A prong collar or pinch collar is one of the many options that can make training and walking your dog a much more pleasant experience.
If these collars are used properly, they will help you train your dog to walk nicely on a leash in all situations. These collars are not cruel or painful. Many trainers encourage them.
My mutt is much better off wearing his pinch collar than without because he gets to go along to more places if he is under control.
A pinch collar is simply a metal choke collar with prongs. When the dog pulls, the collar puts even pressure around the dog’s neck and pinches his skin. I admit, it does sound and look like a medieval torture device. However, I would never hurt an animal.
These collars look a lot worse than they are. I am very concerned with animal welfare and have considered taking jobs with PETA and The Humane Society. I recently became a vegetarian partly because of how animals are treated before they reach our dinner plates.
When the pinch collar is worn correctly, it should fit loose and high on the dog’s neck, just behind his ears.
As long as the dog is walking without pulling or lunging, the collar will hang loosely. I
f the dog pulls, you should quickly tug his leash and then release. This will quickly tighten and then loosen the dog’s collar to get his attention.
It reminds the dog to return to a heel position, or to remain focused on you and not another dog. Then you make sure to praise your dog for walking at your side.
Using the pinch collar enforces good behavior. Many of the dogs through my dog walking business wear pinch collars.
You want the collar to be loose when your dog is behaving. If it is always tight and uncomfortable, he will not learn anything.
Remain calm and relaxed during your walks so the leash is never tight and you are never tense. Ideally, your dog will eventually learn to walk on a leash without pulling, so he won’t have to wear the pinch collar.
If you have never used a pinch collar, it would be a good idea to meet with a professional dog trainer and have him or her show you the proper way to fit and use one.
If the collar is used incorrectly, it could damage a dog’s throat. And of course, some dogs walk just fine without wearing a pinch collar.
I wish that were the case with my mutt. I have spent hours training him to heel properly on a leash, and he walks better on a leash than most dogs I know. But I still walk Ace with the pinch collar, and I recommend you give it a try while walking your dog.
Hanna
Saturday 12th of July 2014
This is not a learning device. You aren't teaching the dog ANYTHING except to expect pain when a) you are walking them b) with the collar on. If they walk nicely afterwards, it's because they are in a constant state of fear and arousal, expecting pain. The idea that this teaches more than a head collar is absurd; it teaches nothing.
Lindsay Stordahl
Sunday 13th of July 2014
This post goes over in more detail how different type of collars can help a variety of dogs.
http://www.thatmutt.com/2011/08/24/gentle-leader-vs-pinch-collar/
I try to be open to different options because it allows me to help more dogs. For me, that means reaching people where they are and not telling them they have to train a certain way.
Ryan
Thursday 12th of June 2014
I am a dog trainer myself and see nothing at all wrong with using a pinch collar!! Providing you seek the advice of a professional, as stated above pinch collars are not suited to every dog some problems can even be made worse by these collars. Which is why I am saying before using these extremely usefully bits of kit you should seek help. The pinch collar is not designed to cause pain it is designed to produce a correction that a dog understands. The same type of correction that one dog would give to another and nobody can deny that this happens. The problem here is anthropomorphism (people are given dogs human characteristics and qualities) one person even says above 'correct your dog from pulling by pulling them back and telling them no!!' now correct me if I'm wrong but Dogs do NOT speak the same language as any of us do, no matter how many languages you speak. So this is where the pinch collar comes in handy as it produces a correction that the dog understands. I do not use pinch collars on every dog I work with as I tend to use slip leads and chains, again working on a correction that the dog understands (why? It's just nature!!). People that refuse to listen to points like this are arrogant and uneducated and I would invite any body to one of my very successful training sessions to see how beneficial some of these training tools can be!! Thank you
Billy
Friday 19th of April 2013
I am so sick of people justifying thenuse of prongs. dont you have a brain?! Anyone who uses a prong collar is an idiot and cruel to their dogs. Get a brain and learn how to actually train a dog. You can remind your dog not to pull in a leash with a simple verbal command, not pain. My mind may be closed, closed to the idea that a person needs to use pain to train their dog. Get your head out of the sand and face the fact that prongs do cause pain, that is how they work!
Ericka and Sander
Thursday 18th of April 2013
To me any collar can do damage! I do believe it is how and what you use it for. I have adopted a 2 year old Golden retriever-St. Bernard mix, that was a stray. He is very sweet and kind and big. I do use a pinch collar, but only for walks. Mind you he has slipped out of a collar on a walk before and he chased a car. (thank god the guy in the car saw him) Also, Sander has a big pray drive. Anything small he wanted to play with it.
I walk Sander every morning at 7:30. I tell him that he is a very good boy and a rub down, when we pass a small dog or cat. As we are walking I contently tell him he is a good boy. He never uses it for anything else. I will be rotating collars soon, I want to to use a regular collar as a main one. But, I have to slowly working him into the other collar. I would kill be if he got hit be a car.
I did not just go to pet store and slap a pinch collar on him. I did a lot of research. I have seen and heard the horrible story. Many people leave the collar on all the time, That is not what it is for. I is a tool to use. I do not pull on this leash on walks just a tog, that's all you need to to. Sander has pulled so hard on the other collar that he sounded like he was coughing something up. THAT IS BAD ON IS NECK AND CAN CAUSE DAMAGE!! He has not done that with a pinch collar and i do reinforce his good behavior. Like I said it is how you use it and what for. And I highly recommend you talk to you vet before for you use one. They are not for on all dogs, I also do not like the choker because it does what is called.
C.
Thursday 1st of November 2012
I'd just l Ike to say here that people against these collars need to have open minds and consider that there are a few billion people in this world, not just yourself. And many of these people have dog companions, and not all of those bonds those pairs share are EXACTLY the same as the bonds you share with your own dogs.
Also, I know it's a bit of a shocker, but dogs are each as unique as human beings. They have personalities, their own temperaments, their own quirks, etcetera.
So don't presume to tell non-abusive dog owners how to train their dogs anymore than you would tell another parent how to teach their children how to be good human beings. It's self-centered, closed-minded, and disrespectful.
Thank you.