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February 03, 2014

My 10 week old puppy has noticed cars and wants to chase them. Can I use a prong collar to correct him?

Full Question:

My new border collie puppy is just 10 weeks old; I've had for 1 week. In the last 2 days he has noticed cars and wants to chase them. Is it safe to use a prong collar on such a tiny puppy? If not, what do you recommend as a correction for such a young puppy?

I have tried to distract him/hold his attention with a treat as soon as I detect a car approaching, but that is not working - he still looks away toward thee car and/or tries to start after it. I want to nip this in the bud.

Thanks

Cindy's Answer:

I would not use a prong collar or physical corrections, I would increase the distance between the pup and the distraction (no matter what that distraction may be, cars, people, other dogs, etc) this may mean you move 20 yards away or maybe it means 200 yards. You need to find the distance that you can regain your pup's attention and get him to take the food.

The key is to teach your pup to engage with you and then as he gains experience, add distractions. This is covered in The Power of Training Dogs with Food.

Cindy Rhodes

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