Great work your friend is doing!!!!
Although, as somebody that trains and competes in competition obedience, I’m going to have to disagree with their stance on choke and training collars. The collars themselves are harmless (then used properly) and can actually be a great tool for keeping your dog safe. But key is you MUST know how to properly use them. And sadly, most don’t.
She's told me stories of dogs who died from having their necks broken while in obedience training. Awful stories about people who sent their beloved pet to obedience training and got nothing back. I am certain there are people who do it right, but there are also surgeons who know what they are doing and people who do not. It might be why pharmacies don't sell "appendix removal" kits. :)
Totally agree. I use a prong collar almost daily and my dogs go NUTS when they see it. So obviously it's not causing them harm. They know it means we're going to work (which they love) or just walk, which of course they love too. But I was trained on how to use it. It's almost as if they shouldn't be sold to the public, but you can earn the right to buy one with training. Like a drivers license ;)
Off lead heeling, trained on a prong collar. She looks pretty happy :)
But again, it's all in knowledge on how to use one safely.