by J.D. Brown

Created on: June 28, 2009

Prong collars and choke collars are only two types of the many dog training aids on the market today. Although both prong and choke collars are effective in quickly and easily correcting unwanted dog behaviors, the majority of novice dog owners and inexperienced dog trainers are shying away from these potentially dangerous devices despite their benefits.

Due to incorrect use, prong and choke collars have earned a bad reputation and are frowned upon by the general public. They are known to be cruel, abusive, ineffective, and even fatal. Some pet enthusiast believe prong and choke collars should be banned due to the alarming number of dogs who have choked to death by these collars. However, I do not believe prong or choke collars should be banned.

Anyone who has ever owned and tried to train a large dominate, aggressive, hyperactive, or other wise unruly dog knows the heartache and frustration which comes with the hours spent trying to control their dogs. Often, inexperienced dog owners struggle with just trying to get their dogs to sit still long enough to teach them a simple command. These owners can benefit from the aid of a prong collar or choke collar. Prong and choke collars are "self correcting" devices which produce instantaneous results using the slightest amount of correction from the owner, thus giving the owner better control over their dog and cutting training in half.

Standard Prong or Pinch Collar

A prong collar, also called a pinch collar, is a type of "training collar", meaning the device is only to be used and worn during training. Prong collars are not meant to be worn all day long, hold your dogs I.D. tags, nor take the place of a regular nylon or leather collar. Prong collars are made of interlocking metal links. Each link has two blunt prongs which are attached to each other in a circle and are further attached to a smaller circle of thinner chain links. The smaller circle is where the leash is attached. When the leash is pulled, either by the dog or the trainer, the larger circle constricts which causes the prongs to pinch the dog's skin.

Proper fit for a prong collar is essential. The first step is to determine what link sizes is appropriate for the dog. Choose a link size that allows the collar to fit snugly around the neck with a minimum of six total links in the collar. The prong collar should fit high up on the neck, just behind the dog's ears, and MUST BE SNUG. Allowing a prong collar to lay loose by the dog's shoulders is a

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next Page >>