Is it okay to use a choker on a 13 week old puppy?

Question

my puppy is 13 weeks old, and i try to walk her buy she just bolts ahead, i think a choker will solve my problems. will this hurt her at this age???

Answer 1

For goodness sake - what a question! Would you use a choker on a 3 month old baby? NO!

When taking a puppy out for a walk, you can put them in a body harness, making sure it is fitted correctly. A puppy should not have ANY kind of choker until they are well over a year old. Their necks are very vulnerable and could easily be damaged if put into a device not suited for them. Training/obedience classes can begin as soon as the puppy is 4-6 months old.

Answer 2

No it is not okay because puppies are clumsy at such a young age and it could severely hurt itself or possibly kill itself.

Answer 3

Do not use a choker on a puppy!

You need to start with BASIC leash training. Get a harness and start with the basics.

You can't expect them to know the proper behavior yet.

Be patient.

Answer 4

Yes, a choker will hurt her at this age.  And no, simply putting a choker on her will not "solve" your problem.  You need to teach her that it is more rewarding to walk with you than to forge ahead, and a choke chain is possibly the worst way to do that.  Reward her being where you want her to be with treats and attention and discourage the bolting by stopping dead in your tracks and not moving at all when she pulls on the leash.  This will teach her that running ahead doesn't get her where she wants to go and can be quite boring while sticking close to you has it's rewards.

Answer 5

chokers are one of the things on the 10 most dangerous (legal) pet products list.

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/10-Dangerou...

they DO NOT train dogs.. infact many dogs can lean on them and still pull

take your pup to proper lessons so you KNOW you are doing it right.. any place that encourages choker methods is out of date...

clicker training /reward based training is WAY more effective..

Answer 6

Don't use a choker. Something that should defiantly work is a head collar. it basically is a collar which goes around their neck of course and the collar connects to a muzzle type thing that goes around their nose. They can still drink bark and all that but they cant pick up a ball and it helps them walk better. It worked great.  Hope i helped.

Answer 7

I have always taken my pups to obedience classes. They start when the pup is 12 weeks old and we do use a choker on them but you do need to be careful. I would suggest that you get some help and training for you and your pup. A choker can be nasty to your pup if you pull and yank it. They are not designed for this. Also never leave a choker on a dog unattended. They can hang themselves with them.

Answer 8

Bolting is NOT a behavior that the choker will help with. In fact, the choker will simply choke your dog and injure her. The only training tool i found that helps with bolting or lunging is the Prong collar - it may look nasty but it actually does less damage than a choker.

It doesn't completely encircle the dog's neck (IE choke them) and the prongs pinch - a good deterrent for any dog. Most will learn quickly to not lunge or bolt/pull. I used it with 100% success on my dog when coupled with proper obedience training.

BUT, you need to invest in proper training. Chokers and Prongs are only to be used on adult dogs and by people who have been trained themselves! You can easily injure a young pup or even an adult dog by using a choker or Prong collar improperly. If you MUST use a tool have a professional show you how to properly use it.



Any type of training collar is a tool - remove it and the behavior will return. Invest in training and you wont need the tool, the dog will behave on it's own.  

Answer 9

Any collar, harness, halti, etc can harm a dog when not used properly.

A choker can be a good training tool when used correctly. Whatever training devices you choose to use, make sure you learn to use it properly and safely.

Good luck.

Answer 10

A lot of people will disagree with this but provided the chain is used properly it will get results very quickly.  The best way to use a chain is tighten it when you want her to heel without actually choking.  If it is put on properly and there is only one way she will very quickly get used to the chinking noise as it tightens and you will not need to go any further.  The real trick is to use the ‘heel’ command at the same time the chain makes the noise.  Most of the time the chain will just be loose.   Like anything it is an effective tool if used properly and kindly.

Answer 11

Not a good idea, too young. ask a vet when is the proper time.