# Best Collar for Husky?



## Jak (Sep 17, 2007)

I've been trying to get my Husky to walk nicely on leash and its not working out so well. I think I might get a trainer soon to help me out with this. But I also want to make sure I'm using the right gear. Now I have him on a normal collar and leash. But I've heard that the force on the neck can spark a opposition reflex and eventually hurt him. So what type should I be using? I heard a few positive comments online about the Cesar Milan collar, but its kinda pricey and want to hear some more opinions before I spend 40$ on something that doesn't work.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Easy Walk Harness works well from what I hear from the Siberian Husky Rescue CA.


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

An Easy Walk Harness works well for some people, but my preference for the huskies I've worked with honestly has been a prong collar. Some people feel strongly that this is an excessively harsh tool, I don't, for most huskies, and for a chronic puller, I wouldn't give collar corrections, but I *would* allow the dog to self-correct.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

There are many types of training collars out there you can try; including ones that are exactly like the CM one, but won't be nearly as expensive. 

Prong collars work well on Huskies that I have worked with; usually after a few corrections, they will decide that it is nicer to walk beside you. However, before I go out and walk with a prong, I simply work with the dog in a circle, establishing the "circle of comfort"...Just stand in the middle and let the dog circle around you; while calling his name and getting him 'excited' about staying near to you (use a 6 foot lead). When he hits the end of the lead, he will give himself a mild correction; don't administer anything more. Eventually work on shortening the lead, while moving foward a bit, while having him retain a loose lead, he can still circle you. He will gradually get more and more comfortable staying close to you the longer you work on just establishing a 'circle of comfort' before you walk each day. I can't explain, really, how it works, but it does; but be sure to talk to the dog, and especially say his name...if he gets really distracted looking at something else, just call him and try to go the other direction. 

I know huskies can be strong willed but they can be really fun to work with! Have fun and enjoy your dog; He will probably respond to a corrective collar of some form, just start trying different ones and see which one he likes best. As long as they are used properly, you shouldn't hurt him...it's when they are improperly used that the dog stands the chance of being injured.


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## madkad (Sep 13, 2007)

I have always used a flat leather collar on all dogs and found that they work well, I have an utonagan and they have Husky in them of around 75% from what I know, I use a flat collar on her and it works well, when she is older and walking fully well I will change to a nice harness (lol just for looks)


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

My Husky is leash trained so I just use a flat collar. It's not really that hard.


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## Addison (Oct 4, 2007)

RBark said:


> My Husky is leash trained so I just use a flat collar. It's not really that hard.


I have a husky and have found that the best collar for her is a choker (with out the prongs). If I use a normal nylon collar I find she can sneak out of it or bit through it!. I found the best way to teach her how to walk nice on a leash is to use little pulls (enough to show her that I am in command) but not enough to hurt her. I also make sure to correct her every mistake and reinforce her with a treat everytime she walks nice.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Addison said:


> I have a husky and have found that the best collar for her is a choker (with out the prongs). If I use a normal nylon collar I find she can sneak out of it or bit through it!. I found the best way to teach her how to walk nice on a leash is to use little pulls (enough to show her that I am in command) but not enough to hurt her. I also make sure to correct her every mistake and reinforce her with a treat everytime she walks nice.


He could pull out of it, true. But he doesn't so I'm not too concerned. I do use that little pulls things too. I did not train him to do it intentionally, but for one reason or other, he has been trained to use the leash as a guide. A slight move of my hand to the right, he turns right, left is left, and so on. He probably picked it up from hiking where the trail is not always clear. Still a nifty trick, anyway.


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## huskyx2 (Sep 27, 2007)

I bought the Cesar Millan Illusion collars for both of my huskies and they work really well. Then again my two husky's are adopted and have only been with us for a month.

I don't see much of a difference in a regular choke chain except this collar helps the choke chain stay in place. I'm sure if you have only one dog instead of trying to train two it's not that big of a deal.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Addison said:


> I have a husky and have found that the best collar for her is a choker (with out the prongs). If I use a normal nylon collar I find she can sneak out of it or bit through it!.


I'd recommend a limited slip collar in this case - also known as a martingale collar.


> I found the best way to teach her how to walk nice on a leash is to use little pulls (enough to show her that I am in command) but not enough to hurt her.


Do you give her a chance to avoid the correction? Meaning, do you offer a cue to stop pulling? If so, how have you conditioned the cue?


> I also make sure to correct her every mistake and reinforce her with a treat everytime she walks nice.


Whoa! That must be a lot of treats?!


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## Jak (Sep 17, 2007)

Thanks for all the comments guys. I've really been doing my research, and the Easy Walk seemed best for my dog, so I picked one up today. I'm gonna wait till I meet with the trainer before I try to fit it myself.

I was wondering though, did anyone else's harness comes with some sort of tag on the shoulder strap? My harness has a tag that looks like one of those plastic security tags they put on clothes that sets off the censors at the door. It says "Checkpoint" on it... Anyone know what the deal is?


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## battlemonkey (Oct 14, 2007)

I have an elkhound, which is a member of the spitz family like the husky. Since the husky has a natural ability to want to pull, I would recommend a Halti or Gentle Leader which can easily attach to your dogs regular collar for added safety just in case the halti or GL comes off. They work pretty much the same as a halter on horses, since when you lead a horse wherever the head goes, the body follows, the same goes for dogs.

I would do like someone said before me, it will take a while to teach your dog that this is a great thing to have and to leave it on even without walking. Just 5 min at a time inside the house, getting the dog used to wearing it and give him lots of praise when he doesn't try to paw at it and leaves it alone. I use the Halti on my dog and it works quite well. You don't need to "yank" or "pull" on the leash in order to correct the dog since as soon as he starts walking ahead, the Halti corrects him by gently guiding him back.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

battlemonkey said:


> I have an elkhound, which is a member of the spitz family like the husky. Since the husky has a natural ability to want to pull, I would recommend a Halti or Gentle Leader which can easily attach to your dogs regular collar for added safety just in case the halti or GL comes off. They work pretty much the same as a halter on horses, since when you lead a horse wherever the head goes, the body follows, the same goes for dogs.
> 
> I would do like someone said before me, it will take a while to teach your dog that this is a great thing to have and to leave it on even without walking. Just 5 min at a time inside the house, getting the dog used to wearing it and give him lots of praise when he doesn't try to paw at it and leaves it alone. I use the Halti on my dog and it works quite well. You don't need to "yank" or "pull" on the leash in order to correct the dog since as soon as he starts walking ahead, the Halti corrects him by gently guiding him back.


That's the part that keeps confusing me. You're just supposed to hold it in place, if he tries to lunge or pull? The guide keeps saying pull forward but I don't know how to pull forward of a dog in front of you LOL.


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## zaidthehusky (Oct 18, 2007)

my husky shes 4 months old i never tried to train her but i read something on how to make her sit and it works and dhe jumps on me when i tell her to too. but im trying to walk her using a harness (dunno how good this harness is but its the only kind available in my country) and she wouldnt walk.. iv been getting her used to wearing it and today was the first time i got it on a leesh and even before we went outside she wouldnt walk.. if she felt pulled she sat.. and i dont wanna drag her. thats just silly.. this is my first dog and i am totally clueless. any tips would hepl big time.. thank u all


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## battlemonkey (Oct 14, 2007)

I"m sure others will tell you differently, but in my opinion, harnesses aren't a good idea if you're trying to train not to pull, because it will entice the total opposite in your dog.


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## OC_Spirit (Feb 6, 2007)

There is nothing better than just good ol' trainging. The excuse "but I have a Husky, he is supposed to pull!" is lame. I trained my competitive sprint racing LEAD DOG to HEEL using nothing more than a choke chain. The choke chain is more for security so he won't slip out of his collar than actually needing it for training. And you guys have it easy, you (for the most part) are working with pups and young dogs. I didnt get ownership of this dog until he was 4-5 years old, AFTER I had already spent 2-3 years competitively dogsled racing with him as my lead dog. His old owners never taught him any sort of leash manners. Didnt matter what collar was on him, he would pull like a freight train! It wasnt any sort of quick fix that was accomplished in a week or anything, It took a few months of consistancy but I can now get him to heel for an entire walk if I want to. But that's not how I walk. Instead what i do is let my dogs have the full length of the 6ft leasha nd they can walk as they wish, SO LONG AS THEY ARENT PULLING. I bring them back to heel when we are going past other dogs, at an intersection, or walking downtown. 

It can be done, it just takes patience, consistancy and knowledge about what makes your dog "tick". For example my lead dog (Ronan) has no motivators. He doesnt care about food or toys or praise so training takes a bit of creativity and willingness to explore alternate methods. In the case of heeling, his reward for doing a good job and heeling properly was gaining the "freedom" of the full 6ft again. The longer he would act like a ****, not only would he get appropriately-timed corrections, but he would also be kept on a short leash. When he smartened up and did what he was supposed to he would get praised with my marker cue for a job well done (which is "Yesss") and then released to the full 6ft with the cue "free".


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## zaidthehusky (Oct 18, 2007)

no no i dont mind her pulling i hope she pulls.. she doesnt she sits wanting the harness off .. and stops walking. even gives a sad look like "hey i dont want to be on a leesh" pulling is fine by me..

Zaid


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## OC_Spirit (Feb 6, 2007)

Zaid, it is likely she is uncomfortable with the harness. Do you ever put it on her around the house? Try putting it on her and initiating play with her favourite toy or giving her a yummy chew stick to work on. Once she is comfortable moving around with the harness on try walking again. Attach a very long line to her, take her outside and just start walking. If she sits, walk to the end of the leash and encourage her to follow you even givng a couple small tugs. If she still doesnt move try picking her up, walk a block or so away from the house, set her down and try again. Make it look like you are having a lot of fun at the end of the leash so she gets curious. Even bring a toy and start enticing her with it. When she so much as takes a step towards you, praise and keep encouraging her,. If she comes all the way up to you praise madly then walk off again. Soon she will realize that the harness is not a big deal and in fact its FUN to go on walks!


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

OC_Spirit said:


> There is nothing better than just good ol' trainging. The excuse "but I have a Husky, he is supposed to pull!" is lame. I trained my competitive sprint racing LEAD DOG to HEEL using nothing more than a choke chain. The choke chain is more for security so he won't slip out of his collar than actually needing it for training. And you guys have it easy, you (for the most part) are working with pups and young dogs. I didnt get ownership of this dog until he was 4-5 years old, AFTER I had already spent 2-3 years competitively dogsled racing with him as my lead dog. His old owners never taught him any sort of leash manners. Didnt matter what collar was on him, he would pull like a freight train! It wasnt any sort of quick fix that was accomplished in a week or anything, It took a few months of consistancy but I can now get him to heel for an entire walk if I want to. But that's not how I walk. Instead what i do is let my dogs have the full length of the 6ft leasha nd they can walk as they wish, SO LONG AS THEY ARENT PULLING. I bring them back to heel when we are going past other dogs, at an intersection, or walking downtown.
> 
> It can be done, it just takes patience, consistancy and knowledge about what makes your dog "tick". For example my lead dog (Ronan) has no motivators. He doesnt care about food or toys or praise so training takes a bit of creativity and willingness to explore alternate methods. In the case of heeling, his reward for doing a good job and heeling properly was gaining the "freedom" of the full 6ft again. The longer he would act like a ****, not only would he get appropriately-timed corrections, but he would also be kept on a short leash. When he smartened up and did what he was supposed to he would get praised with my marker cue for a job well done (which is "Yesss") and then released to the full 6ft with the cue "free".


I don't think anyone said that huskies can't be taught not to pull?


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## zaidthehusky (Oct 18, 2007)

OC_spirit u are amazing.. i let hear wear it around the house and she doesnt mind it anymore at all !!! im making it like a game we take it opn and off she gets a treat then again she gets a treat.. now she walks to me and wears it with high spirit ! gonna try the walking according to ur advice tomorrow
U ROCK!

zaid

also thank u battlemonkey and everyone for helpful posts


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## rsculady (Jun 23, 2007)

Well in our husky rescue we use limited slip collars on the dogs but Miss Makita is a leash/collar eater so she is now on a chain. I still have no idea how this girl would get her collar in her mouth and use her laser teeth to tear it off! Heck, she has even "cut" the collar off of Fuzzybutt while they were playing. LOL


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## battlemonkey (Oct 14, 2007)

My dog has to have a flat collar on, or no collar, depending on how she's doing in the house. We've tried using choke collars on her but she's prone to tonsilitis (sp?) cause she pulls too much, and a harness is out of the question, so the Halti works for us.


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## OC_Spirit (Feb 6, 2007)

zaidthehusky said:


> OC_spirit u are amazing.. i let hear wear it around the house and she doesnt mind it anymore at all !!! im making it like a game we take it opn and off she gets a treat then again she gets a treat.. now she walks to me and wears it with high spirit ! gonna try the walking according to ur advice tomorrow
> U ROCK!
> 
> zaid
> ...


 Glad I was able to help!! How did the walk go?


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