Ella's Lead (picture Heavy)

JazzyandVeronica

JazzyandVeronica

Honored Member
I have been buying their heavy duty rope leads for years; but the company recently started making leather collars and leads and I just purchased my first set.

The company is owned by a husband and wife team (Rebecca & Ben) and named after their pit bull (Ella) who passed away several years ago from cancer.

And I'm playing with a new camera.




Vivid color:





Close up:

Matching Ella's Lead leather leash:


I highly recommend Ella's Lead:
http://www.ellaslead.com/
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Great photos!
wow, i WISH i could put fancy collars on Buddy, but, it'd be waste of money, his never ever show.
so I just make his TAG really long,
<-----you can even see it in his icon pic, that dark spot on his chest, is a tag.
I make Buddy's tag hang way down low enough SO it can be seen,
in case he ever takes off after a bunny and gets lost, ppl won't see a collar on him,:oops: ever.....
but, they might spot his tag and call me up.:D


That is a good looking leash,
i use a cloth leash,
so i can tie a knot in it,
to mark where Buddy should be if i want him to heel.
BUT ISN'T IT FUN TO GET NEW STUFF FOR YOUR DOG??:D
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Veronica is looking adorable, as usual, wow, she has a lot of "looks" doesn't she, when her ears are up, she looks so different!:D
her collars looks tight to me:censored: in those photos, cuz Buddy wears his much much looser. so i am much accustomed to seeing a much looser collar, <----is probably why:LOL: V's collar looks just a tad too snug to *me*.
(but, my dog will never, ever ever ever pull his head out of his collar, never, so i don't have to worry about that, some dogs can and will pull out of their collars).
 
Anneke

Anneke

Honored Member
Beautifull!!!
Yes, like with Tigerlily's Buddy, collars don't show on my dogs, because of the long hair.
I have wanted a leather collar with indian beads on it, but they are expensive and if it doesn't show I dan't want to spend the money.
So I opt for the cheaper nylon collars(mostly Rogz for dogz)
I should get a short haired dog, to satisfy my craziness for collars:rolleyes::ROFLMAO:
 
JazzyandVeronica

JazzyandVeronica

Honored Member
Thanks guys! I confess I am a collar addict. If you guys saw the collection I have amassed for just one dog...you would be planning an intervention for sure! :ROFLMAO:

//her collars looks tight to me:censored: in those photos, cuz Buddy wears his much much looser. so i am much accustomed to seeing a much looser collar, <----is probably why:LOL: V's collar looks just a tad too snug to *me*.
(but, my dog will never, ever ever ever pull his head out of his collar, never, so i don't have to worry about that, some dogs can and will pull out of their collars).//

It looked tight to me at first too TL...however if V. got excited or amped up enough over something, she could very possibly back right out of her collar.

So...being a very responsible (and a touch paranoid) pit bull owner, I researched proper collar fit. You should be able to easily and comfortably slide a finger under the collar but no more. V. is really very good on leash, but I always think about the possibility of a loose dog or a hoard of taunting cats...and the reality is...no matter what happens...it is always the pit bull's fault...better to be proactively offensive.

I use a 1 3/4 - 2 inch leather collar because it gives me control and I think is more comfortable for her (dispersing pressure over a wider area; instead of a thinner collar which would "cut") when I do have to physically control her by her collar.

It doesn't even have to be a loose dog or a passing rabbit; if she sees a "friend"; in Veronica's mind the best way to greet them is to tackle them like a line backer, take them down, sit on their chest and give them a proper face licking. In her mind, any lesser show of enthusiasm is tantamount to a snub. She and I disagree on this point; so this is one instance, where I'm afraid I must insist we do things my way and sometimes, not always, but sometimes that requires physical restraint. :rolleyes: (And let me just say that the fairly teeny tiny 50 pound package that V. comes in - is deceivingly strong).

But she only wears her collars when we go out. Inside she is au naturel. :D
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
:ROFLMAO:

PS----i know from previous discussions, you, Jazzy, are pretty darn savvy on helping dogs behave and be their best self,
but you know, if you ever want any help on that greeting of Jazzy's, just post a thread on it! Lots of people have had similar issues. After deciding he liked humans after all, then Buddy thought all humans should be given hugs.:rolleyes:
now, he sits for all kids, as well as very short adults,
and just smiles for everyone else, and no longer feels he has to HUG everyone he meets.:LOL:


(Buddy still WANTS to hug them all, :ROFLMAO: but usually is able to not do that now, except for ppl who encourage him to hug them, which IS a lot of ppl, so it makes it a bit hard to help Buddy understand what to do:LOL:).
 
JazzyandVeronica

JazzyandVeronica

Honored Member
//except for ppl who encourage him to hug them, which IS a lot of ppl, so it makes it a bit hard to help Buddy understand what to do:LOL:).//

That is the problem. And there are so many of those people that I confess...I don't want to say I gave up...but I guess I did.

Veronica believe it or not is actually pretty good at "reading people" and she tends to greet appropriately (based on preference of the greetee). But when she has an established history with someone, that she doesn't get to see often and that she knows gives major loving...she cannot contain herself. Still, I prefer she not plow the person over and sit on their chest. :rolleyes:

Like today, we were walking by her friend's house and she started to get excited just to see the house, then she saw her friend outside and she got more excited, then she saw her friend start to go to the gate to come and say "hello" to her...by the time she got to her friend she was practically vibrating off the sidewalk!
 
Dogster

Dogster

Honored Member
LOVE that collar, Jazzy!!!!:D Geez, I'm also a collar addict. I've managed to get Shivon 3 collars:ROFLMAO: Yes Tigerlily, I LOVE getting stuff for my dog!!!!:LOL:
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
I love Veronica's new collar on her it looks good on her.:love:
I love collars and leashes, but with me only getting money every now and than from babysitting and stuff I don't have the money. Missy's last collar lasted a year, she just got a new one yesterday. My mom did help me out and bought Missy's last collar and the new one she just got(thank you mom) When I have money it is for something that Missy needs never me.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
dawg, what a collection! whoo! Poor old Buddy has maybe 2 or 3, to swap out when he gets skunked or if it's wet from his bath or something! Poor neglected Buddy!


LOVED all the styles and i bet, i'd be same exact way IF my dog's collars even showed!:ROFLMAO:


only thing i'd change for my collection:

prong collar edit.png



but LOVED the rest of the styles!
 
JazzyandVeronica

JazzyandVeronica

Honored Member
I agree; I haven't used the prong in years.

Way back when Veronica first started with her dog reactivity a trainer recommended I use a prong. It worked like power steering for all of a few weeks; then she decided she really didn't care if it was on or not; so I switched to the front ring no-pull harness (which was perfect because if I needed to I could pull her right off her feet and swing her away from the on-coming dog she was trying to pounce on - without fear of hurting her).

Now she is older and for the most part has learned to act like a lady, so we can wear the pretty leather collars. :D

I'm not adverse to using a prong as a tool during the training process however if necessary for safety purposes. I do prefer to do as much as possible through positive means; and with Veronica I do everything positive now (except for verbal corrections) because she is such a soft dog.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Yeah, Jazzy, i had a feeling from previous threads, that you were NOT a prong-collar user now. Glad to hear it!!

//"I'm not adverse to using a prong as a tool during the training process however if necessary for safety purposes"//

i am, for many reasons.
there is NOTHING you can "teach" a dog with prongs in his neck,
that you can't teach without using the prongs in his neck.
nothing.

Lots of other alternatives, like chest harnesses, head collars, double-leashes, not one good reason to put prongs in a dog's neck.

and like you discovered, eventually, dogs find ways to ignore the pain, and still pull. Last summer i saw an elderly dog, still pulling, still wearing a prong collar.


Teaching loose leash walking IS a challenge,
i am SO high-fiving you! At least, it was for *me*. Boy, did i ever struggle,:LOL:
sure did.
I did everything wrong:oops: ,
and even after i figured out what to do to get my pull monster to stop pulling,
everyone else in family was not on board,:cautious: and still allowing Bud to pull.


:ROFLMAO::rolleyes:

But, eventually i did get all the other family members who also walk Buddy to agree to go along with "no pull" program,
and THEN, my dog finally "got it" when EVERYONE was on board.:rolleyes: BUT you woulda laffed if you'd seen us, what a mess! I don't remember how long it took, but, it *seemed* a long time til we conquered loose-leash walking.


guess we ALL live and learn!!:ROFLMAO:
 
JazzyandVeronica

JazzyandVeronica

Honored Member
//there is NOTHING you can "teach" a dog with prongs in his neck,
that you can't teach without using the prongs in his neck.
nothing.//

I should clarify...I don't think you need a prong collar to teach a dog things; but for me there are certain situations with certain dogs where I would consider using a prong collar on a temporary basis during the training process.

I am 5 feet tall and weigh about 105 pounds. If I had an aggressive dog that outweighed me and/or that was stronger than me and that could hurt another dog or person if not properly managed...than I would use a prong collar (if it was effective with that particular dog) as sort of a safety net during the training process to prevent any casualties.

For example, I would never have used a prong just to teach loose leash walking. With Veronica her loose leash walking was just fine...until she saw another dog. Her issue was that she was lunging at other dogs, growling and snarling and acting like Cujo; and since this was new behavior, I really didn't know if it was "acting out" (which it is; reactive not really aggressive) or if it was genuinely aggressive (meaning she could potentially hurt/kill someone else's dog). It was completely unacceptable behavior and it scared the bejesus out of a few poor people who saw it, before we got a handle on it.

So I tried the prong collar (because while it was not my preferred method, it sounded preferential to apologizing to someone and offering to pay for their dog's medical bills); I also tried it on myself and I used the blunting safety caps. It didn't really hurt, it was more of an attention getter. What happened was after the novelty wore off, Veronica was completely oblivious to it, and acting just as insane.

The front ring harness worked because basically Veronica is only a 50 poound dog and I can manage her physically if need be. If she were, say a Mastiff for example and exhibiting the same behavior and intensity...I don't think the harness would have done much good...I kinda think I would have been dragged into the fray...so in a case like that...honestly for me, the prong caps would come off...just until I could work on the issue and behaviorally get it under control to ensure that my dog's behavior was not going to impinge upon or impact anyone else.

Just as an aside, Veronica has been doing awesome with her reactivity. The recent problem has been that she will do great and then something will set her off and she will backslide (nothing like in those early days, by backslide I mean bark and pull, no snarling, lunging, frothing at the mouth). But it was driving me crazy, 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. And I noticed that even when she was very, very good and no one even noticed she was reacting..she still wasn't...calm...she still fixated, hackles up, increased adrenaline even though she was perfectly quiet.

So I was watching a training video and it hit me that I had jumped straight to operant conditioning (asking her for a behavior); before I had successfully changed her internal state by counter conditioning her to the presence of other dogs.

I decided Pavlov must have some idea as to what he is talking about :cool: so I just went back to classical counter-conditioning. Just feeding her for un-reactive behavior when we see another dog ; not asking anything of her - just making the association. And I noticed right away she started offering her previously learned behaviors; like looking at the dog and then at me; but she is seeming ever so slightly more relaxed about it; and fo the most part I am keeping a loose leash and she is choosing to stay close to me.
Except...for when the other dog fixates on her, reacts or gives her stinkeye. THAT is the biggest challenge ever; getting her to keep her cool in the face of another dog going off on her. Might never happen...but we try.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
ah, even a small person with a big dog can usually control dog with a head collar, like 'Gentle Leader" or there is one called "Blackdog" which is supposed to be good, too. Prongs don't really stop dogs from pulling or lunging, either.
Some say the squeezing on the neck increases adrenaline in dogs, further adding to the problem that we are working to solve.
BUT WE ALL LIVE AND LEARN!! Like Maya Angelou says, "I did the best i could, with what i understood at the time.";)

LOVE that you are making more progress towards a calmer Veronica! WOW!!! :D:) YAY!!!


I also use a multi=prong approach (not collar, approach, lol:LOL: )
to work on buddy's gangsta stuff, your words are very interesting!!

I so agree, helping dogs make new associations is GREAT approach, and i think, if anyone can help Jazzy get a new idea, i think you can do it!!


I recently posted two new vids on this thread, both of which i think ppl like us will find interesting,
in reply #54,
and reply #55, on just the very thing you are talking about.
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/7-things-that-helped-my-dog-aggressive-dog.4413/page-3#post-46622
 
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