Collar and leash - how and why to use

One of the most common questions concerns a collar and a leash: are they needed at all, and if so, why and how to teach a dog to use them.
We answer: yes, you need both a collar and a leash if you want the dog to be easily controlled and obedient. After all, these are two important attributes in education, training and interaction with a dog.

A collar for a dog, almost like a tie for a person - reminds of status and certain behavior, in the case of a dog, it reminds of good behavior and obedience. There are, of course, individual individuals, and in the dog world, which are not graded by anything, but basically, the collar pacifies the dog, makes it calmer and more obedient, disciplines and provides self-control.
But, do not think that the collar itself is such a super magical thing that you put on and that's it - the dog is obedient. The collar becomes a magical thing only if the dog has been brought up and trained, with the use of “influence through the collar”, if he has been shown that in the collar he is always controlled and controlled by a person. Therefore, at first the collar is needed for training and education, and then to remind your pet of good behavior.

Another collar shows others that the dog has an owner, if suddenly for some reason the dog is behind. And if it is lost, then the collar will help to find the owner, if you write the owners' contacts on its back, or hang a medallion with such information. It is better, of course, to use both the inscription on the collar and the medallion.

As for the leash, it was created not to pull the dog, as many are accustomed to, but to manage, control and teach obedience from a distance. After all, how to pull the dog's collar at a distance in order to correct the behavior? Only thanks to the leash.
Also, the leash makes it possible to teach the dog all the commands without pressing the sacrum or shoulder blades, that is, without the direct impact of the hands on the dog.

Remember that the collar and leash are also needed for walking the dog in crowded places and near the road, so that the dog, those around you, and, accordingly, you are more calm. Because if you walk with a big dog, someone may be afraid of dogs, express their displeasure. If you have a small dog, he may tangle with other people's legs and lose you, or get scared and run away. Well, the road and transport are dangerous for everyone, because you lead the child by the hand near the road, so the dog must be led on a leash for its own safety.

We have dealt with the functionality of the collar and leash, now we move on to how to accustom the dog to these attributes.
Naturally, the sooner you start training your dog, the better. It is better to teach the collar from the time when the mother no longer wears puppies by the withers or from 1-2 months, at this age the puppy will most likely not react to the innovation in any way. If, however, the dog is already older and does not want to wear a collar, be patient and do not rush it.
First, let the dog get to know the new object - smell it. Then stroke your dog with this collar a couple of times and immediately pet it with your hand and hide it so that it does not start playing or chewing on it. Repeat this procedure several times throughout the day.
Then try dressing, if the dog is calm about this process, as soon as you put on the collar, stroke and praise the dog and give him a treat. You can go for a walk with the dog, or let him stay at home with a collar. If the dog does not react to the new attribute, if it does not interfere with it, great. If you see that she is a little uncomfortable after 30 minutes, remove it so that the dog has a rest. These steps also need to be repeated several times. So a couple of days, and then just stop removing the collar and that's it.
In this way, the dog can be trained to the collar, and to the leash, and to muzzle, and even to her clothes.
But, if you can’t train a dog on your own, or you’re not sure that you can do it, it’s better to contact a specialist: a trainer, a cynologist or a zoopsychologist.

We wish you a quick and easy training of your dog to the necessary attributes. And we remind you that it is desirable to have a collar on a dog, the only exception can be show dogs, two months before the show, so that the hair on the neck does not break, guard dogs so that the “alien” thief cannot grab the dog by the collar in the fight and thus stop it, or harm the animal.
Good luck to you!

Ludmila Markina

Might be interesting: “A muzzle for dogs – a necessity or a whim”, “Soboka goes to the country”, How to rid your house of dog smell