16/01/2026
I've been in the pet industry since 2008, first started training in 2014 and have been trained to use all of the following equipment:
Halti style halters
Slip leads round the muzzle
E-collars
Slip leads round the neck or used at the base of the skull and behind the ears
Choke chains
Corrector spray
Collars that buzz or spray
Figure of 8 leads
Tightening 'no-pull' harnesses
Prong collars
I could use any of these to walk or train your dog, but I won't be happy and your dog certainly won't. There is a bloody good reason why welfare organisations and charities want these banned!
It doesn't matter how much experience someone has, please do your research and choose someone who DOESN'T use any of the harmful equipment listed above. Regardless of what they may say, it does serious harm both physically and psychologically and it kills me that there are some local pet services are using them.
Most of the dogs with unwanted behaviour I saw, trained or walked towards the end of last year and even the ones I've seen already this year are the result of harmful methods previously used, probably 90% of them were from a previous service used. Most of these people paid for bad, dangerous and harmful advice, some of them just didn't realise these tools and aversive methods were being used on their dog at all and the others didn't realise the damage these things cause and immediately changed.
Please give me a shout if you're unsure about the equipment you or someone else uses on your dog or would like advice before you head off for your next pet shop purchase.
