Prong Question....

[Brooke&Ryan]

Alright everyone---

We're in between OB classes & will be resuming them in January so I cannot ask this question to our trainer.

Julius will be coming with us to attend First Night which is a fun thing that we have every year downtown to celebrate New Years. There are fireworks, ice sculptures, music, hot cocoa, etc. It's a blast & we plan on taking Julius for a bit. He usually gets walked downtown with his prong collar on or sometimes his flat collar.

We will be putting the prong on for New Years Eve downtown. I'm wondering if it is possible to somehow put a bandana over the prong or would that lessen the corrections if needed??? Would it get tangled & should I scrap the idea?? I have a cute New Years bandana for Jules & I thought it would be cute if he could wear it. Everyone loves a dog in a bandana.

:)
Brooke

[flyballmom]

Brooke, I use a bandanna over a prong all the time-it doesn't seem to lesson corrections and doesn't get tangled...just make sure the bandanna is OVER the collar and no part of it under. The bandanna serves 2 purposes for me, to hide the torture device (in the eyes of the public), and to make the killer Rottweiler look less scary. She always gets pets and much nicer comments with a bandanna.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally posted by flyballmom
Brooke, I use a bandanna over a prong all the time-it doesn't seem to lesson corrections and doesn't get tangled...just make sure the bandanna is OVER the collar and no part of it under. The bandanna serves 2 purposes for me, to hide the torture device (in the eyes of the public), and to make the killer Rottweiler look less scary. She always gets pets and much nicer comments with a bandanna.

EXACTLY! This is also one of the reasons why I wanted to use the bandana. We get mostly all positive reactions when we're downtown with Julius socializing. Today we went Christmas shopping & this woman with her three children approached & each gave Julius a pat. They said that he looked like Carl. :D

BUT....when my mom saw Julius with the prong on she said that she is more hesitant around dogs that she sees out & about that have prongs on versus the flat collar. Now she is not afraid of Julius at all but this is her perception of other dogs.

So...I was thinking that if we could disguise the prong with a bandana it would be helpful.

:)
Brooke

[OWQ]

I also use a bandanas on both my dogs over their prong collars. You gotta love a dog all dressed up!

[Rott-Wiley]

It may be too late to mention this but here goes anyway. PetSmart is now carrying a collar called the "Good Dog Collar (Large)" made by PetSafe Training Systems. It appears to be a flat black martingale type collar but actually is made of a plastic or nylon and the one side is "V" shaped and those v's come together during a correction, very much like a prong without the big neon sign.

I couldn't find the PetSafe one online but here's one just like it: http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_38394.shtml also at PetSmart but I've not seen these in person.

[Judi W]

If you want to know how it would work and look, why don't you simply try it?

[mferg]

Good Dog Collar

I have seen them. One of the people in my training goup got one and I was checking it out. It looks okay. I can't give any great insight in them. I tried it on one of my dogs but since I have good success with my prong, I opted to not get it for the moment. I think one thing I wasn't wild about was the expense it would take to get the collar to Rottweiler size. I would have had to purchase two packs of extra links, I think. (I think I would have needed four and they come in packs of three?) It's got a pretty good design for getting it on and off. It slips together in such a way that it can't pop apart like a prong can. It takes a little bit to figure out how to put it together and take it apart, though.

I started a thread about it when I first was thinking about them. It didn't get the coziest response in the world. Here's the link.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/sho...threadid=23671

I haven't heard anything about them since then. If you do decide to go for it (or if anybody else has given them a try), I'd be interested in hearing how it went.

[Jaegergirl]

i always put a banana on maverick when we go out and about while his prong is on and it has never gotten in the way. our favorite is a tye dye with peace signs on it. he can be considered too "ferocious" when he's wearing that thing. :)

[Brooke&Ryan]

Thanks for all of the input everyone.

Rott-Wiley---I'll be looking into the Good Dog collar. We don't have a PetSmart in our area. The closest is about two hours away BUT while travelling for X-mas I'll stop at the one that my cousin manages & see if they have them in. Maybe I'll get a discount... :D

Brooke

[stevenc]

Originally posted by Rott-Wiley
It may be too late to mention this but here goes anyway. PetSmart is now carrying a collar called the "Good Dog Collar (Large)" made by PetSafe Training Systems. It appears to be a flat black martingale type collar but actually is made of a plastic or nylon and the one side is "V" shaped and those v's come together during a correction, very much like a prong without the big neon sign.

I couldn't find the PetSafe one online but here's one just like it: http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_38394.shtml also at PetSmart but I've not seen these in person.

Nice collar for a lab or retriever! I would like to see how that works on Disel's 27" neck at 10 months old, NOT! It seems to me the device would not hold up to a 110lb Rotty pulling hard for either training or just walking. I really like the prong collar especially for SamanthaC who needs it just to handle this massive dog. Good luck with your plastic collar!:D

[Rott-Wiley]

Originally posted by stevenc
Nice collar for a lab or retriever! I would like to see how that works on Disel's 27" neck at 10 months old, NOT! It seems to me the device would not hold up to a 110lb Rotty pulling hard for either training or just walking. I really like the prong collar especially for SamanthaC who needs it just to handle this massive dog. Good luck with your plastic collar!:D

I wouldn't suggest using it on an unruley, out of control 110 lb rotty but we were talking about a dog that has had training and would only need a reminder to get his attention.

[stevenc]

Originally posted by Rott-Wiley
I wouldn't suggest using it on an unruley, out of control 110 lb rotty but we were talking about a dog that has had training and would only need a reminder to get his attention.

I agree. But I would not recommend plastic to anyone who owns a dog with muscle mass like a rotty. As you know, puppys like to walk in any direction they desire and it really is not a good idea to get into to much obience work before 1 year if your training for schutzhund. Could hurt the drive of the dog. But you may not be aware of this. I understand that alot of folks on this forum have rescues and other notweiler dogs.

[Rott-Wiley]

The dog this collar was suggested for is not being worked in schutzhund so that is not an issue. Also I think I've mislead you to think that this collar is made of a brittle (breakable) type of plastic. You may not be aware but there are new synthetic materials out there that are capable of restraining a dog like a rotty.

[samanthac]

Originally posted by stevenc
I really like the prong collar especially for SamanthaC who needs it just to handle this massive dog. Good luck with your plastic collar!:D

EXCUSE ME????? Just to handle him? That's a new one to me. I was not aware I had any issues handling Disel except for that one time in the ring in NC and that was a dog aggression issue not a handling issue. :( Prong is used for training, not handling! Um, you are in BIG trouble when you get home tonight.

And FTR Rott-Wiley, despite the image my hubby unwittingly portrayed, my Rottweiler is NOT unruly. He is a normal 10 month old puppy!!! :)

Although StevenC is in BIG TROUBLE tonight for implying that I cannot handle my dog :D, I agree with him that this collar might not not be the best choice for a Rottweiler or large dog. I am a bit leary of it. upon having closely inspected it. I just am not sure that it can stand up to a Rottweiler. Very well may be, but makes me leary all the same.

[Rott-Wiley]

Originally posted by samanthac
And FTR Rott-Wiley, my Rottweiler is NOT unruly. He is a normal 10 month old puppy!!! :)

I just used the word "unruly" because StevenC said "a 110lb Rotty pulling hard for either training or just walking." I've never seen Disel so I don't know anything except what I read here.

I'm not an advocate for this collar and from all I've seen of it, the large size is only pictured with large breed working dogs. Like anything else, it is a tool and in the proper circumstance used the proper way, I'm sure it has it's merits. It does seem like it would be very closed minded to pass judgment without even trying it. IMO