:

Ruffwear Front Line

Ruffwear Web Master

Blue-9 Balance Harness

Petsafe 3-in-1 Harness

Wonder Walker Harness

Articles:

The Best Front Clip Dog Harnesses - Whole Dog Journal (whole-dog-journal.com)

5027/L (cynod.com)

Pressure and force on the canine neck when exercised using a collar and leash - ScienceDirect

Canine collars: an investigation of collar type and the forces applied to a simulated neck model (worktribe.com)

What is the Paw-sitive Partner Program?

At Top Dog Behavior and Training, we strive to provide inclusive access to animal education and science-based, positive-reinforcement and force free training. To do this, we need your help!

The Top Dog Paw-sitive Partner Program creates an international network of animal professionals dedicated to educating their clients and customers on animal wellness and how best to connect with their pets. By making the

Paw-sitive Promise, our Partners gain access to educational workshops and webinars, handouts and materials, networking opportunities, and help to fund our Top Dog Fur-ever Home Scholarship that provides additional support to shelter fosters and new adoptees in an effort to ensure a

"fur-ever" home!

Prong Collar

Summary:

At Top Dog Behavior and Training, we DO NOT RECCOMEND the use of prong collars. When used correctly, prong collars "work" by inflicting discomfort to the dog to suppress undesired behaviors. Rather than learning the desired replacement behavior, your dog has instead learned to avoid punishment. This, however, often leads to behavioral fallout, increased anxiety, increased reactivity, and the creation of new/other problem behaviors.

Prong collars may also increase redirected aggression through association. For example, if your dog barks at a child riding past on a bike and the prong collar tightens (causing pain/discomfort), the dog will begin to associate the presence of the child with that feeling of pain/discomfort. Over time, this negative association to children on bikes may escalate to increased reactivity or generalize to create a negative association to children in general.

Articles:

Comparison of stress and learning effects of three different training methods: electronic training collar, pinch collar, and quitting signal.

For more, see Training Methods

Prong Collar

Choke Chain / Slip Collar

Summary:

At Top Dog Behavior and Training, we DO NOT RECCOMEND the use of choke chains/slip collars. When used correctly, choke chains/slip collars "work" by inflicting pain/discomfort to the dog to suppress undesired behaviors. Rather than learning the desired replacement behavior, your dog has instead learned to avoid punishment. This, however, often leads to behavioral fallout, increased anxiety, increased reactivity, and the creation of new/other problem behaviors.

Choke chains/slip collars may also increase redirected aggression through association. For example, if your dog barks at a child riding past on a bike and the choke chains/slip collars tightens (causing pain/discomfort), the dog will begin to associate the presence of the child with that feeling of pain/discomfort. Over time, this negative association to children on bikes may escalate to increased reactivity or generalize to create a negative association to children in general.

Articles:

Canine collars: an investigation of collar type and the forces applied to a simulated neck model (worktribe.com)

Pathologies of the dog associated with the use of choke chains (banshockcollars.ca)

For more, see Training Methods

Choke chain/slip collar

Shock / STIM / E-Collar

Summary:

At Top Dog Behavior and Training, we DO NOT RECCOMEND the use of shock/STIM/e-collars. When used correctly, shock/STIM/e-collars "work" by inflicting pain/discomfort (even on a vibrating setting) to the dog to suppress undesired behaviors. Rather than learning the desired replacement behavior, your dog has instead learned to avoid punishment. This, however, often leads to behavioral fallout, increased anxiety, increased reactivity, and the creation of new/other problem behaviors.

shock/STIM/e-collars may also increase redirected aggression through association. For example, if your dog barks at a child riding past on a bike and the choke chains/slip collars tightens (causing pain/discomfort), the dog will begin to associate the presence of the child with that feeling of pain/discomfort. Over time, this negative association to children on bikes may escalate to increased reactivity or generalize to create a negative association to children in general.

Articles:

The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Training Collars in Comparison to Reward Based Training (plos.org)

The use of electronic collars for training domestic dogs: estimated prevalence, reasons and risk factors for use, and owner perceived success as compared to other training methods | BMC Veterinary Research | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

Studies to assess the effect of pet training aids specifically remote static pulse systems on the welfare of domestic dogs - The Lincoln Repository

(PDF) Electronic training devices: Discussion on the pros and cons of their use in dogs as a basis for the position statement of the European Society of Veterinary Clinical Ethology | Barbara Schöning - Academia.edu

[PDF] Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems? | Semantic Scholar

Questionnaire survey on the use of different e-collar types in France in everyday life with a view to providing recommendations for possible future regulations - ScienceDirect

Training dogs with help of the shock collar: short and long term behavioural effects - ScienceDirect

Shock Collar