CHOKE CHAINS

Choke chains damage dogs, cause pain and can cause behavioural problems. Choke chains have been directly linked to to the following;

        Injured ocular blood vessels

        Tracheal and oesophageal damage

        Severely sprained necks

        Cases of fainting

        Transient foreleg paralysis

        Laryngeal nerve paralysis

        Hind leg ataxia

If you don’t use a choke chain to stop the pulling then what should you use?

You could use a flat collar, harness or head collar. There are many different types in the market and it is important that you choose the right one for your type of dog. You could also train your dog not to pull. By finding a qualified trainer in your area you could attend classes and learn how to train your dog positively without aversive methods how to teach your dog to walk without pulling.

There have been many studies onto the effects of correcting your dog using choke chains.

“In a retrospective study on spinal pain, injury or changes in dogs conducted in Sweden, Hallgreen (1992) found that 91% of dogs with cervical anomalies experienced harsh jerks on lead or had a long history of pulling on the lead. Use of chokers were also over expressed in this group. This strongly suggests that such corrections are potentially injurious”.

Karen Overall MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB Clinical behavioural medicine for small animals.

In 30 years of practise Including 22 years as a veterinary advisor to a police dog section) I have seen numerous severely strained necks, cases of fainting, transient foreleg paresis and hind leg ataxia after robust use of the choke chain.

When the practise of slamming the dog sideways with a jerk that brought the foreparts clear of the ground and two or three feet towards the handler, became popular in the 1970’s the resulting painful condition was known as Woodhouse neck in this practise. Some of these cases exhibited misalignment of cervical vertebrae on radiographs. It is suggested that an existing spondylopathy renders these dogs more vulnerable to injury. Robin Walker BVetMed MRCVS.

Two authoritative references which should put you in no doubt that you should never use a choke chain or slip lead for correcting a dog that pulls on the lead. You should seriously consider any advice given to you to put a check chain on your dog as a means to correct lead pulling.

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