Would rather choke herself

Question:
 I too have an 8 month old chocolate lab named Katie. I am trying so hard to be patient with her but I have had to drop out of 2 obediences classes because she is too hard to handle. She would rather choke herself or sometimes she will walk on her hind legs than sit and stay for me. HELP!
My trainer says this is pretty typical of chocolates and I think she is a field dog anyway. She is so strong that I can barely hang onto her. My other yellow lab (who is gone now) was never this difficult. What should I do next? I have tried a flat collar, a choke collar and even a shock collar (last resort) which did absolutely nothing!
cat54

Answer:
 Have you tried a prong /pinch collar? Dakota was this way when we got her.

Answer:
 Prong worked for us. PS...I wouldn't necessarily believe this is "typical" in chocolates.

Answer:
 this has nothing to do with her color and I would inform the trainer of this (or actually, might be best to let that one go but i'd have to bite my tongue after such a comment)
talk to your trainer about other training tools, it's clear the choke collar does not work. A prong might be what you need (but it needs to be properly fitted and used properly). If the trainer is unwilling to try other tools, go to another training (dogs are all different and learn differently - there is no "perfect" solution for all dogs)
what is her routine like? How much exercise does she get every day/week? what type of training classes have you tried?

Answer:
 Watson is the same way (13M Chocolate) he would rather choke himself then walk nice. I usually walk him to play fetch on the way there he will choke himself the whole way. Then after fetch he will walk alright he doesn't pull as much but thats from the lack of energy from playing fetch. I think im going to keep the choker for awhile. I don't know if i like the prong collars....
-Stephen
-Stephen

Answer:
 Watson is the same way (13M Chocolate) he would rather choke himself then walk nice. I usually walk him to play fetch on the way there he will choke himself the whole way. Then after fetch he will walk alright he doesn't pull as much but thats from the lack of energy from playing fetch. I think im going to keep the choker for awhile. I don't know if i like the prong collars....
-Stephen
-Stephen
how is a well used prong any worse than a dog CHOKING themself? It's actually more painful and dangerous to let a dog continuously choke themselves. A prong should cuase no pain if properly used. It's a pinch.
"choke" is also a bad name. You should never actually NEED to choke the dog, the sound of the tightening chain should give the dog the appropriate signal. If not it's not working.
I do'nt believe prongs are the answer to everything. In fact, i hesitate to recommend them, and when I do it's with the recommendation to get proper fitting and training. But if the choke chain isn't working something needs to be done.

Answer:
 I too have an 8 month old chocolate lab named Katie. I am trying so hard to be patient with her but I have had to drop out of 2 obediences classes because she is too hard to handle. She would rather choke herself or sometimes she will walk on her hind legs than sit and stay for me. HELP!
My trainer says this is pretty typical of chocolates and I think she is a field dog anyway. She is so strong that I can barely hang onto her. My other yellow lab (who is gone now) was never this difficult. What should I do next? I have tried a flat collar, a choke collar and even a shock collar (last resort) which did absolutely nothing!
cat54
Drop out of obedience classes, isn't that why you are there:confused: ?
Typical of chocolates? :huh:
I would be looking for somewhere else to do training. We use a prong for Cara and it is night & day, but she was fitted and we were taught to use it properly, which is very important.
There are many threads in regards to prong collars, I think they would be helpful if you are considering this, then find someone qualified to show you the proper fit & how to use. In our case, it was the trainer we were using.
eta: I would be glad to ask our trainer if she knows of anyone in your area to recommend. Just PM me if you would like me to ask.

Answer:
 My chocolate lab was WAY easier to train than my yellow lab. Its all in temperment and personality and nothing to do with colour.
I use prong collars for training and find they do wonders. If I were you I would look into a different trainer because if you feel you need to drop out of your class then you need a different trainer...they are supposed to help you.
It just takes time, practice and A LOT of patience when training to walk nicely.

Answer:
 I'd reccomend a prong also.
If people don't understand them, they're scary just because of what they look like. Try it out on your arm once, you can pull it pretty hard and it doesn't actually hurt.

Answer:
 When I first joined this forum, we had some serious leash pulling going on and it was a danger to me (I have osteoporosis). We had a gentle leader, and she was able to get it off. She'd flop down, refuse to get up until she got it off and then it was crazy dog the minute it came off. We bought a choke collar but ended up not using it after hearing that it can cause be damaging to the dog. I resisted the prong because it looked horrible, but on the advice of someone on this board (I can't remember who), they suggested I put the choke around my leg and give a leash correction, and then try it with the prong. The prong is just a squeeze, where as the choke actually hurt. We have had walks where Guinness pulls because she hasn't gotten out in a couple of days and then she calms after 1/2 block. She has never had a mark on her due to the prongs, she's just fine. I also don't let her walk if she's pulling. I keep her on a very short leash (about 1 foot), and although many people don't like them I use a retractable leash because its' easier for me to shorten to that length. When she pulls, I make her sit for a few seconds. I let her up with an "ok" command, and then we try again. Every time she pulls, we sit down and she has to wait until I say "ok" to start again. Walks can be a slow process when she's pulling, but we use walking as a training tool. Not only has it solidified her "sit" and "ok" command, but it's teaching her that I make the rules, not her. Once she's proven she can walk following my rules, I let her have some free leash during the walk to sniff and explore (depending on where we are, she gets as much as 10 feet but usually just 5-6 feet) which will last about 5 minutes. Then she goes back on the shortened leash for the rest of the walk so that it reiterates that I make the rules. I have to echo that color has nothing to do with temperment...is it that way in other breeds or people?? If it were my dog, I'd find another trainer but that's me.

Answer:
 At first Noel was the same way in OB class. The trainer suggested sitting on the leash. That worked great until she spotted something and took off, dragging me across the floor. The trainer didn't allow prong or choke collars, so I got her a gentle leader. It did help with the pulling while in class, but she spent all her time trying to paw it off. After about the 3rd week, she got better about behaving in class. I know what you mean about not being able to handle her. I would come home from class and my hair would be soaking wet from sweat.
When I wasn't in class I used a prong collar on Noel and still do. Since we have a fenced in backyard, we don't go on walks much so it's pretty much my fault that she's not good on a leash. I use the prong when we have to go to the vet or out somewhere and she does great with it.

Answer:
 I have to agree with everyone else. Try a prong one time and you will be amazed! The first time we used ours I cliped the two rings together so it couldn't even tighten around his neck and no leash corrections. I let Luca correct himself. As soon as he pulled once he got the idea and was right at my side.

Answer:
 You wouldn't use an e-collar unless the lab knew and fully understood the command given, so I do hope she knows the commands.
Sometimes OB classes don't work out for all dogs, there is just to many distractions and private lessons work better under a professional trainer. It depends alot on the dog and of course the owner. None of the tools you mentioned were designed to stop a dog from pulling, that is where your training comes in to teach first. The tools are only there to use by way of a correction.
Eight month old dogs are a bit more to handle, and it takes alot of patience and time and training to get that perfect walk and no pulling, if you find your patience running short, stop!
My personal opinion would have to be private lessons, under a good trainer that you have checked out and are not abusive. It's usually much easier on them, less distractions to begin with then in a full OB class full of other dogs.

Answer:
 Put away the e-collar for now. That's a good way to increase the issue. :) We'll come back to that tool in a few weeks. Dropping out of obedience? Um, where was the trainer? The dog acts like a dummy because she is allowed and it hasn't been yet demonstrated by a someone who is a little more insistent. (that's where the trainers in the obedience class should have stepped in, instead of telling you silly advice about chocolate labs. :rolleyes:)
Get a prong as stated before. Fit it properly otherwise you're going to waste your time and money. Once you have the prong fitted properly. Start inside the house. The dog must sit before going out the door. Once you're out the door, then she can come out. She _must_ sit when she gets out the door. If she doesn't. Pull her back in the house and make her sit again. This should not take more than a week for the most stubborn dogs. It normally takes me a day or two. If she doesn't want to sit. Get her back in the house and put away the leash for at least 15 minutes. You must be calm as if nothing is happening. If she learns to sit and if the prong is properly fitted, generally once you 'allow' the dog to start walking, she should not pull because the prong should prevent her. Lets see how that goes.