[Click-l] Training collar, Dr Hallgren study

[Aidan Bindoff]

> Sorry the article is in an old magazine from 2002. I have only one copy
> which I use for my seminars.

A little more info...

1992 study by Dr. Anders Hallgren in Sweden. "During 1992 several
Chiropractors, my students and I conducted a study of 400 dogs from
different dog clubs in Sweden. 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 to us without any suspicion of spinal
anomalies.Canine back problems are common. The result of our study showed
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, aggression or fear. This is also in
accordance with my own and my students' experience with problematic
dogs.Causes behind spinal anomalies. In our study there were some factors
that correlated with spinal anomalies. These were: 1. Accidents. 2.Pulling
on leash. 3 Limping during adolescence. 2. 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
increases if the dog wears a choke chain. Choke chains are constructed such
that pulling it results in pressure distributed around the dog's neck, but
the muscles that absorb the pressure a situated mostly at the sides of the
neck. The neck and throat are almost unprotected. For many years I and
others have criticized the use of choke chains 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 risk of injury. I believe
dog owners should be warned that chaining a dog to anything firm, THAT ISN'T
ELASTIC, without surveillance increases 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."



It should be noted that Dr Hallgren's study only looked at spinal
abnormalities.  Other dangers include:
Injured ocular vessels
Tracheal and oesophageal damage
Severely sprained necks
Cases of fainting
Transient foreleg paralysis
Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis
Hind leg ataxia
Radiographs showed misalignment of the cervical vertebrae and in some cases
Horner's Syndrome was diagnosed
Thyroid damage


Regards,
Aidan