Alfie02 Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) Hi all , Just wondering what a martingale purpose is? I have trained one of my dogs effectivley using a check chain and now want to progress onto something a little 'less'. I eventually want him to be walking on just a collar, so would this be the right step to take, downgrade to a martingale collar? Do the martingale collars still have the ability to 'check' your dog when they show undesirable behaviour? Thank you in advance Edited June 11, 2010 by Alfie02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Nope a flat collar will not provide you with correction other than preventing a dog from running away and giving you the opportunity to reel it in to re-inforce a recall command for instance. I prefer a front attach harness to a check chain. It doesn't exactly do corrections but a dog that pulls is unbalanced by it and stops pulling. No choking or neck damage involved. Flat collars are handy for carrying council tags and your contact details - should your dog escape or be let out accidentally or on purpose - anyone who can read - can ring you up. Flat collars - without the tags are also handy for dog sports like agility, where check chains are not allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 You absolutely can give a correction on a flat collar. Some dogs are not sensitive enough to respond but some are, depending on how they've been trained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Nope a flat collar will not provide you with correction other than preventing a dog from running away and giving you the opportunity to reel it in to re-inforce a recall command for instance.I prefer a front attach harness to a check chain. It doesn't exactly do corrections but a dog that pulls is unbalanced by it and stops pulling. No choking or neck damage involved. Flat collars are handy for carrying council tags and your contact details - should your dog escape or be let out accidentally or on purpose - anyone who can read - can ring you up. Flat collars - without the tags are also handy for dog sports like agility, where check chains are not allowed. Going OT here but, A flat collar, check chain or even martingale collar used correctly will not cause any type of neck damage. I have 2 amazing dogs, neither pull at all and both are trained on a simple flat collar (Though Rover wears a martingale, cause one of his dog buddys will undue and steal any other type of collar ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfie02 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) Whoops, sorry guys I meant a martingale collar....same question but replace flat collar with martingale....lol. Thanks for the responses though Will edit my post now. Edited June 11, 2010 by Alfie02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Mine always wear martingales - it's a sighthound thing, flat collars are a big no-no for sighthounds. This is because there's not enough difference between the width of their muscular necks and their narrow skulls, they can come out of flat collars with a very quick flick of the head... especially if they want to go chase something! My two good walkers are very good on them, they will correct easily and lightly and walk without pulling. But my puller (who is the blonde in the family!) will always pull into a martingale like she's dragging a sled - no matter what we try. So she has an infin8 halterr. But yep, for normal dogs (not your exceptional blondies that is! ) martingales are very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 On Fridays, I have a lovely Manchester Terrier stay with me and he has a martingale collar. I love it. I walk my own dogs on harnesses and also have the soft material "check" collars bought years ago. These are the same principle as the martingale, but don't clip on easily like the martingale, and need to be adjusted each time you use them. Renny (my Friday boy) is a bit of a puller but after he has settled down from the intial excitement of all the different smells, he is fine with martingale and responds to correction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 I always walk my Sibe on a martingale collar as his head is very narrow and he can slip flat collars. I trained both him and my beagle to walk on a loose leash with a martingale (and a good training program too obviously). I prefer them to check chains as they are adjustable and can be fitted to sit more effectively on a dog's neck than a check chain which will keep sliding down no matter where you put it initially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_meg Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 i've only every used martingales and found correcting really easy with them and effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 Yep, gotta agree. I always start out my pups on a martingale collar and most stay on a martingale for life however if I get a 'blonde' then I find I have to use a choker until we get an understanding, then I change back to a martingale after about 12 months. Love martingale collars - love the fact the dog can't easily slip out of them. Would never attempt to train a dog on a flat collar as I believe it puts the handler at a disadvantage. How awful would it be to have an untrained dog slip out of their collar when they are out on a walk!!! I am always amazed at the difficulties new dog owners heap on themselves by only using a flat collar on a pulling dog. Martingales forever!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 (edited) If I had a puppy I would always start out on a flat collar... I do all our obedience training on a flat collar too (often off leash as well) and I walk Daisy on a flat collar all the time now. She doesn't have Micha's narrow head, so she's not going to be able to back out of a good buckle collar, and she's been trained to walk on a loose leash so we don't need the martingale anymore. Edited June 12, 2010 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rach... Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 I use a martingale collar on my heeler, because I have found they are one of the only collars she cant break or get out of. She has one of the Rogz ones She was trained using a check chain but only needs a small reminder every now and again of her manners and i find the martingale does this perfectly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 With my last dog I couldn't have walked her without a martingale. Fantastic tool. With Honey I can correct her for pulling on just a flat collar as she is a fairly "soft" dog. However, occasionally I swap it for a martingale if she needs some reminding of where she shld be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfie02 Posted June 12, 2010 Author Share Posted June 12, 2010 Thanks for the responses guys, they are really helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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