Her mom gave us permission to share her vet medical results with folks so that what happened to her does not happen to another dog.
This is the result of years of pulling on a leash, with different devices which were not a harness. Lots of unscientific information floating on the internet, and encouraging parents of large dogs to use pinch collars, martingales and such. What is not shared is the aftermath. This particular pup wore martingales, flat collars and short leashes, as she pulled from the leash and mom could not hold her back, it was becoming scarier everytime. She is a large powerful pup of over 70lbs, so safety was a concern.
As she became more afraid of strangers she began reacting to them. The short leash did not allow her a way out to escape. Dogs become more afraid if they are confined or physically restricted without escape. So when she was afraid of something she would lunge and snap in hopes that the scary human or object would disappear.
It typically did. So that 'worked', it got her what she needed: safety.
Her furmom was very concerned, and was recommended a 'g- leader' (head collar) to distract her and move her away from situations. So they tried it. And 'it worked'. It worked because the stressor was avoided... but the root of the issue was still there: fear.
One day she faced a scary thing and her neck was pulled away by the 'g- leader' in order to redirect her. With the sudden movement her Atlas vertebrae was dislocated (the first one after the brain). This was the most incredibly painful thing, and from that moment there were a number of postural issues with her spine and mobility, which can be seen in the picture.
In our behavior and training consultations we make sure to inform furparents of the dangers of choke collars, martingales and head halters/ leaders.
Thankfully for this pup, mom came to us for help and they are walking on a loose leash now with a lot less reactivity. Loose leash walking prevents a large number of issues related to overcompensation and tension in the power train of the dog (the lumbar area and hips).
Please share with all furmoms, furdads, neighbors, friends so that they can prevent pain for their dogs.
And if you know someone needing to learn how to walk on a loose leash without pulling, no matter how powerful the dog is... contact us. www.kaiserpetcare.com
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