I do appreciate this article and the information provided as it is generally better informationthan I normally see. As a trainer I use corretion devices for certain aspects of training and it is important to note that I would include every piece of equipment mentioned in the article as a correction device, not just check chains, pinch collars, and the like. That is the piece of information that so many of these tools fail to explain to their potential buyers and therefore cause them to be inappropriately used. Another HUGE issue I have with these things is what they teach a dog. They do not actually teach a dog not to pull, they teach not to pull so much that it is unbearable. That means that for most of their walk, they are uncomfortable, but not so much as to stop the pulling. The absolute best option is to teach the dog that ZERO pulling is the best option so that they can avoid the corrections altogether. The use of these training aids can certainly be helpful in that process, but they should not be viewed as a magic fix option. It is so important to show the dog what it is you want them to do and why that is a good choice for them, the corrections come later to refine the training. Teaching with aversives is simply unfair to the dog, and that is what all of the no pull devices are doing.

Thanks for commenting Elaine! With Benzy we actually would loop the leash around his waste since he was a pro at squirming out of normal collars, and that worked just fine. Current dog Lucy is a very polite walker so thankfully no need for special measures! 🙂