Do you dread walking your dog because it often seems more like the dog is walking you? Do you find that your leash hand has lost a layer of skin by the time you get back home?

I grew to hate walking our dogs because they pulled so hard. Choke chains work, but I had a problem keeping them up high enough on their necks, and then I’d end up with something about as effective as a saddle. The head collar didn’t work, either. You have to have a dog dumb enough not to back out of it.

My friend, Nina, once mentioned that she uses a prong collar for her large, energetic, very strong lab. Prior to that, I thought that was terribly cruel and would never have considered it. Knowing Nina, who doesn’t have a cruel bone in her body, I considered it.

Time passed and I forgot about the collar, until I was visiting my friend, Guinevere*. Her dog, Gideon, was a handful on a leash as a young pup. She said that he walked like a completely different dog with the prong collar. I had an opportunity to have a closer look at the collar she used and saw for myself that the points were blunt-tipped, so they only applied a near-pinch pressure and didn’t harpoon the dog’s neck.

On my way home from Guinevere’s house, I stopped at the pet store and picked up a prong collar to try with my dogs.

The first time I put the collar on Rocky, he cried out like I was killing him! He was used to pulling me where ever he wanted to go, so he took off with a flying leap. He suffered from severe wanderlust and wanted to run, wild and free. In a couple of minutes, though, he decided to yield his will to that of the Lord of the Leash.

Rocky (may he rest in peace), Noah, and, now, Heidi, adjusted well to the collar, and our walks have been enjoyable ever since. Noah and Heidi mostly walk next to us instead of charging off down the road, the dog walker clinging to the leash handle and flapping in the breeze behind them.

If you are having trouble getting your dog to walk with you, I recommend giving the prong collar a try. It does not harm them when used correctly, and you may not always need it if you walk them regularly enough that they’re used to cooperating.

For your dog’s safety, use a pronged collar according to the manufacturer’s instructions. This is a good article regarding the “how to” if you need help.

To see what works for others, check out this week’s Works for Me Wednesday.