Hi Rob,
How are you and Teagan getting on using the prong?

I am in the UK and a huge fan of them.....best thing I ever bought for my two GSD's.

From my experience just be prepared to argue your case...much easier when your dogs are sitting impecably behaved at your side I might add. I spread the word and encourage people to ask questions and look for the answers themselves......question everything, what works for one may not work for another dog.........trust your own judgement.

John

Hi John!

So far Teagan is responding REALLY well to the prong. She walks brilliantly with me now, and is getting better with Shalini too.

I got Shalini to try 'popping' a half-check on my arm (she wouldn't do the prong) to see how she was correcting her, as I thought she was a bit afraid of hurting her....
It went: no, no, no, pop it-not pull, no, owthatsbetter!
That's a good correction I said - about a level 3-4.

Shalini said she'd NEVER corrected Teagan that hard! I showed her a prong correction on my arm (I did that one) to prove they don't pierce the skin when popped hard.

Shalini now has more confidence, and has started popping the leash much better. My CALM assertiveness has improved, and Shalinis confidence is growing daily.

Teagan is behaving better, and is easier to correct when she gets a bit 'fiesty'. She was out with me in a town centre on Christmas Eve (Shal was shopping) and she behaved really well, even getting passers-by commenting on what a well-trained dog she was. I think the Liver Biscotti helped

Ony one or two people have noticed the collar, most not knowing what it is. I just explain it - with thanks to Leerburg info - and say it works and Teagans' happy. Which, as you say is easier when your dog is sitting quietly by your side!

Overall, they are brilliant and have really helped. I'm glad I did all the research and had lots of advice from here, but I know we made the right decision.

Regards
Rob

Perfect, Rob. This thread could easily be turned into an article, but I think Leerburg corporate is less evangelical than practical; their goal is not to convince, but to help the converted.

I'm really glad that your experience with the prong has been positive, and that Teagan is seeing the benefits already. Also, that your wife is getting the hang of things. Excellent! Kudos!

 Quote: David Eagle

Perfect, Rob. This thread could easily be turned into an article, but I think Leerburg corporate is less evangelical than practical; their goal is not to convince, but to help the converted.

I'm really glad that your experience with the prong has been positive, and that Teagan is seeing the benefits already. Also, that your wife is getting the hang of things. Excellent! Kudos!

A big ditto to that!

Great to hear that you and Shalini are having such success with Teagan (and the prong), and especially that Shalini is gaining confidence in her handling - it's such a huge factor in our training and relationships with our dogs. Keep up the great work!

Cheers,
~Natalya

Thank you both for the kind words.

I couldn't have done it without doing all the research, using Cesar, Ed and all the advice from this site. Putting it all together and understanding how and why it works makes it so much easier.

I'm calmer and more confident, Shalini is getting that way and Teagan is happier - a win/win situation!

We owe a big thank you to everyone who helped out with this.

Rob

As you say Rob it's a win win situation.
As the dog calms.....you calm and so the dogs calm further.

lots of people in the UK dislike prongs ( perhaps that is an undertatement!) but as I said when you have two 7 stone GSD's sitting perfectly ( because they want to) it make arguing your case so much easier.

Have you tried explaining to a UK vet that you feed raw? Light the blue touch paper and stand well back......although it was made a bit easier when our vet was listening to my dogs heart beat....he took a lot of time.......I thought something was wrong...until he told me that the dog had the heart of an athlete and his heart rate fluctuated with his breathing .......a rare sign that a dog is exceptionally fit.........the response when I explained my raw feeding..AH....I can't condone raw feeding but......
mutual respect between vet and customer!

as i said before............trust your own judgement.

John