Comparing efficacy in reducing pulling and welfare impacts of four types of leash walking equipment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Leash pulling is a commonly reported problem behavior for dog owners, as a result, a variety of leash equipment types are offered to mitigate pulling force. We were particularly interested in prong collars as their inherently aversive design has made their use a subject of debate. Though banned in certain countries and widely available in others, to date, there is no research comparing them to other leash walking equipment.

Methods

We compared four types of leash walking equipment: a martingale (flat collar as baseline measure), a front-connection harness, a polymer prong-style collar (Starmark), and a standard metal prong collar. Twenty-three dogs were walked on all four types of equipment for 5-min each. Equipment was attached to a leash which was connected to a

SUBMITTER: Johnson AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11512810 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature