34 - North Shore News - Sunday, April 2, 2000 Dog collar choices don't include choking WHEN I walk into a pet store, I begin to salivate worse than one of Pavlov’s dogs. Not because of the dog treats, but because of all the new gadgets and gizmos for dogs. With all the advances being made regarding the understanding of canine behaviour and teaching, there have also been improvements made on col- Jars and new useful training aids. It used to be that when you walked into 2 pet store, your selection was limited to choke collars. Some of these looked like medieval torture devices. Sadly they are still being used. 1 make no beans about the fact that I am personally opposed to the use of com- pulsion training aids such as choke collars, s Prong collars and electric collars. 1 only hope that if someone choos- cs to use these old-fashioned training style devices, that they learn the proper meth- ods of doing so. For those who hold a more progressive approach to teaching their dogs, there are now some great collars and training aids available. The simplest is the stan- dard buckle or snap neck collar. These collars are typi- cally made of leather or Thoxk you to. Econo Moving & Storage. Glentel'. B.C, Brand BC Rail. Joan lucha canine connection nylon and are easy to place around a dog's neck for control. The wider the band on the collar the betrer. When it comes to fitting, the two finger rule applies. Two fingers should easily be slipped between the dog's collar and neck. Anything less than two fingers and it is too tight and may impair breathing. Any more and it is too loose. A dog with a collar which is too loose can easily slip out of it. If a dog is a bit of a col- lar Houdini, a chest harness may be an alternative. Chest harnesses are designed to distribute the pressure of the straps across a dog's chest and shoulders instead of the neck. I once had an individual tel] me that he thought dogs found chest harnesses uncomfortable, that is why he used 2 choke collar. (Well then, maybe I should inform the Iditarod sled dogs of his discovery. Whatever!) Chest harnesses come in NKS, DUCKS! companies and volusteors whe mode the Wik Great Copilane River Duck Roce onalen success North ‘Shore Rescue Park Royal - Suspended Stages Ltd. we Yancoere® And all of our volunteers PONSORS thanks all sponsors whe kave a variety of sizes and are adjustable. When fitting a dog for a harness, the two finger rule applies here as well. [ usually recommend that people with pint sized dogs use a harness, as weil as dogs who jog or hike with their persor.. The Martingale collar is a collar which is made of nylon (although you can fint chain ones and I do not recommend those), but has a unique design. The two ends of the nylon collar are joined by a type of slip chain. When fitted properly, the collar tightens evenly around the dogs neck as it pulis. But it can only tighten to the width of the dog’s neck, no further. Therefore it doesn’t continue to choke a dog, like a choke collar. The wide nylon band dis- tributes the pressure over a wider surface, thereby easing discomfort on the neck. Since a dog cannot back out of this collar, it addresses the slippage issue. Because of these features, I personal- ly prefer this style of neck collar. It is best to get this collar fitted with the help of pet store staff. The latest training aid is the canine face halter also known as a Halti or Gentle Leader. And they are not muzzles! The face halter is See Face page 36 West Van Seniors Band All of the many ticket sellers who ensure a eqfe race PETS On Special | Now! Canine Maintenance or Maintenance Lite Humans’ names: Matthew and Jason, 10 years old. Pets’ names and ages: Peter and Flopsy are rabbits the twins got from the SPCA about a year and a half ago. Favourite activities: The rab- bits like to “mow” the lawn and “prune” the garden. Favourite treat: They love 10 Ib. On Special Now! Feline Maintenance : or Maintenance Lite 23" NEWS photo Mike Wakefield carrots, pears and broccoli. if you would like to appear with your pet in Pet Pause, please write to Terry Peters c/o the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, 8.C., V7M 2H4, Or send e-mail to . Bridge Travel & - ‘ Cruise Centre Ltd. Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Contact Printing Regional District Fine Printers. Buy Nutro Natural Choice Booda Bones = Angin . i i Provide d ith a safe, fun toy that... & Mailing Ltd. and Construction North Shore News Chicken & Rice 17kg bag actually ade inj mp roving yo u r Hogs DBA Groundwater Rocky Mountaineer for $34.88 - Get a FREE dental hygiene by flossing their gums. _ Edgemont Village Equipment Ltd. Railtours “Bosiey” Dog Toy 3 Sizes Available Jewellers . Holland Save-On-Foods Valued at $4.991 Ferguson Transport Co. America | Sorenson Crane Rentals Limited Quantity Ltd. Moving & Storage ICBC Vie Harrison West Van . Your Friendly. . 2477 Marine Prive Neighbourhood Pet Store! West Vancouver Open 7 Days a Week | 926-8841 100% Canadian Owned! 133 East 14th St. In effect until April 8,2000 North Vancouver 984-7133 B.C. Whitewater Kayak Assoc. © Hollyburn Sailing Glub « North Shore Fire Brigade North Shore Lifeboat Society « RCMP, North Shore ¢ Rogers Catle Squamish Indian Bana ¢ St. John Ambulance ala the Rotary Gubs of the North Shore. _ {learn more about Rotary by visiting our website at www.rotary.org) a — HR ces gai aut easLaiRASTtAt BeeLdaEe ade Reet?