Prong collars are lifesaving and humane training tools
Demystifying prong collars.
As your dog’s protector and pack leader, it is your duty to keep your dog balanced and happy. When a dog isn’t getting the structure it needs, it will become emotionally and physically frustrated, which will then lead to behavior problems. This of course frustrates owners who give up too easily, sadly causing millions of dogs to be turned into animal shelters every single day. The walk, rules and boundaries all must be mastered if you want a harmonious, peaceful relationship with your dog. The difference between responsible dog ownership and a potential accident is the way we use tools. Tools are there to empower you as the handler and help to be the leader and completely in control of the dog, whether it’s inside or outside your home. Every dog has the potential to be incredible if you use the correct tool. I’ve trained many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes, and I am here to tell you with absolute certainty that the prong collar is by far the best tool to use to train a dog. Why? Because it works. A lot of people have been told to never use a prong collar because it’s cruel. Well guess what? The very people that speak poorly of prongs are the people that have never actually used them. Isn’t that amazing that they’re so unwilling to leave their comfort zone they’d rather sentence the dog to death by labeling it “aggressive” than try something that actually works? That is crueler than anything I can imagine.So why haven’t they tried it?
I hear these myths often: It looks barbaric so it must be barbaric.Haven’t we learned by now that you can never judge anything based on its appearance? The prong collar is made of interlocking blunt links so when you give a swift correction, mimicking the correction a mother dog gives to her puppies. It doesn’t hurt. Dogs mouth each other in play constantly. YOU are the pack leader, just as the mother is to her pups. We need to realize it’s OK to correct a dog. The prong collar works. I don’t want to make my dog uncomfortable or unhappy.
This one is always amazing to hear because to me, a split second of discomfort when corrected for bad behavior is FAR more comfortable for a dog than to be put away into another room and isolated from its owners due to misbehavior all because the dog didn’t know its boundaries. Isn’t a quick pop of the leash and temporary discomfort worth a day, a week, a month, or even a lifetime of good behavior and living in harmony with you, your dog’s leader? A pop of the leash is a correction, while a lifetime of being separated from people due to bad behavior is punishment. The prong collar will make my dog become more aggressive/anxious/shy.
I’ve trained thousands of dogs and have never seen a dog become more aggressive, anxious or fearful from a prong collar. I’ve seen them become more balanced and confident because there are no more mixed signals. A dog is happiest when they clearly know their boundaries., and are included in the family because they have consistently great behavior. Prong collars are just as bad as choke chains.
False. Prong collars are not at all similar to choke chains. Choke chains have unlimited pulling capacity which in careless, abusive hands, can cut off a dog’s air supply entirely and cause severe injury and even death. A prong collar distributes even pressure and a quick pinch. That’s it. Again, this is a correction, not punishment. The dog will respond with a rapid and positive behavior change. Head collars are the most humane collars.
Head collars are the worst type of training collars I’ve ever seen. Have you noticed dogs walking around with these? They look uncomfortable, right? It’s because they are uncomfortable. The leash is attached to the jaw, which is a highly sensitive area, and a strong pull practically guarantees a cervical injury. Not to mention the fact that these collars must be fitted so tight you cannot even get a finger under them. Have you also noticed that their heads are kept cruelly tilted, and that the narrow noseband turns the poor dog like a wrench? It’s normal, and even cute to see the dog on a flat buckled collar, taking its owner for a walk.
Leash pulling has unfortunately become a widely accepted behavior in our society where a shocking number of people think it’s cute seeing a dog “taking the owner for a walk.” How do people cringe when they see a photo of a dog with a prong collar on, yet laugh if they see a video of a dog dragging its owner down the street, straining and panting? Do not assume because the dog is making the choice to lunge ahead that it’s not abusive to the dog. A dog pulling you down the street is abusive to you both, and this should never be allowed. 7) My dog yelps when I correct him/her with the prong collar, which makes me feel guilty for hurting him/her.
Your dog is not hurt, they are simply objecting to the correction. You should also note that if you’re dog needs a correction in the first place, they are in a high, agitated energy state, and when a dog is in that state of mind, sometimes a even clap of your hands can startle them, causing a surprised yelp. Dogs also object when they are left alone, crated, are begging for the food on the table, etc. They need firm, consistent leadership so they can make good decisions. Giving a correction is not hurting the dog. Allowing the dog to misbehave every day of its life is hurting the dog. Think about this: Let’s say I walk into your house and your dog lunges toward me to bite my leg. If the dog has a prong collar and leash on, and I give it a quick pop, the dog learns instantly that it is not ok to lunge and bite. Again, just because you were willing to leave your comfort zone and try a different training method, a split second of discomfort for the dog could save you years of frustration and maybe even the death of your dog because other trainers said that your dog was too aggressive to handle. It’s devastating to see so many dogs on death row that wouldn’t be if their trainers had just used a tool that works. I’ll say it again, the prong collar works, and if you say you’ve tried everything to train your dog, yet still haven’t tried the prong collar then you haven’t tried everything. A lunging and biting dog will not stop lunging and biting if you give the dog treats. A lunging and biting dog all too often gets kicked out of obedience classes. A lunging and biting dog often gets killed. With a prong collar, the lunging and biting dog learns that there are consequences to bad behavior, such as jeopardizing a person’s safety.
They get another chance.
No dog should ever be given up on and killed. The prong collar works. The public needs to be educated that the prong collar is the kindest tool out there, and if you are accused of being cruel to your dog for using one, try and take the time to inform them of the benefits, rather than responding defensively. I know that if we can bring the properly introduced and well handled prong collar into our nation’s shelters, the dogs will have more structured walks, more effective training, and naturally better behavior, making them more adoptable to the public. An effective training tool can literally save millions of lives if people can be educated and in turn, receptive to a different method, that is exactly what our shelters need.
What a great post! After reading this, it makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you for spelling it out so well…. I’m passing this along to a friend who is having trouble with her dog.
Dear Jeff:
I just wanted to thank you 100%.
I used to train dogs, now I’m older with arthritis in my spine. In those ancient of days–there wasn’t all this food/clicker stuff and THE DOGS WERE BETTER BEHAVED. Last year I rescued an Alaskan husky with a broken leg that was supposed to be crippled for life AND full grown. Well, he got better, he was 1/2 the age the pound thought he was and now he’s the fastest dog in the park. He’s 55lbs of powerhouse sled dog.
I tried clicker/treat. Yes, it works great for trick training and it’s good for ring work where both dog and owner are not confronted with unexpected situations. Yes, it’s fine for initial stages. However, in REAL LIFE it falls apart quickly.
I was at the stage where I thought, “I love this dog and he’s attached to me but his leaping joy response [he LOVES other dogs to run with, he has a huge run drive] is crippling me.” Literally. I was spending my entire walk time scanning for other dogs in a panic that I would be hurt which meant both the dog and I would suffer. And I don’t give a damn WHAT clicker trainers say. When a dog is more interested in another dog than they are in real liver how much further can you up the ante?
That left me with a check chain and that got me nowhere. He’d strangle himself rather than “give in”. And this is a “soft dog”–I can’t imagine what it would be like with a “hard dog”. Going the other way? I agreed with you wholeheartedly when you said, “I have somewhere to go, I can’t just keep going in circles.” [paraphrased]. I even tried that “stop every time the dog pulls”–that was crap too. Did absolutely nothing other than annoy us both because he was crossing his legs to go potty which didn’t improve his attention span.
I watched your videos and two things jumped out at me. The first was YOU wearing the prong. The second was “it has to work for the average owner in REAL LIFE.”
Now I have reasonably good timing etc. But constantly having to be alert so I would not get hurt by the leash jerking was so anxiety producing that it was stressful for me and stressful for the dog.
After seeing your dog videos I bought a prong. The guilt I feel is palpable. However, within 30 minutes I had my dog within 10 feet of another dog, sitting quietly. On the second walk, I had him within 6 feet of two other dogs. He laid quietly while I talked to the owner.
The fact is–I have seen HUNDREDS of videos of click/treat dogs. EVERY ONE of them is in a controlled environment. Well guess what people?
I am the average dog owner.
I can’t control what goes on in the local park or on a busy city street. People WILL walk their dogs face first into mine when I’m struggling with a bag of groceries. I’m not a owl who can see 360 degrees all the time so I can “distract the dog” at varying levels as he learns. His responses are faster than mine because he’s a dog!
I’ve been trying this crap for a year and the dog kept getting worse. He’s a great dog–he just gets overly excited when he wants to play with other dogs.
Within a day of using a prong, I can wander off to the shop or go down to the creek to let him play offlead *without* worrying if I miss his head turning towards something. I get to relax, the dog gets to relax and if a couple of moments is discomfort for him is all it takes for us to have a happy life together–it’s worth it.
The bottom line, and I know this from experience–is while someone who spends all day dog training can use a number of techniques to get results–the average owner has to *live with the dog* and it’s time some common sense was injected into the theoretical discussions on dog behaviour. Most people are not training protection dogs [yes I’ve trained them as well as re-conditioned them for home life 20 years ago before “behaviourists” were all the rage], most people don’t give a crap about standardized ring obedience, they may not have a yard or exercise pen and they have to deal daily with other clueless owners who do stuff like walk their untrained dog too close during training sessions in the *unregulated* park.
That’s real life.
That’s what you and a few other trainers bring to the table. Common sense the average dog owner can follow.
BoniI think this is the smartest thing I have heard anyone say all year, what a great well thought out comment. You nailed it on the head. I would love to have you call into my radio show to tell your story, feel free to call in Saturdays from 8am-11am EST 888.345.0790
Hahaha, screwed up the captcha and it ate my response.
Thanks for the encouragement, Jeff. I’ll see what I can do, time zones and all. Sounds like great fun.
The essence of what I wrote that disappeared, had to do with cashing in on *owner guilt* to the point where 50+% of dogs are obese from being loved to death.
The anti-correction mindset is now even prevalent with the balanced trainers who claim “correction is a last resort”–which makes owners feel that if positive methods don’t work, it’s somehow third-rate hackery to use a tool that will get the behaviour an owner wants and needs quickly rather than *an equally useful approach* depending on the behaviour the dog is exhibiting.
What we need to be looking at is NOT “reward” or “correction” or positive/negative. We need to be looking at:
1) What is the most effective solution to the challenge?
2) Is it a solution that is most easily implemented by both trainer and owner? Is it physically and psychologically viable for all parties?
3) Will there be a good result within a reasonable time frame making it cost effective?
I have a really big problem with the idea that if a dog is attacking then somehow, by using a prong, dominant dog, remote or slip collar that the fall-out could *ever* be worse than the present situation. The worst that can happen is that the dog continues to attack. Try something else.
The word “repression” is often used to *guilt* naive owners into waving cookies at badly behaved dogs when their common sense dictates the following idea is ludicrous, “You want me to throw a cookie to distract my dog when he’s trying to BITE THE CHILDREN?” Yeah, that was a discussion from an actual professional dog trainer in a dog training forum. My response was: “Are you completely bonked? That’s like throwing a steak in Ted Bundy’s van hoping he’ll be too distracted to finish the rape”.
Damn skippy, I WANT my dog to “repress” unwanted behaviours. It’s a misuse of the word to view “repression” as a negative. Every day humans and dogs “repress” dangerous behaviours or there wouldn’t be a person or dog left on the planet.
I’ve noticed the “positive” training methods fall apart immediately when we discuss professional protection dogs and I’ve been in many online discussions debating this very fact.
WHY?
Because unlike ring/trick/agility/dock diving…name-that-sport dog–protection dogs *must* perform in all kinds of variable circumstances that cannot be planned for. There are NO rewards in the middle of a dangerous life and death situations that may go on for hours.
Been there, done that.
If the dogs don’t perform with great skill–someone can die or be seriously injured or the dog may die. Without being able to differentiate between a man with a stick poised to attack and an old lady waving a cane–the dog will become a danger to itself or others.
Protection dogs are, in the full sense of the words, a junior partner in a *relationship*. They MUST be able to differentiate rather than simply be “operand-conditioned” or they are not trustworthy. Conditioning is the beginning, it’s not the end of the process.
Yet somehow, the same common sense is flawed when it comes to pets?
All this nonsense has resulted in owners that are mired in guilt and shame, *excusing* the dog’s bad behaviour. I see it every day because I live across from a park where there are dogs all the time dragging their owners to and fro.
*I* was doing the same thing when the fact was–the dog *knew* how to follow all the basic commands and a fair number of complex commands but simply thought other dogs were more interesting than behaving. There’s only so much dancing around like you’re the lead in Swan Lake you can do [see the clicker training videos and you’ll see what I mean] to get a dog’s attention.
And why did I do this? Because I wanted to find a “kinder way” than how I had trained my other dogs. This dog was “softer”. He was disabled when I got him, not just crazy like some were. He didn’t have an aggressive or fearful bone in his body. He was a furry love machine with people and dogs. I wasn’t protection training him so I didn’t need to be as demanding. I didn’t want to “be mean” to him.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
I owe him more than that. I owe myself more than that.
I owe him the *education* [see Charles Eisenmann] I gave my working dogs and I can’t DO that if he turns into a furry bouncing beach ball within sniffing distance of another dog.
That way, he can be the best dog he can be.
He’s a good dog.
He deserves to be awesome.
Boni…. you seriously made my day with your comments. A few things….I got my standard poodle puppy at seven weeks, before getting her I was determined to get it right with training… I did so much work with clicker training and at home she was an angel. However, take her in public and game over. She bit everyone. I also took her to petsmart and they told us not to take her around people yet. How is my dog supposed to behave if never given a chance… She is 18 weeks old. So we took her to another trainer and he pulls out the collar. I was nervous but she changed right away. Today I took her to the park and with my corrections she let three people pet her.
The only thing I keep finding is that corrections on a puppy will make it aggressive and that you should wait until the dog is a year old. Can you please give some insight into this?
that is great that you are open to different training tools and techniques, I have not found that correcting a dog under a year will make it aggressive and I am not sure how valid that information is, mother dogs correct their puppies from a very young age and dogs are always correcting dogs of all ages and I am not seeing them be aggressive. I think the fact that you are making progress is a good indication that things are starting to work, you can call into my radio show for more information and I also offer Skype sessions for those out of my area or budget.
With the huge amount of email questions and Facebook questions I get each week, the best way for me to be able to address them all is for you to call into my weekly radio show each Saturday from 9am-11am EST you can call the show at 888.345.0790. you can listen to the show live or download any past shows by going to. http://solidk9training.com/radio-show/ I also offer SKYPE training and you can go to my website to look at how that works and my fees.
Thank you so much for this article. We have a 2 year old English Setter who is quite dominant although not aggressive. We also have a 9 year old Golden Retriever with a major confidence/fear/separation anxiety issue. This has been a problem for years, recently resulting in his relieving himself in the house as soon as we leave. We have tried everything. Obedience training, agility training (to give the dogs a “job”), vet visits to confirm no health issues, etc.When my husband gave me notice that he would be getting rid of our 9 year companion, I decided to seek out a behaviorist. He is an ex-K9 trainer and the dogs were different immediately upon his arrival, like he spoke their language. When he pulled out prong collars, I wanted to throw up. I have adamantly opposed them for years, even posting on other boards berating those who use them. He explained how it would help the dog who felt he ran the house, which made sense to me. However, when he said it would help my always scared and overly sensitive Golden, I wanted to punch him. I wondered how he could dare suggest I abuse my already terrified dog!?!?! He explained the process of restoring order, and giving my scared dog confidence in knowing that we are in charge and he can feel safe under our protection.
I reluctantly agreed to allow him to show us how to properly fit, apply, and safely use the collars. He also put them on us (with our permission of course) to show that they are not painful. I was surprised that it did not hurt at all, even on my bare skin. The trainer even “corrected” me, giving the collar a quick tug and release. It felt like a squeezing pressure, and although it startled me, it did NOT cause me pain. Again, as an animal advocate (I contemplated joining PETA at one time!), this went against everything I had ever thought or believed about this horrific torture device.
I agreed to try the collar for a couple days, in my head planning to throw them away when the trainer left. Strangely though, within an hour, the dominant dog was calm and Respectful, but still playful and happy. Meanwhile, the fearful Golden untucked his tail, lifted his head and was prancing around the house tossing a toy around. This was without ANY tugging or correction.
I can’t seem to wrap my head around how or why this can work with out a quick tug. The trainer suggested they wear them whenever supervised for the next few days. I’m dumbfounded in a good way. Our English Setter is a whiney baby. He screams bloody murder while getting his shots. When I brush him gently, he yelps. If I scratch him too hard behind the ear, he cries. He didnt even flinch with the prong collar. If this device caused even the slightest hint of an uncomfortable feeling, he would have made it known!!!
I have sorely misjudged this unknowingly humane tool for years. My dogs are more balanced, happy and better adjusted in one day than they have been their whole lives. I can not say enough that they are NOT in pain!!! I have learned a lot today. Sadly, I’m scared to tell anyone I’m using these collars due to the stigma. Its upsetting to think of the owners with nylon leashes, chocking their dogs (we’ve all heard the dogs hacking as they pull the leash!), or the so called “gentle” leader that whips a dogs neck the wrong way when they pull. These are the people who would vilify me. Hopefully someday the collars will be better explained and attention brought to the PROPER usage of these collars vs. their perceived cruelty. If used properly by an educated dog owner, they can provide the ultimate gesture in love which is giving your dog a sense of security and clear expectation. Thank you!!!
amy thanks for sharing your story and finally being able to get help with your dog. I meet so many folks like you on a daily basis whose lives have been dramatically changed as well as the lives of their dogs
jeff
Thank you for this great article. As a dog trainer I get so tired of everyone looking at me like I’m some kind of pariah when I say the words, “prong collar”. They use all the things you stated above as excuses. I just say, “think of it as power brakes. Is it safe if your dog drags you into the street in front of a car?” There are people who are not physically strong enough to control their pet on leash, and others who are not mentally strong enough (I don’t want to upset the dog, I don’t want to hurt the dog, he just likes to go where he wants…”) If I can convince them to use the prong collar (herm sprenger, the cheap ones at pet retailers are too sharp and the links unsafe) then I can help them become safer in their everyday exercises with their dogs. Thank you for debunking the myths in a rational way.
melissa thanks for taking the time to write, more and more folks are getting more comfortable with prong collar as they become more educated as to how safe they actually are and how unsafe some of the other “gentle” training tools are actually harmful for dogs…so keep up the great work.
jeff
Thank you for this article.Yes I admit, I too was one of those that thought prong collars were inhumane. That is until I adopted a Pitbull. She only weighs 45 lbs., but pulls like she weighs 200 lbs. She literally pulls my arm out of the socket when we go walking. I knew I needed some help, but didn’t knew what I should do.
I had actually never seen one of these collars in use before. Last Sunday I went on a walk with a Pitbull rescue organization I’m involved with, & a good friend had a pittie she’s fostering on a prong collar that day, I know for a fact the the dog she was walking is out of control. Well you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw her behavior with the collar on. She was a completely different dog, so well behaved & walking right next to my friend. I was truly amazed & vowed at that moment that I was going to get one for my dog. I finally went this past week & got it. I have one word to describe this collar MAGIC! My dog was instantly transformed! And no my dog can’t talk to tell me if she Hayes it on her, but it certainly didn’t change her personality whatsoever. With the collar on she’s still a happy dog, but now she’s a happy, well behaved dog! I have to say I’m completely thrilled with the results. Always remember with any type of training to praise, praise, praise when your dog does something good.
If you are at all hesitant about getting a prong collar for your dog, don’t be. Just give it a try. I would be shocked if you’re not pleasantly surprised.
barbara thanks for being open minded and you hit the nail on the head, I have trained thousands of dogs and I have never seen a dog hurt on one or make a dog aggressive or nervous. unfortunately the dog training industry continues to lie to the public and the ones that suffer are the dogs and the owners..great job for being an advocate for your dog. jeff
Our german shepherd mix is just over a year old and he is starting to bark and lunge at people. I have no idea why – we have had him since he was a puppy & he has never been mistreated. He is very protective but he’s not trusting us to tell HIM what is dangerous/what is not. A trainer suggested a prong collar, and honestly with other dogs I have had (a collie, a lab) I would never had considered it… but these dogs were a totally different type. They recognized me as alpha and listened. This dog is constantly testing and is just a different breed who requires different tools, as you say. I would be devastated if his behaviour escalated and we had to give him up or put him to sleep. I feel like an irresponsible owner for not being able to control him, but I’m beginning to see the trick is the right tools, and if a dog needs a stronger tool, well, that IS way preferable to death, or having them bite a person. Thank you for putting my mind at ease. We are going to try this tool ASAP.
malloryprong collars are very gentle tools, they do not harm a dog at all. they do not make the dog aggressive or nervous or fearful. a good example is look at your dog currently, it has never had a prong collar on and it is acting aggressive, your dogs behavior has nothing to do to do wether it was mistreated or not, it does not have anything to do with what breeder or puppy mill your dog came from, what its history is or any of those things, your dog is acting like this because it is a dog that is not getting leadership, it is as simple as that, He should not be protective either, that is the first thing you need to immediately stop. unless you are at risk of being attacked you don’t need a dog that is protective. this is a common mistake that folks with GSD, rotty, doberman and other large breeds make, they excuse the dogs bad behavior and feel that dog is protecting the owner, from who? the mailman, a jogger, pizza delivery person, our next door neighbor. I would not allow your dog to EVER act protective..you can call into my radio show for more guidance if you want, i will walk you through the training.
Can a dog sleepy comfortably with a prong collar on 24 hours a day.
I am not sure but I do not recommend it, your dog should not have the collar on in the crate or running off leash in a play yard and def not when playing with other dogs. I suggest you take the collar off at night.I think a dog with lots of fur will not be bothered by it though
I recently adopted a one and a half year old mastiff from the humane society. She is really a lovely dog. However, while out on walks she would pull uncontrollably. She pulled to the point that it was obviously blocking off her airway, and I was concerned for her safety. So after a visit to the pet store, I got a harness for her. I’m pretty sure this worsened the situation. While she was easier to physically restrain, she felt no discomfort from pulling so it seemed to enable her. Walking became an uncomfortable chore for both of us, and it was still extremely unsafe. At over 100 pounds and still growing, we had to correct the behavior. I thried many techniques, including the one were you only move when there is slack in the lead. I tried treating when she was beside me. I tied clicker. But when it came down to it, she was a huge dog who was hard to restrain if she lunges after a squirrel. She needs daily walking for her health and sanity, but she doesn’t need to escape the lead and get hit by a car. I did not have the puppy years to clicker train her before she became unmanageable, and frankly she isn’t food motivated at all (strange I know) so I doubt it would have done much good anyways.
But, AGAINST the advice of a dog trainer, I bought a prong collar after doing my own research. I can happily report that my dog is now a brilliantly behaved dog. So much so in fact, that we can now walk around other dogs, and children and I don’t have to worry about her. She was never aggressive, but knocking someone over, jumping on people, or lunging playfully, was always a concern before.
I would , and have, recommended the collar to anyone who looks like they could use the help. It definitely worked wonders to help me “untrain” my rescued dog. I would like to add though that she only wears it when on the lead. I do not allow her to wear it when unsupervised, or while playing with other dogs. It can easily become entangled on another dogs jaw, or something around the house, and cause injury. That being said, every time I bring out he collar she gets excited because it means a walk, or a visitor is coming over. She sits immediately so it can be put on her. I highly doubt she would do this if it caused her pain.
Gabbi
that pretty much sums it up, about how wonderful prong collars are. I really do not understand why more and more folks do not utilize such a great tool. I actually cannot stand seeing families struggle with their dogs on a daily basis.
jeff
Do you keep it on for all walks or eventually do they wean off?
our goal is not to get the dog to be equipment free, our goal is to make life easier for both dog and owner, it is a fantastic tool to use especially for a walk, unless your dog is off leash trained (which we also train dogs to be) why not have a collar on a dog that that can communicate what you want with the dog easily jeff
I have a 5 month old pit bull and tried the prong collar for the first time today. He is getting so strong and lately our walks have been him incessantly pulling, causing me pain and causing the slip lead to choke him. The last thing I want to do is cause any damage to his developing trachea and neck muscles. He also sits down halfway through our walk and needs to be coaxed with treats to continue our walk. I know he’s still a puppy and I never walk him more than 2.5 miles. When I used the prong collar today, at first I thought he was going to do great. The pulling virtually stopped, but after a couple blocks he sat down and did not want to go any further. Even the treats weren’t working. I eventually turned around and took him home. I’ve been researching more on the prong collar and realize it may have been too loose. Also I put the collar on him again tonight and associated it with treats and praise, but he won’t move forward with it. I’m so discouraged with taking him for a walk and simply don’t know what to do. I appreciate any help you could give me. Sandy
sandy
i have lots of videos on my Youtube channel to help you, the fact that the dog walked back home after the dog stopped, just goes to show the dog is able to walk on the prong. Dogs do that exact same behavior on every single training tool It is just an objection.
jeff
Does this mean that they will have to use the prone collar for life?
not at all, depends on how seriously you take the daily/weekly training..the prong collar and remote collar are just communication tools that help communicate the actual training, prong collars and remote collars don’t train the dog, the training trains the dog
Ha Ha Ha
I have gong the positive training route. While I support it, it should not be counted on for all dogs in all situations.
I have yet to see two dogs play with each other and one dog use a clicker or pass over a cookie to let the other dog know that is was doing something wrong. No, the other dog shared his displeasure with its teeth.
I am currently researching the use of prong collars as a feedback mechanism for my dog to say – hay, what you are doing is unacceptable. Do what I ask and you will get a pat on the head. Sorry, ran out of cookies.
After trying all things suggested to me (clicker training, treats/rewarding, choke chain, gentle leader, gentle leader and collar combo, walking harness, walking harness and collar combo etc), I did some research and decided to try to prong collar.
My dog was unpredicatbly aggressive after an abusive life before I adopted him at 1.5 years old. I’m only a tiny 4’10.. so you can imagine what a nightmare it would be to TRY and control a 120+ pound dog. Also before trying the prong collar, I took him to a reputable dog trainer who after the first session said that he can’t train my dog. Like others have said, the prong collar was MAGIC. The discomfort was only brief and only if he was lunging or pulling. Otherwise, it didn’t bother him at all. He learnt very quickly not to pull on the leash or he would feel discomfort and when he did lunged in the beginning, he was much easier to control.
I agree, the choke chain and the gentle leader is the worst. My dog HATED the gentle leader and was constantly choking himself with the choke chain when he was pulling.
After using the prong collar, my dog became the most well behaved dog in a few days and many people who dared to come close to meet him agreed. Despite people seeing him being so well behaved and also not showing any signs of discomfort (let alone pain), I still get judged by neighbours, strangers and even friends for using the prong collar. I’m so sick of being judged when I am being a responsible dog owner.
Some of the things I have read are so horribly wrong. On one website, the writer said that prong collars have sharp tips… they definitely do not!
Because the prong collar didn’t bother my dog, I continued to use it just as a precaution in case he gets excited by something but anytime I take him for a walk, the leash is always relaxed while he walks by my side. I can’t imagine how life would have been for my dog and I if we hadn’t tried the prong collar. Some suggested to keep him in the backyard and not let him out… I can’t see how that would be better.
I am glad that you stuck to your dog, so many people give up on dogs and yes there is lots of false information not only about prong collars but about all training in general. I also commend the other trainer for being honest with you and letting you know that they could not train your dog instead of keep having you come back. The bottom line is you found a way too communicate with your dog and have a great life with your dog and that is the most positive thing out there.great job
I have been training my grandmother’s corgi and I would like to buy a prong, but my grandmother hates the look and price of prongs. I will show her this website and see what she says. Any suggestions for convincing her would be appreciated.
she hates the look and price? really, that is her excuse for not having a trained dog…I suggest you start training the dog with a really fashionable little dress on the dog (let her pick it out) and get a leash that has bows and ribbons tied to it, use her favorite color, if that does not work..have her train her dog herself 🙂 I will answer your question on my radio show today
I recently bought a now 7 month old German Shephard. I found a trainer who uses the prong collar. I think it is a great training tool. My question is, when a quick tug doesn’t do the trick, he lifts her up (sometimes off the ground) by the leash to correct her. This seems barbaric to me and I hate to watch it! What are your thoughts on this?
unless your dog is trying to attack a human, a dog or the handler IMO there are many other ways to communicate with the dog than that technique
jeff
Argh! I see this is an old thread. I hope you got a different “trainer.” You are your dog’s only advocate. Don’t let a trainer do something to your dog that you feel is abusive just because they supposedly know more than you. Go with your gut on this.
My boyfriend and I have been trying to walk our rescued pitbull for two years and it’s been completely miserable. Our dog lunges at strollers and young children and even killed a cat once on a crowded sidewalk. Pretty traumatizing. Needless to say, we do not like walking our dog and he is definitely not getting all the exercise he needs. We recently discovered your website and videos on youtube and just tried the Herm Sprenger prong collar for the first time tonight. The results were incredible. He was a completely different animal and we are so happy with his progress. However, he has a small area on the side of his neck that was rubbed really raw (not bleeding but very dark red.) He’s a white dog and has sensitive skin and very little fur on that area to begin with, so wondering what may have caused that. We are not sure if it may be a size issue. The collar was tight enough that we couldn’t really take another link out, yet it still would fall a bit down his neck after 5 min or so of walking. Any ideas or tips would be very much appreciated!
I am so happy that you found such instant success after struggling for 2 years..what is most likely happening is the part where the chain feeds through the end pce (the tab) it is catching the dogs skin…see if there is something you can put on that area of the collar, maybe some sticky back felt? wrap it with gauze..it is not the prongs, but the chain part..i think…does this make sense?
jeff
Me and my 2 daughters…2 and 6, just got a new edition to our family- Nala, our 2 year old English Mastiff. She is HUGE. I am 5’7 and weigh 145 lbs. She is both bigger than me in height and weight. So far she has great house manners and she’s accepted that my toddker us off limits. This means no smelling her, no licking her, and DEFINITELY no playing with her. I don’t know much about her upbringing, besides the fact thst she doesn’t get along with other female dogs, hence why her previous owners got rid of her. I can tell she has been worked with on basic obedience because she doesn’t beg, bark, isn’t mouthy, knows basic commands, and is generally a very well mannered dog. The only problem I had with her was when we went for a walk. She pulled so hard that she gave me rope burn from the leash. If she wanted to go check something out, we were going and there was no stopping her….that was until I bought a prong collar. I practiced with her using it in the house before I took her out and noticed a difference within SECONDS! She actually followed me in the house instead of her always wanting to be in the lead. I know how important it is to assert my dominance over her and become the pack leader. A dog her size thinking she’s the boss is nothing but trouble. I want her to walk so good on a leash that my 6 year old could hold the other end (supervised of course), with no issues. We still have some work ahead of us, but with the prong collar and working with a trainer that does private home visits, I am very hopeful. This was a very good read. I was a little scared to use the prong collar on her at first because she is so big and thought she would react negatively to it. But after reading this, I now know that I can give her a “pop” when she gets out of line. Thanks!
Wow, this paragraph is pleasant, my sister is analyzing these things,thus I am going to tell her.
Thank you so much for posting this. Me and my dog are in the fourth week of training with the prong collar and we have made such great progress. However, she recently started yelping at the corrections. This has been making me nervous and I started doubting everything I read up on the prong collar when I first started. This article has just reminded me to stay collected and remember that it is not harming her (because it’s fitted and being used correctly) and in the end it is to benefit her the most! Thanks again.
glad you found that helpful, make sure you are not overcorrecting and it could be a timing thing, but as you know prong collars are not designed to harm a dog and that rarely would happen. Feel free to call into my radio show to further discuss this
jeff
Hello everyone
I own a 100 lb rotti. And I had joined a group called Rotti mad. I posted a picture with my dog outside with his prong collar on and guess what . I go deleted from their group. I guess in the UK the prong collar is banned and I was upsetting members with my picture.
It goes to show the ignorance of some people that have no idea how to use them or even the difference between prong collar and a choker chain.
First time dog owner here and have now had a pit bull for 6 months. Never really thought prong collars were harmful before but I always noticed that the stronger breeds wore them. Now I know why! I was a little worried about getting a pit bull since I had never had a dog before but the collar works wonders! Our dog’s foster family used one with him and then our trainer required it, and I’m glad they did! As a new dog owner, it was very helpful to learn how to control my dog from day one. The people that judge us for using it typically have misbehaved dogs or just completely untrained dogs. Many of them use retractable leashes and think they have control of their dogs. I just have to laugh at them because they don’t know what they are missing! The prong collar not only trained our dog on basic obedience, but it helped us establish clear boundaries and expectations of behavior in our home. He’s a much happier dog knowing what he’s allowed and not allowed to do, so we aren’t yelling at him all the time!
Question though, do you know of any creams or salves to use on his neck if it gets irritated? He has really short hair so on occasion, we’ll notice his skin is pinker than normal. Just wondering if you have any suggestions!
Thanks for educating people on the proper use and benefits of prong collars! I hope you make everyone believers before they are banned here, like they are in the UK.
so excited for the journey you are taking with your dog, and on some of the shorter haired breeds we do occasionally see some irritation from the metal, talk to a holistic vet about different creams that you can put on your dog and that should work
jeff
Thank you for this post. My dog is very skittish (non-aggressive, 40lbs) on the leash and I have been using an over-the-nose no-pull harness and a flexy leader with no progress other than jerking her head around and saving my shoulder. A trainer at my dog run recommended the prong collar and thick lead for her to provide a sense of safety for our pup when we walk and a loud truck/stroller/child comes noisily by. This post really helped give me a more in depth explanation of what the trainer conveyed at the park, how the collar works, and how best to utilize it. Thanks!
daniel
so glad that this has happened to you, it sounds like your dog did not have the leadership and guidance it needed and you have been able to achieve that, which is really exciting that you can finally communicate with your dog on walks..I also have videos explaining how the collar helps with communication
jeff
I recently purchased a rescue dog ( 1 yr old 30 lb terrier mix ) , she has chewed through two harness type leads, besides the fact they DID NOT work, so I caved and switched to a pinch collar, her first walk on it today (a 4 mile walk) was like walking a different dog. Pulling was a 2 on a ten scale. Yesterday, I would have given it a 7. She did not freak out when she saw other people or even dogs and ducks! Nuff said!! I’m a believer now. Thanks for the post.
that is great that you have found a tool to be able to start having a 2 way conversation with your dog, so excited for both of you as it is so much less stressful now..great job
jeff
Thanks for your post, Jeff.
I’ve had my 14 month old black Lab, Gracie, since she was three months old and she was such a puller! Taking a walk together was stressful and unpleasant and I’m certain that overall it delayed our bonding with each other. She is my first dog and I was really at my wit’s end about what to do.
When she was five months old, we started puppy training class together and boy did I need the training! Gracie pulled me around the ring like she was the human and I was the pet. Talk about embarrassing….
At the end of the class the trainer handed me a prong collar, sized it and showed me how to put it on. Then she wrapped it around my bicep and squeezed. Even though I knew it wouldn’t hurt Gracie, still I mentally resisted it. But our trainer has owned and trained Labs for 25 years and so I trusted her judgment.
The next day for our walk, I put the prong collar on Gracie and out the door we went. The experience was literally, day and night. Walking together has become such a pleasure and something I really look forward to. Now we take three, four and sometimes five mile walks every day. I am in better shape than I have been in a long time and Gracie–a foodie if there ever was one–is the perfect weight.
When I told the trainer that I was so grateful for her steering toward the pinch collar she said, “I don’t call it a pinch collar or even a prong collar. I call it hearing aid.”
so glad that you found some help..keep up the great work
jeff
Greetings I am so excited I found your web site, I really found you by mistake, while I was researching on Yahoo for something else,Anyways I am here now and would just like to say kudos
for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all
at the minute but I have saved it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a
great deal more, Please do keep up the excellent job.
thanks so much for your kind words, glad you found us
jeff
Thank you for this post – we adopted an Australian Kelpie about 4 months ago. She’s around 16 – 18 months old, around 40 lbs. so not terribly large. We brought her through a 6 week basic obedience class and work with her daily. She’s also walked or ran for 1 – 2 hours a day plus we have a large, fenced-in backyard and another dog that she plays with. She developed leash reactivity particularly to other dogs (and bicyclists to a slightly less extent), ironically shortly after we started the obedience class. It was an all-positive, clicker and treat training management class that used no corrections whatsoever. We were left with being unable to control her barking and lunging on the way in and out of the ring. Once in the ring, she was able to calm down and was probably the quickest learner in the class. Her leash reactivity continued on walks despite utilizing positive training methods learned from the class and several books that I read cover to cover. I also tried every collar and harness under the sun, including the so-called “Easy Walk”, which she can pull and lunge in almost as well as any regular harness. She LOATHES the Gentle Leader and usually spends much of the walk trying to scrape it off on my leg or any grass she can find. 🙂 After watching a few videos and doing research of my own, I finally gave in and purchased a small size prong collar. I’ve only used it on her three times on walks but the difference is huge already. I put it on high and tight and actually connect in a dead ring fashion. I only had to give her one slight correction for a bicyclist (I had put her in a sit and she broke the sit to bark at the bike). The next time we were out, I was running with her in a harness, put her in a sit for an oncoming bicyclist on the trail with a loose leash (but not loose enough where she could actually get the bike if she lunged) and when the bike went by, she held the sit perfectly. And I had NO prong on her for that run. Dogs are trickier as they are definitely bigger triggers for her but I’ve been able to walk her by fenced in yards with barking dogs with way less reactivity. The technique I have been using is that I allow her to see the dog with a loosened leash. If she doesn’t react, she gets praised. If she reacts, I use gentle tugs to turn her around and break her focus. She has typical high drive herding dog focus on moving objects, but especially dogs. Once I have her turned around and she is moving away willingly, I praise her and turn around and either have her sit or continued walking. Again, I keep the loose leash and always give her the choice on how she is going to react. I’m not 100% sure this is the way I should handle it (appreciate any input) but I was told to do that by a herding instructor I brought her to for some herding training. She said that it’s important for a Kelpie to have a choice in the matter and to gently correct them if they make the wrong choice because they tend to take over if they think you aren’t showing them leadership.
sheri
so excited that you are making progress..i get so many calls and emails a day and cannot respond by email at all..the best thing to do is to call into my radio show and talk to me live 1/1…I also will be doing podcasts and you will be able to attend those live online..a link is on my facebook page
jeff
I agree 100%. At this time the prong collar is being banned by many, and am tired of hearing the negative about the collar. People do not put the benefits. My thought is if you do not know how to use the collar don’t. I have a 180lb and a 145lb and without the collar training was a breeze and bc of it they are the best walking dogs in my neighborhood
I just want to say that this article supported my opinions on the prong collar exactly. I worked for a time at a dog day care and I cannot count the number of times I’ve seen dogs pulling their owners across the parking lot. We had one poor woman who had just had a baby and her border collie would nearly yank her off her feet while she was carrying her newborn in her arms. We would all hold our breaths until they were safely inside and he was taken back to play with the others. It didn’t take us long to convince her to switch to a prong collar and almost instantly he was a completely different dog on leash. He was no longer pulling and you could see the dear womans confidence in both her dog and herself growing. It was a beautiful sight to behold. That’s why, when I got my puppy from the shelter, I purchased a prong collar of my own not long after I brought him home. I want my dog to grow up happy and safe and with his love for people and other animals, his lunging behavior was already worrying me. He was choking himself and scaring our little neighbor boy in his excitement. I was fearful for his safety and used that reasoning to convince my girlfriend that the prong collar really was the best tool for him. After taking him for his first walk with the prong collar and running into another dog on a walk, my girlfriend finally conceded that it really works wonders. My little boy was the perfect gentleman and he’s no longer choking himself and scaring our neighbors. The prong collar is a training tool not a barbaric torture device. The only way this tool could harm an animal is if someone deliberately used it for such a purpose. That person would be the barbarian, not the tool. Use your head and keep your dog safe from those who would see his pulling as aggressive behavior. Your dog needs you to teach him how to behave in public so that he won’t make a mistake and lose his life for it.
Fantastic post, thank you so much for taking the time (last year haha) to share your thoughts on this.A year ago I rescued a 4 month old Pit puppy who had been brought to the SPCA through via law enforcement. He was accompanied by his 3 siblings, but no other information on his history was given. All 4 of the puppies had been mutilated by having a toe removed. Each a different toe, my boy lost his right pinky toe. Sickening really. Otherwise he was a healthy, albeit small Pitbull pup and that’s all that matters. He found a new home and pack with me and my family and really began to thrive with us, though he still remained very shy, skittish and panicky, and was absolutely impossible to control on lead. His prey drive went way up the moment the flat collar went on, and he drove himself into frenzied of over excitement upon stepping outside. I really had no idea what to make of it as he was all tag wags play bows, in other words his body language read happy to me. He would literally do backflips when on lead and I was extremely fearful he would seriously injure himself.
He knew this behavior was not okay and that it was disrespectful to me, because he had been trained, corrected and rewarded for remaining calm submissive in so many other situations, but once outside..it was like we never did a minute of work together. And quickly I realized that my initial praises and then corrections, however well timed, had someone nurtured this bit of behavior and leadership challenge.
I purchased a prong collar several months ago and have been working with him on it daily.
From the minute I click the link into place around his neck his energy changed. Our first walk started not with me spending 10 minutes having a dominance competition because he wolfnt sit and wait for me exit first, but with him already in a sit, attentive ready and calm. We walked side by side for 2 miles. The longest walk I had yet been able to take him on. There was still some pulling, though I’ve quickly realized that it appears when he needs to relieve himself and generally stops once he has done his thing. The need to poop is an understandable distraction. Though I would like to eventually eliminate the pulling there too.
When we first began with the prong collar the dog was the only dog in the house, but I have since moved deeper into the city and into a house where there is also a dog.
The two are amazing together, but there are new challenges brought on by their dominance games and claiming. I’ve found that using the prong when he is with me in the house off leash can stop the play drive from going to pack warfare before it starts. So the collar is wonderful, but obviously is not magic and had to be used as tool along with vocal praise and corrections and purpose. At least for my dog.
A quick observation- My dog was not getting nearly enough exercise due to the leash pulling, so now that we walk with the prong he has been really getting a lot or that energy out. I feel as though the prong allows the trainer to exercise and work with the dog, resulting in less energy and a calmer dog, and repeat.
Also, fitting the prong on some dogs can be tricky. My dog has a long and very muscular neck, but it has a narrow spot just back from where the collar needs to sit behind the ear/jaw.
If I am not paying attention it can at times slip down lower on his neck, generally after several head shakes. As soon as it falls lower, he will attempt to assert himself on the walk. It’s like a switch. I have to be fast and in tune.
Thanks so much for this article!My husband and I have a 9-month-old Olde English Bulldogge, and he is STRONG. Although he only weighs 56 pounds, he is incredibly muscular, and if he decides to pull on our walks, I am not physically strong enough to restrain him. He’s not aggressive at all, but he’s managed to pull away from me to jump on a person (in excitement) more than once, which is clearly embarrassing and uncomfortable.
We tried the “more humane” approach of using a front lead harness, and it couldn’t have gone worse. It didn’t stop him from pulling; it just made him mad every time he turned around, and, eventually, he started to take that anger out on us, nipping and growling at us on walks. In addition, the way the harness rubbed him when he tried to pull caused a rash under his front legs that aggravated his aggressive behavior towards us and made him dread walks.
We were also told not to use a head harness on him because he has the smooshy face of a bulldog, and a vet said he recommends against any kind of restriction to the air flow of a bulldog, since they struggle as it is.
We switched to a traditional padded harness, which stopped the aggressive behavior but did little for the pulling.
Then my husband came home with the prong collar yesterday. I was hesitant at first, but I know our walks can’t keep going on the way they are. They’re frustrating for everyone involved. The prong collar worked like MAGIC. He instantly went from pulling at people, dogs, leaves, etc. to walking within easy range of us on a loose leash. And he’s still holding his head up, smiling, as happy as can be! Even when we have to correct him, he only shows momentary displeasure before continuing on his way. Please continue to educate about the prong collar! I’m a convert!
I’m going to get one today!! I rescued a 70lb American pit bull terrier mix 3 weeks ago and walking him is a nightmare. He gets very excited when he passes other dogs and rears up and barks like a nut. He loves people and was approved for doggie daycare, but walks are hard. I even had an in home trainer come out and it was no help at all. His only recommendations were no one under 150 pounds can walk him and get an easy walker harness. If Valentino sees a squirrel it doesn’t matter how much you weigh or what harness he has on he will drag you to the tree! I’m praying this helps because he is a great dog.
This article was a great read! thank you for the information.What is the soonest age to start a dog on a prong collar?
A very good article, I really enjoyed reading the very same thoughts I have had when teaching my clients how to use the Check chain and prong collar. I am so exhausted by so many people having heard false things about the method. I am constantly reminding the pup owners of all the possibilities with a trained dog. No more lonely days at home while the family is at the park, farmers market or dog friendly store. A dog is a pack animal and learns best in “Dog Language” which is demonstrated by their mother’s when weaning. They crave being surrounded by their pack and depriving a dog of their pack is incredibly detrimental to their confidence and behavior. :/ I am going to post this article on my Facebook page as it was very well thought our and very encouraging to people that have thought about using the collar but have been told lies by the media on this subject. 🙂
I recently bought a prong collar and have used it only a couple of times. It really helps with the pulling but when my dog encounters another dog, she becomes a raging lunatic with the prong collar. She barks without it but it is insane how she behaves with it. Any suggestions? I can’t use it if that is the way she is going to react to oncoming dogs. But it does help with the pulling behavior.
[…] a shame. Getting a dog under control may save its' life. I think this link explains the prong well. Prong collars are lifesaving and humane trainig tools – Solid K9 Training Natty Boh has worn a prong collar, since he was a puppy. He walks perfectly on the leash. I can't […]
I own a German Shepherd and Golden Retriever, I’ve been using prongs for the past 2 years because I was fed up with how a halti always seems to ride up the nose to the eyes, not very comfy for the dogs having you eyes squished!
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I took my dogs to the vet for their boosters, usually for the vet they just wear a nylon slip but not thinking anything of it I took them in their prongs. They are both well behaved dogs and I rarely have to correct them, but when ever we go out walking they always wear prongs, should I ever need to correct them.
Anyway we went in an the usually nice vet immediately spotted the prongs and tried everything in her power to get me to stop using them, she even said that she had taken and thrown away prongs from other people before. All while this is going on I’m just standing there thinking WOW you’re one of those all positive people with an unhappy out of control dog aren’t you. I quietly tried to explain the benefits of the prong and how I’d learnt to use and fit it properly (some thing that many people get wrong) but she wasn’t having any of it! I was just glad to get back home. I’ve since bought nylon covers for the prongs, though I’m saddened that people judge you so harshly.
On the website Leerburg, in the Q&A on prong and dominant dog collars a Woman posted this:
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Today my son, daughter in law, and I went to a German Shepherd Rescue by appointment after the application had been accepted. We were there no more than ten minutes when we were literally told to leave and that they would not adopt a dog to my son and his wife. She notice that my son’s poodle mix had on a prong collar (which for their dog seems to calm him when he is around other dogs). She said that prong collars have been banned from being use with the AKC and if they ever showed up anywhere or any shows using a prong collar they would be thrown down stairs and attacked. As she stormed off she said was also going to have the kids banned from every rescue in the nation. That she was going to send their information to everyone and they would never be able to adopt anywhere. It was awful, I have never experienced this kind of behavior.
The reason I believe was a discussion in regard to prong collars. I told her that I have had German Shepherds all of my life and have used prong collars and find nothing wrong with them when “used properly.” I said that I would be happy to agree to disagree. I have a female 8 year old who is dog aggressive and this type of collar has been perfect for her. In fact every time I touch that collar she comes running. She knows that collar means freedom for her and we are off to either walk or take a trip or play. It has never been a negative for us.
Are prong collars really considered that bad or abusive?
———
The woman at the shelter has just stopped a dog from finding a loving home due to a biased opinion!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF
Sorry I know this is an old post but I thought I’d ad my experience 🙂
PS I use prongs and love my dogs, and they love and work hard for me!
Excellent article, thank you so much for posting this.
About a year ago, my partner and I adopted an 8 week old pug. We were told that pugs tend to be more calm, lazy, not aggressive, etc. We prepared ourselves for our ‘new arrival’ by reading positive training books, purchasing a clicker and learning how to click train, etc.
At first, things were going well. Our pug was learning the basics quickly. Sit, stay, come, down and a few tricks also (spin, stand, paw). It also seemed easy to house train him and he was doing well. The trouble began with walks and pulling. He was a horrible puller. We tried all the ‘positive’ methods of teaching him to heel, but to no avail. We tried a few different “no pull” harnesses, and they didn’t work at all. We also started having problems with him barking. At strangers, at cyclists, at cars, at children playing, at noises outside the house, at noises inside the house, at the tv. At everything. The barking was non-stop.
It got to the point where unless we had a treat in hand, he was completely uncontrollable. He would not sit, stay, stop barking, or listen to any of our commands unless we had a cookie…and even then, he would often not even care about the cookie either. No amount of “redirection” would stop his barking. Nothing would stop him from pulling on the leash. He was lunging at people and other dogs. He was becoming aggressive to strangers. I was embarrassed to take him out in public. After all, he was a PUG. Not a big dog. A 17lb pug. How come we were having trouble controlling him? We were baffled and at our wit’s end.
I finally hired a trainer (one that uses balanced methods). We tried a choke collar at first. It worked in controlled environments and he did show improvement but the choke was proving to be a bit dangerous when it came to his lunging problem. Prong collars are illegal here but my trainer was able to get us a Herm Sprenger through some connections.
My dog is a new dog after only a few days using the prong. He is calm and happy. He walks by our side and no longer pulls. I’ve barely even had to actually tug on the collar. It just took a few quick corrections and he is already learning his place in line. Since its only been a few days he is still lunging but now all it takes is one correction and he immediately stops. Even off leash we are noticing a difference. He is much more obedient overall, and the barking problem has already gotten better.
I must say I was at a complete loss prior to using this tool on my 4 month old GSD. Complete turn around in his behavior just having it on in the house. The walk…I can’t even explain how pleasant it has become. No more biting and tugging on the leash, no more stopping and laying down and chewing the leash. When he greets people it’s now at a slow not jumping pace. I beg those who have not tried it and having issues with their pup get one. There’s nothing more unattractive than someone walking with an uncontrollable dog. Just takes you tripping, leash falling from your hand and your dog getting loose 1 time of he’s not killed by a car he’s lost. I have to say I have the most well behaved 4 month old GSD thanks to one trainer.
Hello,
I have a six month old puppy who pretty much tries to tear my arm off every time I walk her. I was wondering how old should she be when I start training her with a prong collar? She’s 40 pounds right now.
Thanks,
Charlie
3 months ago you can start using the prong collar 🙂 I have videos on how to size and use them
jeff
Hello, I had a beautiful german shepherd,whom we lost last year at 14 years of age,she was a big beautiful amazingly smart,and gentle dog,whom we miss dearly.As of last year,we invested in another beautiful shepherd name ‘Koda’ and she is now currently 55lbs at 23 weeks old,and boy can she pull,she is amazing off leash up in our bush land,but on leash she tries to drag me along,so I purchased a prong collar,and I have no issue using it on her,its simply to help me, get her to realize she cannot pull,and our previous girl was trained by me for her first two years using the prong collar,and she never had to have it on again after that(she followed me in a heal all the time).My question is does the chain and circle part of the collar go at her neck(on top) or under her jawline..its been years since using the prong collar,and the girl we bought it from told me the chain part with the o ring goes under her chin,so on her neck area,but in the instructions it says the prongs go all the way around her neck and the chain and the o go on top of her neck(near the top of her head)….so please let me know which is correct….kindly a proud and gentle shepherd owner,and prong collar believer.:)
we have a video on our Youtube channel that can give you a better idea of the proper fit of the collar. jeff
Glad to read about all the experiences posted here.
Our family lives overseas in a country where they don’t appreciate dogs so much as a culture. We work here, so I brought a Golden puppy for my kids in one of my trips back home. He is now 19 weeks and is overall a very nice dog. But boy is he a puller! I am stuck with no vets or dog owning friends here, so did all his training by reading online. I got most of it right, but the walks are mostly painful as he pulls a lot.
He is a hunting line Golden, and sometimes seems quite dominant.
Is 19 weeks good enough of a time to train him on a prong collar? Do I use it in every walk? For how long? Thanks for any help!
Alex
yes you can start using a prong collar, i have videos on how to use the collar, size and everything also do not be in a rush to stop using a tool that is working…keep using itjeff
Waooo, great information I really appreciate it. My puppy is 5 moth and jous stared training him and the trainer gave me the callar and at first I was in shock Max is my baby and I was thinking he was going to be hurt. But she let me try it on my self first and I was fine. Then I sow with my own eyes how it works,like magic. I Love it and it’s for his own good. Thank you for your information it helped me a lot.
I am 1 of those professional working dog trainers (I started with training strays/pets, then specialized in aggressive, fearful, dangerous, traumatized, behavioral issues {I am not a “behaviorist”}; then I went into working dogs- assistance, SAR, Protection, military, etc.)….
In addition to my animal training/handling of skills, I am also a human medical professional. As a result, I am uniquely suited to understanding the reality that is various training tools & how it they actually effect the animal using them.
The 1st thing I’ll say is, the single most inhumane tool you can use is a flat collar! Except in dogs that are raised entirely on a harness or prong, I universally see significant trauma & physical damage in the throats of dogs on flat collars! This is very destructive (not to mention flats destroy the dogs coat- use a rolled leather collar); it’s causes significant inflammation, scarring, swelling, bruising, clots, brain congestion, stroke, infection, etc. of the sensitive structures in the throat/neck!
After the risks to the airways/ swallowing, the flats particularly target the thyroid. The thyroid does not respond to inflammation well; if inflamed, the body’s immune system will attack the thyroid & destroy it. Once that happens, it’s irreversible & very problematic!
The head halter is great for horses but insane for dogs! Aside from causing most of the same risks as the flat, it also causes soft/ skeletal tissues issues, whiplash, dislocation, etc; it has very serious consequences on social structure, pack dynamics, anxiety, aggression, etc!
I have never met any dog that liked the halter (even if properly introduced/used & positively associated). It a “normal” to see the animal wearing it become more aggressive/fearful/disruptive (even if not normally friendly/behaved) because they know they are vulnerable!
Speaking of knowing their vulnerable, other animals know they are too & strangely enough, even normally friendly/nice dogs will deliberately antagonize, attack & bully any dogs they find wearing a halter or muzzle… Dogs just don’t seem to respond well to such tools. Considering there’s a whole lot better options, I almost NEVER recommend a halter for dogs!
Harnesses are a bit more complicated, 1st of all, if you are trying to stop pulling then using a harness is about the stupidest move to make! Every dog instinctively leans into a harness & thus becomes a far more effective puller (husky sled dog)- hardly the effect we want. While many of my working animals work in harnesses & are better off for it…
Don’t misunderstand, if a dog is going to pull, it’s always safer in a harness but that does not mean they are safe! A safe harness has wide straps; no straps that interfere with range of motion/neck/genitals; has both a belly & a chest strap; it looks like a capital “Y” from the front over the shoulders & down the chest & looks like a capital “H” when viewed from top & side; something like the “ruffwear web master harness” (I’m not associated with them). The only disadvantage is its made from nylon instead of leather so is harsher on the dog’s coat.
I don’t use a choke collars generally speaking, I find them to be dangerous & they require far more skill to use correctly then the majority are able. However when I use a prong collar, I do add a dominant dog/string choke collar as backup in case the prong ever fails… I can count on 1 hand the number of corrections I’ve given with the choke & all were self inflicted by the dog breaking its prong to pull a runner. It’s mainly there to maintain control if & when the prong breaks.
Also given the populations I work with (dangerous/traumatized dogs & assistance animals)- the clients are almost never stronger than the dog, dog is capable of causing serious injuries, the dog is habituated to pulling, the dog is very big, the dog is a danger to the public, the humans’ & dog’s life depends on maintaining control of the animal at all times, there are chronic leadership issues, represents the animal/persons last chance before death, among the other reasons; using a prong collar & dominate dog collar combo is almost a inherent requirement of such cases!
As for prongs, there’s a lot of dangerous crap out there… The prong tips shouldn’t be sharp or rough, they don’t point directly into the neck & they don’t get taken on/off by undoing links- there should be a clasp on the dead/live ring chain that can be used to remove & put on. The best brand (& only 1 I use- but no association beyond that) is Herm Sprenger & made in Germany.
Always be certain that the collar is fitted & seated correctly. If unsure, seek out a pro (not petsmart employee) to help you. Don’t be ashamed to use the right tools for the right job- you can’t possibly successfully train an animal by solely using rewards/treats. You can & should certainly teach new things using such tools & they certainly have a place in training/ proofing a dog. However unless you also teach “what’s wrong” & “why not”, in addition to “what’s correct/desired” & “why should I”; you will fail in real life.
Corrections are essential to be able to learn anything, if you don’t have a clear, obvious way to say “wrong” & communicate that whatever “bad” thing is bad/ unwanted, you are never going to successfully proof the dog. Given the pathological way that owners transmit their anxieties through the leash to the flat collar & dog’s neck, it’s become nearly impossible for most owners to properly correct their dog. Realistically, of all the tools I reach for when training, the prong is always my 1st choice!
I like to have the owner put on such a prong collar around either their own neck/arm & give various strength corrections so that they know exactly what effect each strength pop really does. Most are scared off by the “barbaric appearances” of a prong but once they experience it they are no longer afraid to give a correction & more importantly, they never overdo it to become abusive as they are intimately aware of the cause/effect.
The electric collars have enormous value for off leash work, proofing & training, but that’s advanced work that only comes after the training with the prong collar! In fact, when I was caring for my now deceased grandmother with severe dementia/COPD 24/7/365 & she began feeding my service dog “her favorite food”… White bread with mustard, cooked chicken bones, etc. & couldn’t be stopped, I had to take action…
Mustard & white bread is a common trick or to induce vomiting in dogs & cooked chicken bones can kill both my baby & wallet! Without the electric collar, I could only ensure the dog didn’t eat it when I’m present but my service dog was holding vigil by my gran’s side to care for her. So I set up cameras, made her her favorite food, turned on the collar & waited. Sure enough with moments of leaving, he was scarfing it down & I corrected him.
Initially he was spooked by the invisible correction & searched for the culprit to appease but moments later was reaching for it again. As he stretched out to take it, correction… Over & over again until eventually she offered it to him & he refused to take it, cue/mark correct action & end session. Repeat until he 100% of the time is correct. He never once projected his frustration or displeasure on my nearby gran & continued to hold his loving vigil just without garbage for snacks! If it was not for the electric collar, I would have had to separate them, leaving my baby pinning & my gran lost without his help.
Finally while it is possible to train a dog to behave on a flat collar (& all my puppies start on flat nylon collars), it truly takes an expert hand, dedication, consistency, considerable time/energy/efforts, etc… & even then is no assurances. Dogs just innately press against a flat restricting surface in an effort to escape. You can get prong collars appropriately sized for anything from a mastiff/great Dane to a baby chihuahua & everywhere in between.
Adam
P.S. Using a prong collar isn’t automatically abusive, anymore than an electric or flat collar make you abusive! All training tools have enormous potential to save our beloved animals & without which far more of our beloved animals would be dead! Yet the wrong one in the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster & abuse.
Sadly, if someone is going to abuse animals, they are going to abuse animals, whether or not with a prong/electric collar! In fact because dogs are innately better behaved on a prong collar means that there is less chance of the frustration/anger that all too often fuels cycles of abuse!
P.S. Finally crazy PETA loons (you’ll get my animals & animal products when you pry them from my cold dead hands!)- stop harassing/hating prong collar users & reporting us as abusing our animals to animal control! I don’t harass you about abusing your animals by letting them “cutely” drag you around while they suffocate & destroy their necks!
News flash- If your dogs tongue is beat red/purple, you are abusing your dog! Until you are not some gullible fool who doesn’t know a thing about training/handling animals, especially dogs… How dare you harass the actual experts! Seriously, get help & get a life! My animals are better treated/behaved/fed then pretty much the rest of the world!
I starve so my dogs can have fresh fish, various prey, loved animal parts, etc. of the finest, well cared for animals! My service dogs wear a handmade, custom kangaroo leather assistance harness that is like butter, does no damage & after nearly 2 decades looks brand new despite hell & back! You crack pots would say use petroleum by product plastic that destroys coats, causes sores, is painful, uncomfortable, hot, falls apart from normal use, disposable, but is dirt cheap/big profits for the company & isn’t an animal product.
Kangaroo is wild managed, expensive, local product revitalising failing local economies, a serious pest species, the best leather in the world, makes uses of all parts & is humanely treated throughout… But dear god an animal died, so we all must now go crazy, right? I know it’s never nice to see anything lose its life but that is reality! The predator/prey dynamics of life have been a around since long prior this crazy idea & will continue long after its finally universally recognized as the bull it is!
While I am at it, making a captive predator (cats, canids, bears, etc.) eat anything besides a prey diet, especially vegetarianism/veganism diet is abuse! Even more so if you just pour some kibble in a bowl! Think about it, a predator lives 24/7/365 dedicated to eating… With kibble that amounts to a minute max a couple of times a day…
What should they do with the rest of the near 24/7/365? Any meal time lasting less than a few hours per meal is certain to cause serious problems in other areas! The only options beside wild prey that provides what’s needed is puzzles, flirt poles & raw frozen prey! You can combine the flirt pole with dinner by putting its dinner in a box or something it has to chase down, “kill” & rip apart to eat!
I swear doing this with a hunk of frozen meaty bones in a box taped up on the end of the flirt pole for like 5-10 minutes a few times a day will result in the happiest dog in the world who wouldn’t think about chewing your stuff & will have far improved sleep/digestion/dentition/health! Anyways, this is long enough; good luck & try actually providing for your “pets” innate natural drives, you won’t be disappointed!
Adam
“Corrections are essential to be able to learn anything, if you don’t have a clear, obvious way to say “wrong” & communicate that whatever “bad” thing is bad/ unwanted, you are never going to successfully proof the dog.”Thank you for that! I am SO sick of the righteous attitude of the “positive reinforcement only” crowd. Yes, positive reinforcement works great to teach your dog what is GOOD to do. But that has no way of teaching them what is not acceptable. How do you teach a dog through positive reinforcement that eating your sofa cushion is not OK? Sticking a chew toy in their mouth and praising helps, so they learn that chew toys are good things to chew on. But they have no way of knowing that sofa cushions are bad. They think, chew toy good, sofa cushion still OK. I had this trouble potty training my puppy recently. She learned very quickly that peeing and pooping outside was GOOD. She would reliably do her business outside when let out within a few days. But 3 weeks in we were still having accidents in the house. She had learned outside=good, but inside still was OK because no one had ever told her otherwise. I had always been told by the positive reinforcement advocates to just ignore accidents. So how in the world is she supposed to learn that inside is not OK?
Finally, a more traditional trainer advised I have a fit when the puppy peed/pooped in the house. This did NOT mean hurting the dog. It just meant letting her know I was upset. Stomping my feet, clapping my hands, yelling, whining. No physical punishment or even contact. Just communication that I was very displeased with what she just did. I did this just twice and she stopped having accidents in the house. She was done potty training by 11 weeks. Believe it or not, I was scolded for yelling at a puppy by someone complaining their 4 month old pup was still not potty trained and asking for advice. Haha! Whatever.
This positive reinforcement stuff has gone the way of being politically correct….overboard. Correcting your dog is not abuse. It is not even punishment. It is communication. Dogs don’t read minds. They don’t understand English. How are they to know supposed to learn chewing on the sofa, pottying in the house, or pulling on the leash is not acceptable if you don’t communicate that in some way?
Thanks for making me not feel like a dumb ass! I have used prong collars on my malamutes for 20+ years – they work great. We liked to call them “power steering” as they serve to correct and not to punish. So I am older now, and changed breeds to a Golden Retriever – where is my prong collar!?!?!?! Everybody gives me crap because I want one on the Golden. They keep selling me those (difficult to use at best) “Gentle Leaders.” They suck. I try to walk my dog by dragging his chin around? Not to mention the dumb ass nose strap that ends up creeping up over my poor dog’s eyes getting tighter and tighter every time he pulls – no thanks. So like an idiot I’ve enrolled in some local Petsmart dog training class -it’s convenient – and forces me (a 60 yr old man) to get out there and work with my dog. They don’t want me to use a prong collar! Nope, has to be a flat collar for training. At frickin’ Petsmart? Seriously? – I don’t know what I am going to do. They tells me I haven’t fitted the prong collar (that they would sell me but won’t let me use for training) correctly. Whatever – tell that to my last 20+ years of Malamutes. I understand they know all the click and treat training methods – and trendy, cute, and probably even helpful these methods are – – but geez, why can’t I do all the same trainings with a prong collar?I think I am going to cancel the dumb class. I can do just as well on my own with a prong collar, some praise, and a bag of treats. Jeff, thanks for validating what an old man already knows to be the truth. Much peace to you sir.
yes, you can do it yourself, i put out so many so much free content so folks can do it themselves, yes all tools and methods have their purpose, a nice structured walk just makes the most sense for dog owners…get yourself a prong collar and hit the streets running my friend. jeff
I’d venrtue that this article has saved me more time than any other.
It’s ridiculous how “PC” this positive reinforcement stuff has gotten. I also took a Petsmart training class. The trainer told us we should never say “No” to a dog. Use “eh-eh” instead to stop a bad behavior. Why? Because “no” is a mean word and we never want to be mean to our dogs. I’m like, WTF? Seriously?? The dog does NOT know the human meaning of the word “no”. To the dog “no” and “eh-eh” are just meaningless sounds until you teach them what it means by your actions and emotions. To say that telling a dog “no” is mean and “eh-eh” is not is the most ludicrous dog training tip I think I’ve ever heard.
As for the “humane” Gentle Leader, I tried that on my puller once and never again. As you said, it slides up and cuts across their eyes. Not only that but my pup would pull against it so hard her head would completely turn around. I was seriously concerned she would break her neck with a sudden lunge! That was frightening to watch. I cannot believe anyone would think this is more humane than a prong collar. A prong collar is not inhumane because it teaches them to STOP pulling. The dog is not going to get hurt if it doesn’t pull in the first place. Isn’t that what we really want?
I have a question concerning the prong collar. We are using one in our current training program. I had a visitor come over he jumped so I pulled to correct and my dog yelped and then growled. He then jumped again and so I corrected again and this time he became aggressive. He started snapping, snarling, growling. I tried a mild extension suggested by our trainer but when I put him down he seemed more frustrated and ended up getting my hand instead of leash. Any ideas I know the collar is not hurting him but I’m worried it is making him act out more.
jumping must be stopped, the correction is not making the dog more aggressive, the true dog is coming out that is all, this is showing your dogs true behavior, you are most likely underwhelming your dog,your dog is telling you that your dog does not like you correcting him….lets put this in another example. your child steals something from the Walgreens, you tell your child to put it back, your child says no, you talk more sternly, your child says no and yells at you and hits you, you correcting your child did not make your child hit you, your childs lack of respect to you did it. So it is a relationship issue you are having with your dog, that is the core issue, your dod needs much more structure, guidance and leadership in your dogs life. We have a very strict protocol on how to get on the right foot, i will do a Periscope on this today, you can also do a private 1/1 Skype session with me. If you miss the Periscope session it gets posted on my Katch.me account which can be accessed through my website. To clarify one very important thing, prong collars and remote collars don’t make dogs aggressive, underwhelming the dog and lack of relationship guidance and leadership makes the dogs aggressive. Jeff
Okay thank you I totally agree with what your saying. I’m not sure how we got to this point since I see his respects & trusts my husband more even though I’ve done all the obedience training with him. What time is your periscope? The big issue I feel while I work on our relationship, leadership, and guidance is what to do when he becomes agitated/aggressive I’m assuming I shouldn’t back down but being pregnant I don’t want to put myself in harms way. In the issue this week the person who he jumped on knows our dog very well and was able to help and intervene but I’m not sure that helped the situation with our dog feeling in control over me. I didn’t know besides working on the basics if correcting him turns into agitated/aggressive behavior what is the best way to handle it. Since I have been correcting him with other things and it has not brought out this side of him. I appreciate your help since we started this journey to try and get him on the right foot before the baby comes.
def want to tune into my Periscope Q&A which is mon/wed 9pm est, info is also on my facebook page..you may need a 1/1 Skype though jumping can be correcting very quick and effectively jeff
Thank you for this infoI have been researching prong collars for a while but with all the overwhelming content out there about how ‘abusive’ they are and make dogs more aggressive I have been hesitant to start. I have been watching all your youtube videos and purchased a herm sprenger for our dog. He has always walked at heel on current slip lead but when dogs are coming towards us especially the flexi leash ones he is reactive. Wondering if we are supposed to give him a ‘pop’ when he very first shows interest in the dog (normally when they are 5 mtrs away) and his ears go up and looks as though he is walking on his tippy toes ? If we do this on his slip leash he tends to become more alert to dogs coming towards us. He doesnt bark but will definitely pull as we pass them. And if the other dog barks he will do a back flip
Thank you for all your content
glad you found out how wonderful prong collars are and you realized that most of the info on prongs is false…great job jeff
So much info in so few words. Toltosy could learn a lot.
Hi, we have been using the prong collar for about 3 months now. Walks are better, it controls my lab’s pulling. However, she is still reactive when she sees other dogs, joggers or bikes. We try to correct her (timing) as soon as her tail and hair goes up but she still manages to lunge and we’re starting to be pretty discouraged. The only thing that works is distracting her with treats but we don’t want to stay on that route forever. Any suggestions?
yes, lots of things you can do, i would not do the food route, we use food in training, but you may actually be reinforcing the unwanted behavior, if you go to my website under services and rates as well as the free training drop down menu, you can see all of the options for getting help from us.
Ok Thanks Jeff! I’m just not sure which one to select for the help that we need?Lots of info on there. If you can guide me a bit better on which video/webinar or service to select, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
I kind of stumbled onto this site and found it very interesting. I have a almost ten yr old pit that I adopted in February and he nearly pulled my arm out of the shoulder socket when I first got him,I went and got a gentle leader which helped significantly without me having to jerk on the leash,problem is he can’t pant with it on and summer is around the corner,at least I hope so, I thought about a harness but feel it gives him even more strength to pull me on walks,so n desperation after being pulled suddenly almost into an oncoming car,my fault I wasn’t focusing on him at that second,I bought a pinch collar,he took to it like he has always had that kind of collar,a friend is sending me a prong collar and harness that are new from the elderly dog she had recently lost,now I am anxious to try the prong collar as I feel I need a bit more control,but my arm no longer throbs in pain after our walks with the pinch collar! The harness I will most likely use when we are in the car with a seat belt leash to keep him safe.I’m so glad to see I’m not alone in this and there’s hope,by the way he pulls in excitement wants to great and play with every dog and human he sees and of coarse when we walk somewhere new and there’s new smells to investigate, he does seem to search out food that has been dropped and I really don’t want him eating garbage.
Thanks for this super post
Bless you
glad you stopped the pulling and the next step is to stop the excitement on the walks as that also will lead to unwanted behaviors in your dog, so by teaching the dog to properly heel next to you and focus on you or straight ahead will help the reactivity as well as keep the dog from eating food of the ground, both of those things are correctional based, so if the dog looks at another dog or puts its head down to get food you would give the dog a pop on the leash, it is super quick and NOT a pull but a pop, that is important that you are communicating with the dog so they learn..great job. jeff
I have a terrier/border collie mix. So to say the least…she has tons of energy! I just adopted her and she is 1 year and 1 month. She was adopted once and then those owners brought her back because she pulled too much on the leash. I adopted her thinking I could fix that. I tried walking her and training her to walk politely. This was not happening, at least on her terms it wasn’t happening. I then talked to a coworker whose husband trained dogs all his life. He said he swears by prong collars for dogs who pull a lot. I put the collar right on, then the leash. She started walking perfectly right away. She pulled slightly, so what I did was pull the leash up a little and say heel. She would stop and pull back a little and continued to walk. She is like a brand new dog while we are walking. Now both of us enjoy walks and long ones too! The prong collar did not hurt her!
great that you had so much success and as you mentioned prong collars do not hurt dogs, after over 3000 dogs i have not seen a dog hurt by one, but the pulling on the leash with all other collars are going to and do choke the dogs which creates slight to massive discomfort as well as long term damage, glad you had such success. jeff
Thank you! Someone mentioned this to me and I was not quiet sure what this collar was or did for that matter. However, I will be honest that it does not look so friendly. None the less, I started to investigate and stumbled upon your article. We adopted a Lab Mix (we think with either Whippet or Grey Hound) She is a puller with lots of energy. We have been using a harness which has helped tremendously but she has gotten out of it as well. At the sight of a rabbit she is pulls back and in an instance out of the harness and across the neighborhood!
lisa
keep in mind that harnesses are designed for pulling, we use them for a dog that is tracking as well as protection work both things we want dogs to pull, pulling activates a drive in the dog that is not conducive to walking politely, also you cannot correct the dog or communicate with the dog with a harness. Prong collars do look like they would harm the dog, but after 4000 dogs personally trained and hundreds of thousands trained by my colleagues and NONE I have heard about being harmed, they just do not harm dogs. It just does not happen..so I would look into them, i have numerous videos on my YouTube channel on how to put one on the dog, introduce the dog to the collar and use the collar. Jeff
[…] prong collar: These are used for walk training. You want to teach your dogs not to pull you and to heal by your […]
I totally agree with everything you have said. Some dog owners and others are clueless about discipline and are incapable of viewing corrections without having a knee-jerk reaction and accusing people of being cruel and abusive I find highly offensive and presumptuous. I am currently waiting for two black Spenger prong collars for my Rotties. I hate being dragged around (the male is the worst) and I refuse to be dominated by my own dog. The female likes to walk away from me but takes a sideways route while her brother tries to pull in a forwards direction and yes I have tried to train them, but these two twins seem to be partners in crime. After 5 minutes this behaviour usually settles down, but I don’t want 30 seconds of that behaviour. Sometimes it takes longer if they have caught the smell of something. Also lunging is very dangerous as dogs can lung across the path of a person and cause a fall etc. particularly with children or the elderly. I have deltoid and wrist injuries from Otis being good on the lead then suddenly lunging with all his strength when the lead is relaxed when he has a sudden stupid moment. I think the worst mistake I made was putting harnesses on them from about 1 year old. It encouraged pulling so badly and when I stopped using them the reduction was instant. They still try to steer the walk which I think is wrong. My responsibility is to have my dogs under control and I also want to walk along at my pace and by relaxed. I do manage this for a decent proportion of the walk, but I want control from start to finish and the dogs correct themselves with prong collars thats the beauty of them. They pull you, feel the pinch and they get back in line, so they are learning without you having to correct them. I’ve learnt how to fit one and use it correctly and I can’t wait to see how well it works.
My 18 month old lab is on her best behavior when she has her collar on. Trainer told me I had too many links. So she took two off. My labs neck, underneath is irritated. I stopped using the collar and she is pulling me again. How can I keep it from irritating her next?
this is a question for your trainer since you are working with a trainer hands on. if you want your dog to listen to you all the time you can be training all the time. Don’t just use the training tool occasionally, be training all the time. jeff
Debbie, are you using a prong collar from a pet store or are you using the Herm Sprenger prong collar? The pet store ones often have sharp prongs, whereas the Herm Sprenger ones have blunt prongs. Herm Sprenger prong collars are the only ones people should be using (those are what Jeff uses). You can buy them online. Also, you can buy a stainless steel model that doesn’t contain nickel. Nickel causes problems with some dogs, same as it does with some people.
I have a 60 lb. collie/setter/? Mix I adopted that I am struggling with on walks. He is using a front harness now. He was pulling, but I’ve now got him to loose leash. However, he lunges and barks at bikes, joggers, loud mufflers, and really goes nuts at other dogs. I took him to training and they mentioned a prong collar, but I think when they showed it to me and saw my face they quickly changed to a choke collar instead. I haven’t tried that yet either. Do you think a prong collar would be preferable in a situation like this? And does it immediately loosen as soon as he quits lunging? Thanks.
it is extremely hard to train a dog on a harness, harness is designed for dogs to pull, it actually encourages pulling…absolutely move to a prong collar, they are safe, they empower you to communicate with your dog, I have free videos to fully train you and your dog on how to train your dog.jeff
I used the collar to train my Doberman.
When my dog seen me grab the collar he would get excited and hop around. That’s because I always took him for a long walk with the collar so my dog seen it as a treat.
Doberman’s have a lot of strength so to see me a small framed girl walking a 100 pound dobbie correctly would amaze people.
I just read something from a local R+ only trainer who is claiming:
“Both prong collars and choke chains are known to cause nerve damage as well as injuries to the thyroid gland (which is located at the base of the neck), the trachea, and eyes. These collars can also cause your dog to faint or even worse, experience strangulation.” ??
Thoughts?
I should post the 2 page document for you but I don’t want to bore you
there is a report out there that mentions this, they do NOT mention any particular collar, if anyone includes Prong collar in the report that is based on the opinion and not what was actually in the report, a prong collar and a chock chain are 2 very very different things, a prong collar is much more similar to a slip lead, flat buckle collar, martingale collar that can cause damage I would imagine, but a prong collar is designed to NOT chock a dog. NO need to see the report, i am very aware of the conversation as well as folks interpretations to meet their agenda on that report….
Thanks for the great info, I have been told by some trainers that I should not use my prong collar to train my dog and shamed at the dog park too so we do more in our backyard and do not get out to walk nearly enough. Years ago when I first learned basic obedience training that was what we used, it worked and I have tried many other suggested leads with no success on my current Labrador.Thanks for validating what I had learned before.
I personally do not care what others have to say on how I train my dog or my clients dogs, go out on as many walks as you want, go wherever you want, use any tool you want. It is not anyone elses business and if they have something to say about it, then they are just being rude and also they are harassing you and should be treated as such..Jeff
Just wanted to say, thank you for writing this article.
We just got our 6.5 month old GSD puppy a prong yesterday, as his pulling was causing serious injury to my fiance’s elbows and was almost pulling me over (80lbs of excited young pup is a lot of force!). We trained him on it yesterday afternoon, getting him used to the sensation and teaching him the basics of paying attention to where we’re going at all times.
This afternoon, we took him out for a 4-5 mile walk using the new collar. It took him about 30 minutes to really settle in and understand there would be no more pulling, but after that, it was like walking air. My fiance had the leash suspended across two fingers at one point, and our dog didn’t even notice. He was too busy paying attention to heeling. Any correction required two fingers worth of pressure. Two. Fingers. That’s like…nothing.
Throughout the walk, he continually turned his head to look at whomever had the leash to check in, and we’d always give him heaps of praise for doing so. He also ignored runners, after a couple of corrections, and other walkers. He’s gotten better at not reacting to strange dogs, though that still needs work.
Overall, these collars are amazing. I wish more people would use them. It takes just a little bit of research to put the collar on right and figure out the right amount of pressure to use, but after that, it’s gravy.
We don’t plan on using a prong forever. Eventually we will phase out to his flat collar, but that is likely months down the line. Already, we’re planning on extending its use to teaching him not to bother the cats and how to behave calmly around guests. I have no doubt it’ll work in these areas too.
Thanks for posting this! I am currently taking my English bull dog to dog classes. She is learning to sit and heel etc. she is a beast! She pulls on me etc as she wants to play with the other dogs! She is about 50 pounds and is only 9 months old. The trainer said it would be OK to put a prong collar on her for training. I am wanting to do this bit being she is a English bulldog and etc etc etc. I am worried about the breathing with this collar or hurting her air way! What do you think about this collar for her?
prong collars are fine for all dogs and extremely safe, the goal is the dog does not pull, so if the dog is pulling with using the prong it is not being used as designed, your dog should be walking next to you calmly. So the prong helps you out tremendously with that. We use prongs on all dogs. Jeff
Instant results much more enjoyable to take my lab on walks now
yes, on a lot of things, quick is not a bad thing, especially since it can be done quick…
jeff
I have a dog that has been trained with the prong collar and is a doll. The only issue is that he knows when he is not wearing it and acts up. How do I train him to understand he has to listen all the time and transition to a flat collar?
He is one year old. I only need him in a flat collar when we are doing agility, flyball, etc.
Thanks!
work your dog a lot and get your dog to correction level, our goal is not to get the dog off of the collar, our goal is to make your dog and your life easier, so why not just use the prong all the time. As far as doing agility and flyball, those are sports that if your trainer does not want you to wear certain training equipment that is fine. The training for those sports are much different than daily life jeff
I have a 9 month old doberman. We just moved, and during that move (2 months prior and 2 months after) we have not been able to train or give him as much excersise as he needed. He was loose leashed trained, but he’s going through this naughty rebellious phase, probably because we haven’t had as much time with him as we’d like. We are now a little more settled in, so we’ve been able to start training back up again but its HARD! He’s a totally different dog now! He pulls so hard… I’m a little over 100lbs, he’s 75lbs at the moment and growing… It is so embarassing taking him to the park, he behaves most the time, but its when it’s time to get him on the leash to go home… I had a chest harness for him, where you can clip on the front or the back, which the front clip worked great, but we can’t find it since the move.. So I read pretty much EVERYONES comments here on your page and I borrowed a prong collar just to see if it was worth investing in… And you know what I used it for one whole day, Zeus walked right next to the stroller with my 18 month, didn’t pull, didn’t get overly distracted or overly excited. Instant change. I LOVE it.
But I do have some questions, I watched your video of how to fit it… Right behind the ear and you still had room for your fingers… My doberman doesn’t have long enough hairs like your rottie does, so it’s always sliding down during the walk, even though its tight where I can’t fit 2 fingers in it. If I add another link it won’t stay up by the ears at all. Can you help me?
glad you can walk your dog, it is okay if it is snug, 1 finger is fine, as long as it is not falling down on the dogs neck.
jeff
Does the collar stay on all the time?
it is a training collar like any other training tool, it is a way to communicate your training program and information to the dog. So when you are training you leave it on, do not leave it on in the crate and do not leave it on when interacting/playing with other dogs. jeff
Your article is very educating and informative. We are the owners of a 4 month old doberman, who we just started lessons with a professional trainer. He used the prong collar, originally against my opinion. But after reading this, my mind is changed and we are looking forward to seeing his well behaved progress. !
Hey Jeff,
I have an 8 week old blue nose puppy who I’m trying to train. Would you recommend a prong collar this early on a dog? Also, can it be used to stop biting? I have tried with correcting by saying no and handing him his toys but he still seems to bite like crazy.
I would not suggest a prong collar that young, everything we do with puppies is all food training, lots of structure. I also do not redirect the biting I stop the biting, so you can put your thumb into the dogs mouth and push down while with the same hand have your hand around the dogs jaw. it makes it uncomfortable for the dog to bite them. It is a very quick move to make. I dont feel you should redirect your dog onto biting something else. BUT…you should have things for your dog to chew on. Remember the most important thing for you is to have a ton of structure in your dogs life. jeff
Thanks Jeff I just saw this. My puppy is now 12 weeks old now. If I choose to use a prong for pressure on pressure off, what age would you recommend starting?
you can be doing all food training as well as leash training and start using a prong collar now, jeff
Hello Jeff! I recently discovered you on youtube and i actually just ordered a prong collar from your web site! I have a 10 month old cockapoo who chases cars, pulls on the leash, runs out the front door, jumps on people, and doesnt commit to my commands. I was wondering, with the prong collar training, is this the only tool i should use to adress these issues? Im curious if i should buy an e collar as well, but they are very expensive. Should i train my dog with the prong collar for a certain amount of time?
jessica,no matter what the tool you use is still going to need a training program behind it. So for the dog doing the behaviors you described a remote collar is going to be an incredible tool. They are not expensive at all, 180-200.00USD, which is a lot less than a vet visit for your dog getting injured by the behaviors you describe. jeff
Hi JeffI Just Adopt pure Border Collie from the shelter as her previous owner traveled she is 2 years old she is supposed to be house trained I faced few problems with her
1- She always pull in the leash. ( I fixed that little after i watched your great 2 indoor videos about the prong collar but some time when she saw the house she want to run back an pull to the back and when prong collar give her pressure she sleep in the floor on her back and begin to bite the leash and scream and when she do that i just stand don’t do anything and tell her your word “REALLY” I wait for a while but she never stand up until it tell her go home and i take her back home )
2- When I take her for a walk in the garden beside house she pull back and don’t want to leave the garden and i have to carry her out of the garden garden gate.
3- She refuse to eat dry food at all except if i mixed for her with some chicken or beef so dry food have smell of fresh chicken or beef.
4- She refuse to walk inside the house i have always to pull her hard or carry her.
Your support is highly appreciated she is really adorable dog and i don’t want to return her back.
Ahmed,
all of this can be easily stopped, i suggest you do one of our free Skype sessions, information is on my Facebook Page there is a link to schedule one. jeff
Hi Jeff – I have been watching quite a few of your videos – I have never had issues with prong collars, although your descriptions and examples have made me appreciate them even more – I especially like knowing that they give even pressure around the neck – I know so many dogs who choke on flat collars.I have a 5 month old lab – she is a sweetheart, not a mean bone in her body. But she is a bit of an alpha. Likes to challenge and test a lot. I just purchased the herm sprenger collar and tried it on her today. Definitely made a huge difference on her pulling. But when we were inside and doing a bit of work, she decided to flop herself down on the floor and roll around, trying to avoid the collar and my corrections – I wasn’t quite sure what to do, as I didn’t want to correct too hard and actually harm her. I ended up scooping her up and placing her back in a sitting position and tried to move on from there. She fought it a bit longer, but then gave in. Would you say this is the right protocol or should I have done something different? Thank you for all the information you put out there. I have a friend who put down a highly anxious dog, and I feel if she had known more about prong collars, he might have been saved.
lisa,do not scoop your dog up at all, making that physical contact is praise if anything…you will NOT harm your dog by using a firm correction on a prong collar, most dog owners underwhelm their dogs instead of correcting firm enough. all of that flipping around is yoru dog just saying NO like a child having a temper tantrum…jeff
I was happy to read this about the prong collar. I have been told that it isn’t humane and I now use one on my current dog. She is a hair over 1 year of age and is a mix of flat coated retriever and border collie weighing in at approximately 55 lbs. I weigh approximately 120 lbs so she can “take me for a drag.” But with the prong collar she is much easier to control and now I am assured that she isn’t being harmed in any way by the collar. The prongs are not sharp at all and they do tend to respond better to them.
phyllis
yep, you have been lied to like millions of other dog owners, i have NEVER seen a prong collar harm a dog after 4000 dogs trained and tens of thousands of dogs trained with my immediate colleauges..jeff
Thank you for your common sense approach to dog training. i have a Florida Cur pup. She is 7 months old, 50 lbs of pure boot leather. She is smart as a whip and was quickly getting the upper hand in our relationship. i started her at obedience class and the trainer brought out the prong collars even for the tiny dogs. she encouraged each of us to merely try the collar. if we didnt like it, she would take it back. Wow, what an immediate difference. i went from having a constant argument with an extremely tough and strong dog, to having the beginnings of an effective working relationship with her. Needless to say, she does throw a huge temper tantrum when she is tired of actually having to behave with the prong collar on, but those subside quickly and are getting fewer and fewer. With this tough and highly intelligent dog, this simple tool has made all the difference.
NOra, glad you are making progress, remember all of those temper tantrums are not tool centric, they are attitude centric meaning it is your dog just saying NO to the fact they have to do something they do not want to do at the moment. That will change up soon enough though as your relationship builds through that will diminish. jeff
I have a 7 1/2 year old Alaskan Malamute. I have recently been taking him to aggressive training classes. He appears to be fear aggressive, anxious around strangers. He will allow my friends that come into the house to pet him, be friendly, then out of nowhere he will growl. He walks nicely until there is another dog around then he hollars (not growls, like a howl yell and will sometimes lunge); when a person walks by he cant stop staring. He is very stubborn and i will admit he doesnt respect me like i want. He doesnt listen when there are distractions. He has bitten me in the face (cause that was closest to his mouth), but not out of anger/rage, it was because we had to muzzle him to clip his toe nail that was causing him to limp, but no success. After a few minutes, i went to comfort him while he was laying down, as i was getting up, he lifted his head and did a double nip on forehead that i needed stitches. I think he thought i may have been trying another attempt. Anyways, we hired a trainer who put a prong collar on him for the first time and she tried to walk him, he got aggressive and bit her foot. She came a second time and put a prong collar on, ecollar, and a chain to restrain him. Needless to say there was no progress. So now i am trying a different approach, he is now attending group aggression classes 3 times a week, with a trainer supervising. We completed week 1. The 3rd class, i used a prong collar and put a basket muzzle on him as i saw what he did with the last trainer. He would not stop going for my feet, protesting, screaming. After i battled him for what seemed like forever (5 mins). I chose not to stop but keep walking slowly and when he felt the pressure he immediately got up and walked right with me. the rest of the 30 minute session he was walking nice, when i stopped i did a short quick upright tug for him to sit and he was cooperating. there were 7 other people with their dogs there too and he was not worrying about them. I now stand behind the prong collar for a training tool. I didn’t have to tell him to sit or heel, he just knew to do it and pay attention, i didnt have to communicate to him that he is straying or pulling, he just became very in tune with what i was trying to do after we got over his tantrums.
glad you where able to work your dog through all of the nonsense..great job
jeff
I am so glad I found this article!We recently adopted a rescue dog, and the owner didn’t give us papers or know much about the dog themselves. It was a private sale.
We have not associated her with dogs as they said she was aggressive. Along with many other things not to be true. The other day we were at the beach and she was okay, until she met another dog. She started barking (not sure if it was playful) it was high pitched. She kept pulling until she got out of her leash. She booked it and we were so afraid that was it! She has normally been so well off leash, and never barked.
We bought a prong collar and a smaller leash (about 3 feet) I am glad to have found this article because I wondered “am I mean?” Or “does this hurt her?” I felt like we were so inhumane because she tried to slip out and it tightened and she yelped!
By the way we have a bullmastiff sharpei mix.
kate
you are not hurting your dog, it is actually extremely difficult to hurt a dog on a prong collar. Keep in mind that the collar is just a tool, you still have to do training. We have many free videos on our youtube channel that can help you. jeff
I wish Wish Wish my city council could read this website. Toronto has officially banned prong collars. What the heck am I to do now???? I walk several dogs everyday with a couple very much needing prong collars to keep them calm and nonreactive when passing strange dogs and people. I’m in shock over the irresponsibility of whomever it was that agreed with this ban.
lori
all dog owners should be highly concerned about the taking away of tools that help owners train their dogs. IF you read the transcripts of the meeting you can easily see that none of the folks have any knowledge not only of tools but dog behavior and training in general. It was full of emotion but no fact and was actually disrespectful of dog owners. This is not a dog training issues it is a dog owner issue and the rights of dog owners are slowly being taken away, just as PETA wants it to be. Jeff
Thank you so much for your article! I’m a new dog owner and have been doing tons of research on how to be a good dog mommy. I so appreciate your YouTube channel and have been implementing much of what you’ve said. My puppy is for sure a leash puller and since she’s a Rhodesian Ridgeback I want to make sure she’s properly trained so that the bigger she gets she’s well behaved and not endangering herself or anyone else. I bought a prong collar but then had the thought that she might be too young. She’s almost 11 weeks and almost 20lbs. At what point can I begin using the collar? I want to make sure that I’m not introducing it too soon. Thanks so much!
all of the training you are doing know can all be based on the dogs food drive, you can introduce the prong collar at 14 weeks old, do this along with your food training
jeff
Thanks so much!
I could not be happier you wrote this article. I have a 10 month old german shepherd that we have been taking to training since she was 14 weeks old. The trainer we use only believes in positive reinforcement. She did not even believe in jerking the leash to redirect. Needless to say my shepherd was anxious and fearful every time we met someone new or a new animal. Her hair would stand up, she would bark and lunge, and shoving treats in her mouth was not helping. The trainer did not know any other way of handling her. And she forbids the use of prong collars stating it will only make her more anxious and it is cruel. She was going to send us to an animal behaviorist that was going to cost over $300 for the first visit so she could be placed on medication! We decided to take her back to the breeder for training, they put a prong collar on her, she is now much less anxious, obedient, and more affectionate to me. The breeder explained that our dog needed guidance and that guidance could be achieved through communication using the prong collar. It has been very helpful this far.
so glad you found help
jeff
Thank you for this wonderful article! My husband and I recently took on a pair of 4.5 month old brothers who are Rottweiler/LBoxer/Labrador/Pit Bull mix puppies, and they pull so hard I feel bad when I have to correct them and short leash them with a flat collar. I decided to purchase my boy’s first pinch collar yesterday and before ever leaving the Pet Smart store I tried it on him. Within seconds, he was walking appropriately and was keeping his head up off the ground. I posted in a group on Facebook asking how long I should use the pinch collar, and I was called abusive and disgusting for even thinking of it.
Positive reinforcement has worked with things like learning “sit” and “stay”, but when we get around large groups of people, Duke forgets his manners and goes nuts! I am waiting to take him around people until he gets the hang of walking with the pinch collar, but I can already guarantee that this was the best decision for us both!
Thank you!!! I rescued a 1.5 lab who pulled out if his collar and ran into traffic right in front of a car .. He also took me for quite the ” walk/run” when he got spooked by a loud noise .. It was the worst experience I have ever had .. Nothing was settling him down .. He pulled me so hard my hands were raw, my legs burned ..(I thought his neck would snap !!). I had a total melt down when we finally made it home .. He will pull the whole way on walks I try to correct him but the second he sees another dog .. It’s game over .. He is too strong for me to hold him back ( I have tried the calm collective , treats, ect ect) but the second he sees that dog he’s nuts.. I’m going to buy a collar today… I had mixed feelings also but after he almost got hit by a car I did my reaserch.. Thank you !! Leaving right. Now to buy one!!
ONE walk with a prong collar and I have a completely different dog. I had just about given up on walking him. At 6 months, he weighs 51 pounds. He used to lunge at cars, and nearly pulled me into a passing truck last week. Clicker training, harnesses, etc.did not work. One gentle tug on the collar and he got it. No more pulling, dog trotting along happily, yay! Now he is napping on his chair instead of literally eating the walls of the house. My arm is not sore from the walk, given that I barely had to grip the lead. AND I have many more opportunities to use positive reinforcement on walks.
This is such a great article and so accurate! I’ve done so much research on the correct ways to train dogs and some of the things that are supposed to be “less harsh” like harnesses are actually worse. I love a quick, clear correction and so does my dog. He gets excited when I pull the prong collar out because he relates it to something positive, like a walk. I got yelled at by my vet tech twice today and called abusive because I use a prong collar on a younger dog. Well look around the vet and you would see that he lays at my feet happily, secure, and quietly versus the other misbehaved dogs that are all chocking themselves on their leashes. We have always used these on our dogs and it does nothing more than create secure, happy dogs.
[…] info on prong collars here, from my favorite dog trainer Jeff […]
I recently adopted a 5 year old English Bulldog. She is a behavioral disaster. She was only ever taught sit, only ever walked on a harness and I’m fairly certain has never been told no. Today I picked up a pong collar for her, got it adjusted and went to walk her a bit. When I told her to sit, she was given a small correction (she knows sit and knows the expectations for the command) when she didn’t sit. At which point she reached back and managed to get the buckle on the leash in her mouth and proceeded to gator roll! She ripped up her mouth, I assume from biting her own cheeks, choked herself, but refused to let go of her leash! I have never ever had this happen before and I worked as a trainer during college and have a behavioral psych degree, so I am not a total noob. I am however dumbfounded. Any thoughts on this?
yep, its called an objection and the dog most likely has never felt any pressure around the dogs neck. So it is not the prong collar doing this it is the fact that the dog does not like the lack of freedom to do what the dog wants to do, i have a video on how to introduce a prong collar. We see the same thing with head halters when first put on, you have to introduce the tool to the dog. So after watching the video, and implementing the video you will be fine, we have seen this hundreds of times, what you can do is correct the nonsense of the dog objecting to the collar with a bonker. jeff
Ok so we started today with a little counter conditioning, because after her freak out yesterday she was shaking when she saw the collar. I got her to where she would turn her head into the collar when presented with it. Then we just took it on and off for food prizes for a bit and moved onto the prong dance. (I had never seen this before, only attention training which is a lot more aggressive) It WORKED! I mean like a charm! She staying in a heel, sitting with little to no reminder when we stop. It’s grand, we also work on thresholds and crate exercises, and she is much better. She has a long way to go, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel! The videos were so super helpful, I just want to pack up and come to your training center to collect all the wonderful information available! Thank you for your help!
I will say, I have a chow and I have never been able to walk her in her 6 years of life! She bolted, broke every leash for not my arm, and ran wild! For years we just kept her in the fenced yard unable to walk her or even take her to pet smart! I finally saw the light! I tried the prong collar and within 5 minutes she and I had the first enjoyable walk of her lifetime and mine! I dropped tears as she walked gently beside me further first time. I had tried everything in the past. I’m so happy that I can’t wait until tomorrow so we can go again!
so happy for you and your dog, 6 years is a long time for you not to be able to enjoy your dog on walks, looking forward to 6 years of awesome walks to come. jeff
My 5 month Golden Retriever puppy was pulling nonstop. Lately he has been dry heaving from pulling so hard on walks. I do not want to hurt his neck or thyroid gland and kept saying “don’t pull” which as helped but he just would not stop trying to lead.Today, I went to the pet store to try using a prong collar…for the safety of his own neck. The saleswoman cringed and said she wasn’t a fan. Good thing I did not listen to her!
Immediately my puppy went from pulling to relaxed. I had to take him to work with me and he slept peacefully the whole day. Everyone said he was so well-behaved! He stopped pulling entirely when I took him outside, whereas without the prong collar he goes awol and tries to get into the landscaping.
He seems to be in no pain whatsoever- he has even been napping in the collar and seems completely at peace.
I am a liberal doggy mom, and I am totally impressed with this prong collar – I feel it is 100% more humane that his own pulling behavior. And, I think he feels more secure too. He is sleeping like a baby…I seriously have never seen him this calm.
Thank you for validating my decision to try the prong training collar!!!
My only question is when does it become too tight on his growing body?
you can always add links to the collar, I would also talk to the mgr of the store to talk to them about the employee and their unprofessional manner of how they acted, if they do not like the product that is sold in the store they work they can either get rid of those products, educate the staff on the safe use of the products or terminate the employee. Ironically they have no problem selling crap dog food that is killing dogs jeff
So thankful I found this article!! We have our first pup in a while as we usually rescue older dogs. Junie is almost 5 months old and a gorgeous Old English Mastiff. She’s the smartest dog I’ve owned. She’s training quickly but I’m having issues with her not wanting to walk and being petrified of other dogs. Is there a video that shows the proper way to put on the collar and how to use it? I’m so excited after the hearing all the great results, I’m ready to try this and I’m willing to put the time in with this amazing animal so that she’s a calm, secure part of our pack. Thanks for the great information!
yes i have lots of videos on Youtube that will take you from a green dog to a fully off leashed trained dog all for free.
jeff
I was at Petco buying dog food. There was a woman shopping with her lovely female pit bull. The dog was calm and well-behaved and clearly a very powerfully-built dog. The dog was wearing a prong collar which seemed unnecessarily cruel based on her behavior. At one point she pulled on the leash and the owner gave her a sharp correction. I was horrified so i googled prong collars when I got home and found your article. Now I have a completely different perspective on prong collars and I understand why that powerful dog was such a good girl. Thank you!
it is not for just powerful dogs, it is for all dogs IMO, most dogs on prong collars are pretty well behaved, compared to dogs on other training tools, dogs are not being harmed on prong collars as lots of articles and trainers will have you believe, that is just imagined harm, i have never seen a dog harmed on a prong collar and I have trained thousands. thousands of people have watched our free videos and they are not harming their dogs on prong collars.
jeff
how soon can you start a puppy on a prong collar? I have a 12 week old lab
you can wait a couple more weeks, everything should be all food based and marker based at this point, you can use a basic slip lead at this point jeff
Got it! Great info thank you Jeff!
I used to think the prong collar looked scary until we took our dogs to obedience school and the trainer opened my eyes. We adopted a mother & daughter and the mother always looses her mind when she sees other dogs. She also pulls & lunges in a standard collar or even in a harness to the point where she is choking. When we started obedience school, I told the trainer up front that he would probably end up kicking my dog out but I’d like to give it a try. Sure enough, on day one as all the dogs were walking in, she was up to her old tricks; pulling, lunging, barking, just going nuts! He handed me a prong collar and told me to put it on my dog. He then attached the leash and told me to take her harness off. All the while, she was continuing to act up. Once I got the harness off, he gave the prong collar one swift tug and said “no bark”. She looked back at him as if to say “holy crap, yes sir” and she has been a different dog ever since. When she has the prong collar on, she knows and understands the rules. If she gets out of line, a gentle tug reminds her how to behave. I have tried going back to a standard collar or harness but she just doesn’t respond to those. In fact, I feel they are more inhumane for her because she pulls so hard that she causes herself to go into a choking fit.
Another thank you for this article! I adopted a dog about a month ago and walks with her were just horrible. She was a puller and reacted to seeing other dogs or even just picking up a scent. I had trouble just getting her attention to make her sit before crossing the street. I walked her in a harness so I wouldn’t hurt her throat with the flat collar. When I prevented her from chasing a dog or scent, she would start barking loudly (possible Beagle mix) and the one day attempted to pull free from the harness.
My trainer gave me a prong collar this past weekend, and of course I was horrified because it looks like a torture device. After one training session, I now walk my dog with the leash around me hands free. Encounters with other dogs are over after a couple of quick small corrections, and the only bark I’ve heard out of her on our walks was when she wandered in front of me and I accidentally stepped on her paw. Definitely worked like magic for us.
It is amazing how far the two sides are on this issue. Just today I had another “prong collars are cruel” article pop up in my newsfeed. My husband thinks they are cruel. (Hopefully my vet won’t give me any trouble as she will definitely have to wear it to the office to control her reactions to other dogs in the waiting room.) Meanwhile, I am no longer crying from frustration when I come home from walks, and my dog is enjoying longer walks because she’s not driving me crazy.
[…] will be told by one authority to only use positive reinforcement, while being told by another that prong collars are valuable tools. Some trainers boast that any dog can be trained to walk well on leash in the same way, while […]
Hello – I would like your opinion on a dilemma I have with a client. I am a groomer of 20+ years experience. I am concerned (angry, to be honest) about a client who, under a trainer’s advice, keeps a prong collar on her 2 year old neutered male Retriever.My issue is not the proper use of this tool, but that the collar is tight enough that it is difficult to re-fasten, and even after it has been off for over an hour, there are still several red marks in places on his neck, mostly on the sides high up. I can clearly see them when, after the bathing, I use my hv dryer which separates the hair. So obviously the trainer likes them “high and tight”.
If it matters, the dog is lovely and well behaved and when he is not on the prong, is very responsive to me. Gets up, down, sits, extends paw, whatever.
I have pleaded with her to at least add one link so there is less constant pressure – but the trainer is God apparently. To be clear, the skin is not broken, but the marks trouble me. I believe he’s had the same collar since his neck was smaller and the trainer has never checked the size again.
Tnoughts?
that would be a discussion between you and your client, you can let your client know that a link possible should be added, just like any other issue that you feel is you should address with the client, if you have a good relationship with them. jeff
I got the prong collar in the mail today. After watching your videos, I was cautiously optimistic … my 1 year old whippet thought long and hard after I put it on him. You could see the wheels turning… I got the feeling he was thinking “the party is over.” His gentle leader took him down a notch or two but THIS – Wow!! He was almost perfect on that walk we took 4 minutes after I put the prong on him. He Couldn’t do his usual lunge at the neighbors/ friends and the crazy dancing spinning thing with other dogs going by. His neck is so slender it was starting to slide down so I took out another prong – it seems almost too tight but it stays up and he doesn’t look phased. I took him on another walk again tonight. Heck, I feel like going again and it’s 11:15pm. He’s passed out so I’ll let him be. The collar is An Absolute game changer. You’ve taken the bs out of dog ownership! I can hardly wait to take him to an outdoor restaurant and make him lie down or sit – because he has no choice! Hallelujah! Got any good standard, witty replies to the upcoming “you’re cruel” remarks coming my way? I know you’ve got some good ones. (Do realize the thousands of hours of happiness ((and weight loss potential)) you’ve given to dogs and owners? You rock!)
great job for advocating for your dog, and what was a party for your dog was a miserable walk for you, and you can actually still have a party just different rules, as far as someone commenting on how you train your dog, i NEVER respond at all. They are being rude and rude people do not get the time of day from me EVER. Jeff
I have an 8-month-old lab puppy who I’ve been training entirely positive-reinforcement-based. He does great when there are no distractions, and we’ve been doing the “stop every time he pulls” technique on walks with an easy walk harness. Four nights ago I ended up in the ER, getting 5 stitches in my face after he lunged from a perfect sit (and right past the treat in my hand) across the road to greet another dog. Holding his leash with both hands, I caught myself with my face. My nose split open and I am road rash from forehead to chin. We’re both lucky there wasn’t a car coming.
My prong collar was delivered today, and I am grateful to have found your website to guide me in getting this dog to a place where we can walk together calmly and safely. Thank you!
that is so great that you are able to find a way will works for you, yes we do a lot of PR training as well but as you realize it has its limits.
jeff
I use a prong collar for my 8 month old Rhodesian ridgeback and she’s done really well with it. I’ve followed your instructions on where to place it and how snug it’s supposed to fit. However, where I take her for doggie day camp there’s an employee there who hates that kind of collar and mentions how it’s too tight or small every time I bring my pup. Today I found out that she meant the size of the prongs is too small. So, I’ve been trying to find out what size is correct. I use the 2.25mm. Is that correct?
I personally would not take advice from someone who does NOT like that particular collar, since they are most likely not knowledgable about it, I also would not leave the collar on at day care since if there is any dog/dog interactions such as socialization and they do not take the collar off it can be dangerous for your dog. jeff
I completely agree which is why I started double checking and didn’t just get the bigger size. However, it’s been difficult to find what mm measurement to use. Most people just talk about the sizing for around the neck. So, should 2.25mm be fine for a 60lb pup or do I need to bump it up to 3mm?She gets walked into day camp with the collar and then the collar is removed. Just long enough to be harassed. smh.
Thank you for all of your info! I tell all of my friends with pups about your training videos!
Is there a certain brand prong collar that you recommend. I had a Bully Pitbull, 60 pound one years old.
rosa
yes a 3mm Herm Sprenger collar and we carry them on our website
I absolutely loved this article! I am an advocate for prong collar training and was wondering if there is a way to share this on facebook so that other people can understand where us “cruel” dog owners are coming from?
Thanks!
First off, my hat off to you good sir. I am not a certified trainer but have been working with dogs and other animals all my life because I love animals. I have people seek me out to train their dogs because they see how mine acts, behaves, listens and most of all, how happy my dog is. I often spend time with the owners before excepting a job because you can tell whether your efforts and time will be wasted by the owner and that’s not ok for the dog, I will then recommend another trainer that I will feel better fit to them. People get upset you won’t accept them. I accepted a couple with their Italian Cane Corso at 140 lbs at 6 months old, a HUGE dog for the age. The minute they saw the prong collar, they withdrew and called me the worst dog owner ever. Prior to them, I had a younger couple where the husband we will say got this Staffordshire BullMastiff cross from another person and this dog was complete red zone. and my aforementioned couple with the Corso, saw this dog leaving wearing a full metal muzzle looking like Hannibal Lector and actually went after the wife. I took into this Staff-bull and I saw them at an open forest dog park 5 weeks later. I had this Staff-Bull sorted within days but kept her for 8 weeks to really get this dog balanced again. Long story short, a fight broke out between the Corso and a standard poodle. All other dogs present were all small breeds, nothing over 30 lbs except the Staff bull I had and the biggest Napolean Mastiff I had ever seen. The fight escalated quickly, luckily “Diva” the Staff-bull was right close to me sniffing around and hoping some owners eating muffins with their coffee, would drop something, and the Mastiff beside Diva just chilling. All the other dogs made space quickly and the poodle was pinned down. The poodle finally got free and high tailed it out of there. While all this happened I grabbed Divas prong clasp, positioned her at my side and gave the cue to sit and stay and she did exactly that. As the poodle came right to her owners, Corso in the chase, they circled around the pod of humans and then went after the Mastiff, big mistake! The wife went in to try and break apart nearly if not more than 400 lbs of dogfight all the while clicking her clicker like nuts yelling stop! I grabbed the larger man beside me, made him hold on to Divas prong collar as her leash was in my pocket at the time, and I grabbed this lady before she entered that wrestling match. When the Corso gave up the fight, the Mastiffs owner and I separated them and got them on leashes. We didn’t walk away but kept them in the proximity of one another until they both relaxed. then we went our ways. I returned the Corso with 2 puncture wounds in one side of its jowels and the lady now recognized me and regardless I saved her from injury makes a remark to me, “what would your malice collar do there?” I replied, “nothing as Diva sat there drooling still hoping for a piece of a muffin to fall while a little girl and the man who is no longer holding her pet her. I wish I could have taken a picture of that ladies face. I said, “yes, that was the dog that a month ago cam at you.” I later had that woman come back to me ask again if I would help her and I agreed simply because she had no experience with large breed dogs and I didn’t want to see what transpired in the dog park that day end up in that dog being put down. The dog was worked up as it didn’t get proper exercise because the lady couldn’t handle it, the dog outweighed her by 40 lbs at 6 months old. Needless to say, she walks the dog regularly, I did recommend a muzzle although I am against them it was for the safety of others and for her and her dog. That one lady has brought me a lot of business sense and now understands how valuable of a training tool the prong collar is. Something I do for people I teach I will wear one through a whole class if they have concerns and I will also put one on a melon, usually a cantaloupe and I will tighten and twist the collar and it will peel a little of the skin off but they see it doesn’t pierce like they think it will.I am a big bully breed supporter and all my dogs use a “HERM SPRENGER PRONG COLLAR” calm energy and patience. That’s all you ever need. I was hoping to leave you a picture of my current dog (American-Staffordshire) as she loves showing her off. Keep up the great work Jeff, I am a total fan and supporter of your work, that’s saving dog’s lives. That’s what my sites are dedicated to, to disproving breeds with negative stigmas attached to them and showing 99% it’s our own faults for a dogs behavior. I hope to be like you and save dog’s lives, save families from being torn apart and from children ever getting in harm’s way do to handler negligence. Education of training and proper training tools is the key. Oh, by the way, “Brutus” the Cane Corso is no longer clicker trained and is doing great! Diva, on the other hand, has developed complex as she see’s no problem with a 108 lbs muffin addicted lap dog. She won’t go into counseling as they don’t serve muffins…only fruit.
Thank you so much for your post. I’ve been training with Lorenzo’s dog training with the Prong collar and it really is working well for my energetic and rough play rescue pup ( German shepherd pit lab mix) that has been at my side 90% of her life for 2yrs. It really is about keeping her and others safe. The only way to do that is to have a trained dog that you can control both on and off leash. I know longer let her run off leash with other dogs I don’t know after being bit by one (Lab) in the dog park. I witnessed too many people let their dog run in with no intros and then a dog fight breaks out….ugh! Why? What are these people thinking?
delit is usually just misinformation that folks have and not having the proper information. Jeff
I was a proud owner of a red nose pitbull. He was a wonderful dog. Great with kids also great with my parrots. He would play tug a war with my cockatoo and let her win every time. His only problem was walking on a leash. I was only 100lbs and he was a large strong pitbull. I had had 3 German Shepard in my life before getting a pitbull. I had no problems training the Shepard to walk and heal but tried everything with Derf ( my pitbull) . I finally got a pinch collor given to me and because of its looks I to thought was a cruel tool. I was then given a lesson by a friend how to use the collar and how it worked. I put it on Derf and we set out for a walk. After going about 20ft he started his normal dragging me and he was in control. I gave 1 pull on the pinch collar and was shocked he instantly stopped pulling and walked!!! After about 25 more feet he tried to take control again and I gave a gental pull and he stopped instantly. He did not try to pull again and we walked several miles. Later that day it was time to walk again. I simply put the collar on him and we headed outside. I was amazed I didn’t have to give the collar 1 pull. He walked as he was suppose to just having it on. A week after using it I simply didn’t put it on one day to see what would happen. He never tried to pull on a walk again. I was impressed with the collar and share my experience with others I see having problems with their dogs. If you love your dog you will train them and use this collar. It may have saved my life as we had a couple of close calls with him pulling me out in front of traffic. He was much stronger then I was and a regular collar or treats would never have stopped him from trying to be the pack leader.
Hi, is there a favorite reliable collar you recommend? Our trainer gave us the one she thinks is best but it pops off. The prongs slide out. The trainer was aware that happens so the leash is also clipped to my dogs other collar as a back up.
louiza
as far as prong collars are concerned we use Herm Sprenger prong collar, there are some knock offs out there as well as lower quality prong collars on the market. Though it can be rare that a prong collar comes apart, it is usually due to user error. So make sure you have the proper equipment and then make sure you attach the collar on the dog properly jeff
I used a prong collar on my previous dog for almost 13 years. Never once did it pop off. There was ONE time it ALMOST came off but that was because I had only hooked one prong through the holes instead of both. That was, as you said, user error. The prong collar itself never failed. Make sure your links are tight and both prongs are through the holes.
[…] to put the collar on and off. If you’d like to read more about the Prong Collar, here’s one helpful article, and then another more impassioned, yet helpful […]
I have a 5 month old lab puppy I got when she was 8 weeks old. She’s a total sweetheart 90% of the time. But she’s a very energetic and excitable pup. And, at that age, everything new is exciting. Every new person. Every new dog. Every new leaf or stick on the ground! The list goes on. Because of this, she is a puller and a jumper. She pulls on walks, pulls even worse when a dog or person comes near, jumps on every person she greets. I have tried all the “positive reinforcement” tricks. Making her sit to be greeted? Haha! Her butt will go down for a second but as soon as the greeter moves a millimeter to pet her she has launched herself into orbit. Putting my foot on the leash to hold her down? No. She’ll just continue to attempt to lunge and jump against it so much I feared she was hurting her neck. We can stand there for 5 minutes and she won’t stop. For walks I’ve tried the regular flat collar with the wait-until-they-stop-pulling-before-moving-again method. Yeah, after a VERY long time of pulling, choking, and gasping for air, she’d eventually stop … maybe. But the second I take a step she would be hard at the end of the leash again with more gasping and choking. This was the first thing I tried when she was a very young puppy because she was easy to hold in place. But after weeks and weeks of practicing this we made no progress and I gave up, and she was getting bigger and it was getting harder to hold her. She was perfectly content to just pull, choke, gasp, and go in circles around me all day long. Next I tried the no-pull harness that tightens around the rib cage. This did absolutely nothing to deter her from pulling and jumping on people. I think she pulled even more because the rib squeeze was not as uncomfortable as the flat collar choking. Next I tried a “Gentle” Leader on her. OMG, that’s the scariest thing I’ve seen! She would lunge and pull and it would yank her head around so hard I thought she was going to break her neck and kill herself. Seriously! I used that once and never again! Finally I took her to a “positive reinforcement” trainer who suggested I use the front-lead harness. He was sure that if I just pulled her around to face me every time she pulled that she would stop pulling. So, I gave it a try for a few weeks. It did NOTHING. She didn’t turn toward me when I pulled. She just continued to pull forward or sideways with all her might, her body twisting, front legs being pulled out from under her, as she continued to lunge and pull in this contorted manner. I recently went to some relatives’ house for dinner and brought her along with this harness on. They also have a dog. My dog spent the ENTIRE evening pulling on her harness trying to get to people or the dog. We were there for about 4 hours. I tried all sorts of things with her during that time. Turning her around to face me. Making her look at me for a treat, sit for a treat, lie down, etc. She’d do what I told her most of the time, take the treat, then immediately go back to her pulling. I’d need a machine gun type treat dispenser to keep her still for more than 2 seonds, if that would even work. Sometimes even treats were not more interesting than the person or dog she wanted to get to. So, for those who say just stop and wait until the dog stops pulling, I say, Haha! Seriously? WHEN is that? Some dogs are VERY determined and persistent. Who can stand in one place for 4 hours every time you want your dog to greet someone nicely? That was the last straw for me. Four hours of this nonsense made it clear there was no “positive reinforcement” method that was going to work for this dog. When I read this article and the comments I decided to give the prong collar a try. Oh my goodness! Just one walk and this dog was transformed! She ran ahead and pulled against it once and that was it. She did not yelp in pain. She was not hurt or even startled by it. It’s just like a light bulb went off in her head and she realized this was not an OK thing to do. We walked up the street and a stopped to greet a neighbor. I told her to sit and she sat so nicely and quietly while we had our chat I was surprised. Normally she would be pulling and scrambling, even whining and barking, trying to jump on the person during the entire visit. I couldn’t believe the difference. So, for those who believe in the more “humane” methods of flat collar choking, “Gentle” Leader neck breaking, or rib-crushing or body-twisting harness, think again. All those things may look more humane but I would argue they are less humane. They are not kind to your dog’s throat, neck, or body. And they don’t address the real issue … the pulling. You may think the pulling is more “humane” with these devices, but they still pull, and it’s still harmful. The prong collar stops the dog from pulling almost immediately. I really think the prong collar is more humane than the choking, neck breaking, and body twisting because it STOPS the pulling. It’s not going to hurt the dog, whatever device you use, if the dog is not pulling in the first place. I like what someone said earlier, that this is not a torture device, it’s a hearing aid. It’s not for punishment, it’s for communication. My dog just never knew before that pulling was not OK. This had never been clearly communicated before with those other methods. With the prong collar she suddenly listened and understood. And THAT was the key!
and there you go, that is the real truth about prong collars, so glad you found a way to advocate for your dog and make your life and your dogs life better.
I have used Prong and choke collars all my life training my dogs, and I have had plenty. It amazes me when people ask me where did I train my dog. All my dogs, without exceptions, all well behaved which makes for a very happy dog. I see people that have dogs that are so out of control that is sad, for the dog, not for the people. Use a prong collar, give your dog firm commands, don’t yell, use normal voice. I had a dog that I trained while my girlfriend was working nights so we whispered all day in my house. The dog heard the commands that most people around me did not hear. That amazed people. That taught me a very important lesson. The dog learns exactly what you teach him.A well train dog and a happy dog. Don’t listen to people that tell you correcting the dog is cruel. Cruelty is not correct him and them he and you will unhappy as long as you have that dog.