Pulling Device... Safe?

Hi,

Well Jess went to her 1st training class on Friday night, she was very naughty but we expected that being her first class.

Yet she was brillient at agility, I was very proud!

The trainer reccomended a muzzle type thing to stop her from pulling me on the lead, I have never known anyone to use one of these before.

It works like a basic muzzle, although there is a D ring underneath where you attach the lead, so if she pulls it kind of pulls hr head to the side!

Im not entirely comfortable using one of these as I have heard devices like this can cause perminent damage to a dogs neck, any truth in this?

I have a Canny Collar for Jess, but it is a tad oo big at the minute and she can slip out of it with abit of work.

I got a Canny as these seemed alot safer, with the D ring being at the back not directly under her throat.

Cheers guys

kylie xxx

Sounds like a Halti? If so they are fine

Nope it isnt a Halti although it is similar but dosent have as much cord, I think it is just a muzzle with a D ring attached.

I am getting people giving us a even wider bearth now, my large vicious animal with a muzzle on and all...

Hi Kyektulu,

If it is similar to one of those fabric muzzles, can Jess open her mouth and pant and drink with it on?

Does it cover her whole mouth? Is the lead part of it?

How old is she now?

i would of said it was a halti as well as i use one with one of my dogs and that helps with the pulling no probs with that.

Yeah she can open her mouth some, not all the way, It is just a fabric band over her nose, she can stick her tongue out abit. I dont keepo it on all the time just on our little walks durin the day.

She is 7months

Could it be a canac gentle leader. they tighten on the dogs nose and pulls his head toward you when they try to pull. That has a ring under the throat. If it is I have used one on my german shepherd and he was fine and it worked a treat. Hope this helps.

I would advise a harness rather than anything which can pull a dogs head to one side, no risk of damage that way from unexpected lunges or suden direction changes.

I`m a bit concerned about the agility with her only being 7 months. How much are they teaching the youngsters where you go if you don`t mind me asking ?
Please tell me there is no jumping even at low height, [ repetitive impact on young joints, bones, ligaments and mucles, should be avoided ], absolutely no weaving other than weave entry only with no more than two poles for that, no full height A-Frame, [ climbing and coming down / landing are high impact / physical stress on youngsters ], no full height Dog Walk, [ a youngster falling off can have greenstick fractures very easily ], and Long jump no more than two pieces inline, [ impact again ].

Youngsters do more than enough of their own day to day running and jumping without adding physical stresses to a still developing body, in terms of skeletal and muscular development.
Its a mistake to think that because a youngster can and does jump this or that in play sometimes that its ok to start them on a training regime which is repetitive in that regard. Its not ok imeo, it adds to what they are doing themselves and their own play is more than enough without additional agility training `proper` until 12 months old, [ longer for larger breeds ].

Please be *very* careful, there are a few instructors out there who have young dogs doing far too much too young. I hope yours is not one of them

Please don`t be upset by me sticking my oar in, as an instructor of many years its something I care about a great deal, I just don`t want to see dogs coming to any longterm harm because of doing things they should`nt when they are young especially when handlers are innocently entrusting their dogs physical welfare to instructors who can sometimes be...overzealous...

I`m not trying to cast aspersions on where you train, they might well be very responsible in how they go about things, its just that dogs under a year old doing agility flags up a warning to me every time so I try to check out whats what, but only because I do care

Sounds vaguely like a husher muzzle - is she Ok with it?