Prong collars

[Dgall78]

Hi all, could someone explain to me the merrits of a prong collar. They seem a bit harsh to me, but I completley ingnorant to them. Any input good or bad, and any other methods would be appreciated. Thanks.

[TrinityRun]

Originally posted by Dgall78
Hi all, could someone explain to me the merrits of a prong collar. They seem a bit harsh to me, but I completley ingnorant to them. Any input good or bad, and any other methods would be appreciated. Thanks.

Please do a search in the archives to view tons of threads on prong collars. It is one of the most commonly asked questions.


:)

[Ramon]

Used correctly, a prong collar will make a dog obey quicker than a choke chain, and it will involve less force. If you have a stubborn dog with a high pain tolerance, you have to apply a lot of force to make the choke chain work. A lot of people don't have that kind of strength, and the physical force you have to apply can cause permanent neck damage to the dog. They did a study in Germany comparing 50 dogs trained with prong collars versus 50 dogs trained with choke chains. The overwhelming majority of dogs trained with choke chains suffered permanent injuries in the neck area, whereas the numbers were almost the opposite for the group trained with prong collars. You can probably find other references to that article by doing a search on the internet.

[Carina43]

Yes, do a search - but here's my .02.

I will NOT use a choke (chain) training collar. I think it depends on the dog, in part. Cooper will absolutely shut down with any corrective collar training. He hates it. Once I realised that, he has progressed in leaps & bounds just using a flat buckle collar.

My other two Rotties (both rescues with various Issues) do much better on a pinch collar at this point. Daphne is all limbic system :)and it's difficult to "rein in" her hyperactivity, plus she feels threatened when she's corrected (she was abused.) The pinch collar is self-correcting in part - it reminds her that I'm on the other end of the leash! Dutch has an incredibly high prey drive, and had pretty much no training before I got him. Not only is he not habituated to paying attention to a human, he is very, very strong and (I'm extremely strong too, but this dog is driven!) and without the "power steering" I get from the pinch collar I would have a hard time even getting his attention, even with treats.

Daphne has mostly graduated to a flat collar, she is pretty good now unless we are in a very crowded situation. I've only had Dutch four months, and he is remarkably improved. On a choke collar he would just ignore the choking effect and pull me down the street, I am sure - probably doing damage to his larynx.

I used to think pinch collars looked like torture instruments too - but I have also read of that German study, and based on my experience I think it is gentler than a choke collar. The goal is a dog who does not need a corrective collar - but sometimes it is really useful!

[work-n-show]

Prong collars certainly serve a purpose, when used properly.

The key is to ensure the collar is fitted properly and the correction is given with correct force and timing.

You should indeed find a wealth of information should you search the archives.

[Judi W]

Another point. Have your obedience instructor guide you. You are going to take the dog to obedience classes aren't you? That is where you learn to use your training equipment properly and effectively rather than simply looking for a hammer to pound a nail. It is the instructor who can see you and your dog and best advise you as to training equipment and motivators. Don't try to read a training class, attend one.