To Have Happy Puppies
Every Dog Owner
Needs To Read This Study

Happy Puppies Make Us Happy!
At Long Last A Proper Study Giving Us The Facts

I have known for a very long time that; using the neck and head area for walking a dog and to control a dog was not in the animals best interests.

I'd heard too many horror stories over the years of the damage caused to the Soft Tissue areas in the neck, Esophagus, Trachea, Spinal Cord and Skeletal Structures.

I'd listened to the occassional Vet lament the use of Collars in training and the damage caused by jerking on the attached leash. But, no one did anything! Of course, it was the dog's fault, he is too boistrous, too out of control, etc. etc. If, he hadn't been carrying on this wouldn't have happened!

Even our happy puppies, so cute and so innocent fell victim to our ignorance. I shudder to think how many dogs out there have grown up with permanent and painful damage to their spines from the use of so called training collars and dog training leashes.

I say... It's not the dog's fault, especially not little happy puppies faults, it's our responsibility. I tried researching to find out what info there was out there on this subject. I wanted to find out the facts. Really, just to confirm what I already knew.

Imagine how you would feel...to be gagging, gasping for air, but, still have the overwhelming instinct and need to be free, to play, to run, at any cost - happy puppies, in particular, just can't help themselves!

We don't have to go far on any given day to see a dog dragging and pulling it's owner along. Even outfitted with horror devices like the choker chain, pinch collar, etc the poor hapless dog still keeps going, against all the pain and discomfort. How can we have happy puppies when we do this to them?

So then; Why is it we all just keep using the same useless pieces of unkind equipment? Because, we don't know any better, same old, same old... must be I just have a 'bad' dog!

We Do Know Better Now Though, Thanks To This Study. Please read the results below and make up your own mind.

At Dog Harness Solutions we're in the business of solving dog anxiety problems associated with walking a dog, both for the dog and the human. We all want Happy Puppies!

Excerpts From A Study Conducted By;
Anders Hallgren
Published In The:
"Animal Behaviour Consultants Newsletter" July,1992 V.9 No 2

(Along With Further Comments by Mr. Hallgren)

63% of the dogs examined had neck and spinal injuries.
78% of the dogs with aggession or over activity problems had neck and spinal injuries.
Of the dogs with neck injuries, 91% had experienced hard jerks on a leash or had strained against their leashes.

Dog Owners were offered a free examination of their dog by a Chiropractor in return for their voluntary participation.

Those who volunteered to participate in the Study had mostly ordinary dogs, in that; owners presented them without any suspicion of spinal anomalies... Canine back problems are common.

The results of the Study show that the Chiropractors found back anomalies in 63% of the 400 dogs.

Dogs that 'acted out', in other words, that exhibited over activity and aggression; 78% had spinal anomalies. Spinal anomalies seem to constitute an irritation that often results in stress reactions, agression or fear.

Mr. Halgren found that this was also in accordance with his own and his Students experience as Behaviourists, with problematic dogs.

In the Study there were some factors that correlated with spinal anomalies. These were:-

Accidents
Pulling on Leash (see below)
Limping During Adolescence

Pulling on Leash:

Of those dogs that had cervical (neck) anomalies, 91% had been exposed to harsh jerks on the leash, or they had a long history of pulling or straining at the end of a leash. There is a risk of 'whip-lash' from jerking the leash that probably increases if the dog wears a choke chain collar. Choke chain collars are constructed such that; pulling it results in pressure distributed around the dog's neck, but, the muscles that absorb the pressure are situated mostly at the sides of the neck. The neck and throat are almost unprotected.

Additional Comment by Mr. Hallgren...

Choke Chain Collars can be dangerous. For many years I and others have criticised the use of choke chain collars and training methods that use jerking and pulling on a leash as a means of controlling behavior. Unfortunately, most dog trainers use just this technique. There is probably a relationship between the force of the jerk and the risk of injury. I believe dog owners should be warned that chaining a dog to anything firm, that isn't elastic, without surveillance may increase the risk of a spinal injury. A dog can easily forget the boundaries of the chain or rope, accelerate, and suddenly come to a halt, with all the stopping power concentrated around the dog's neck.

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