by Mr. Smith

Created on: May 01, 2008

Choke and prong collars are the most primitive form for controlling and training a dog. Not only are they unnecessary, they are also painful, and at times, fatal. There are only certain breeds of dogs that require such negative training that might force them to comply with the standards of a well behaved animal. Dogs like pit bulls, chows, and other excessively territorial dogs are some of the breeds that may require using a choke or prong collar to break down their violent behavior, however it usually fails. Other methods are proved to be more effective, and do not involve pain, or mildly sharp objects being driven into a dog's neck.

Choke and prong collars are effective in two ways: They create pain, and they create a negative atmosphere for the dog's life. A dog that is constantly hurt will become an angrier dog, and a sullen animal. Of course, we as humans would never put choke and prong collars around our children would we? That would be unethical. They should be taught to be nonviolent from birth, and should see counselors for such behavior if it persists. Are dogs so different from children? Each is born with instincts that they cannot control. A great method for preventing bad behavior in a dog is to have them trained as a puppy around other dogs and humans, especially if they are one of the breeds previously listed. The more they are exposed to each species, the more they accept their presence as non-threatening. Using choke collars does not teach dogs how to cope with other people/dogs. All it teaches them is that when they start to get riled up, they cant breath as well. They are not intelligent enough to understand why they are being punished. I have a dog myself who absolutely hates other dogs, and yes, I have used a choke collar for many years, but to no avail. They simply do not work, and I switched to a form of animal "counseling" in which my dog is slowly exposed to other animals in a controlled environment. The improvement I witnessed is unbelievable, and I am thankful I no longer have to use a choke collar.

People do not want to spend money to have their dog trained, or "counseled" by a professional. They want a quick, easy method to keep their dog under control, and right away they think of pain. Why? Because the minds of humans assume that dogs will react the same way as humans when they are exposed to pain. Humans will instinctively succumb to their captor because they know if they continue with their behavior, they will be hurt, whereas dogs become agitated, and more aggressive because they do NOT understand what they did wrong.

Choke collars are not useful, and need to be banned. They are ineffective, painful, and cruel, accomplishing nothing but increasing a dog's aggressiveness, and decreasing the likelihood of the dog becoming docile. This cheap, primitive method of training dogs is simply unethical and vile. There are other, better methods for training dogs in a positive manner, such as dog "counseling", and that is the type of method that should used to train innocent animals, not a sharp metal collar.

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