Has anyone used this?
http://www.mistypinesdogpark.com/scruffy.html

I spoke with a lady today re: my foster dog she was interested in adopting. The foster is an abuse case and skittish. I was telling the lady how shy dogs do well with training, good for their confidence, etc, etc, etc...

Anyhow the potential adopter is legally blind and has a trained guide dog. She is not completely ignorant about training, she had struggles with her dog when he was new to her and has worked things out. She tell's me that she has arthritis and uses a scruffy collar with a leash, and how it's so much more humane "than those things with the teeth". (I won't be taking my personal DS out of one of those teeth things, no thank you)!

I am completely unfamiliar with a scruffy collar. Internet searching has not shown me it's benefits for initial training. For a fully trained guide dog, yes. Just for my own personal curiosity I'd like to know what this collar is about. Has anyone used one?

Ya know, usually a search of this board keeps me from posting - I learn more than I never needed to know. This subject I couldn't find. That's a first.

Karyl,
Welcome to the board!

This is just my opinion, but a skittish and previously abused dog may not be a good match for an arthritic, legally blind person that already has a guide dog in house.
Alot of downside there, with no much upside......if it were me, I'd keep looking for a new home for your foster that'd have a higher chance of success.

Thanks for the welcome. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have absolutely no intention of adopting my foster to this woman and never for a second did. The lady is still a good adoption candidate in many ways, she has a lot of pros going for her and family support. Mine just isn't for her. Her description is the "nutshell" version. She has furthered her training education with dogs besides her guide dog, however that training is from guide dog people so that's where her one (temperament type) opinion stems. I live near such a school in GA - their methods would work fine for my Dane but be lost on my little wing nut Dutch x. They are also anti-prong. TERRIFIC people, just a different sort of dog they are working with.

The result of - and reason for - our conversation was that I would help her find a suitable pet from another rescue. We all know each other anyway and I know which groups will take care to match the right dog.

I was still interested in learning about this collar just because I was clueless when it came up. I'd rather be educated. How do you lift a dog into a boat with that thing???

Well, I looked at it as closely as I could on a few sites ( but I haven't seen it first hand ) and these are my thoughts about it so far:

It's pretty much a harness for a neck. Like a dog wearing a harness, it doesn't provide for very precise control of the dog. The pressure exerted by the dog is spread out over a wider area, so I'm sure that it's considered more "humane", but I think you'd be up a creek without a paddle if you needed to give a strong correction.

The site states that the "Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)", were involved in the development of the collar. :rolleyes:
Sorry, but that fact alone would make me avoid it as a training tool.

I just never see the use for stuff like this - I can always use a lease lightly and do the same thing. But if the dog then needed a correction, I wouldn't have the correct tool for the job.
It just seems like a lose-lose scenario here.