Delilah Starts Prong Collar Training to Improve Loose-Leash Walking

Delilah continues making steady progress in her board and train program, and in this latest session we introduced a prong collar to help clean up her walking and reduce the amount of pulling she does on leash.

Over the past week, we’ve already spent a lot of time building value in the heel position through food, luring, and repetition.

Now that Delilah has a better understanding of where we want her to be, we can start adding another layer of communication to make her walking more consistent.

Building the Heel Position First

Before introducing the prong collar, we spent several sessions making the heel position valuable for Delilah.

That foundation is important.

Rather than using equipment to teach her where heel is from scratch, we first wanted her to understand that being beside the handler is a rewarding and predictable place to be.

By creating that value first, we can use the prong collar as a way to clean up the behavior instead of relying on it to create the behavior.

Why We Introduced the Prong Collar

Delilah has a tendency to pull heavily on a slip lead and other collars.

Because of that, we wanted a clearer way to communicate when she starts moving too far out of position.

The prong collar gives us another tool to help guide her back toward the heel position she has already been learning.

The goal is not simply to stop movement.

We want Delilah to understand where she should be and make that position easier to maintain on walks.

Cleaning Up Loose-Leash Walking

Loose-leash walking is not only about preventing pulling.

It is also about communication, position, and engagement.

For Delilah, we want her to learn how to move with the handler rather than constantly pulling against the leash or letting the environment dictate where she goes.

Because we have already spent time creating value in heel, this next phase is about making that picture cleaner and more consistent.

Taking Delilah’s Sensitivity Into Account

Delilah is still a sensitive dog, so we continue to be careful about how quickly we progress.

Any new piece of equipment changes the picture for the dog.

That means we need to watch her response, keep the sessions constructive, and make sure we are not adding more pressure than she can comfortably process.

With Delilah, progress has always been about patience.

The more comfortable she becomes with training, the more we can gradually ask from her.

Delilah Continues to Open Up

One of the biggest positives is how much Delilah continues to open up day by day.

When she first arrived, even basic engagement and taking food required patience.

Now she is working through heel exercises, place training, new environments, and more structured leash work.

That progression is exactly what we want to see.

The obedience matters, but so does the change in her overall confidence and willingness to participate.

Building Better Walks One Layer at a Time

The prong collar is simply another step in Delilah’s overall training progression.

We started by creating value in heel.

Now we are adding clearer leash communication.

From here, we will continue working toward smoother walks, better engagement, and more consistency across different environments.

Delilah is improving every day, and we’re really happy with the direction she is heading.

If you are looking for professional dog training, loose-leash walking, obedience training, or board and train programs in Gilroy, California and the surrounding South Bay Area, contact Primal Canine to learn more about our training programs.