i believe it is wrong wrong wrong to put a dog on a choker chain. anyone else agree with me?

Question

i see so many horror stories about those things growing into the necks of the dogs that i think they should all be pulled from the shelves. if i owned a pet store it would NOT be in my store

Answer 1

Sometimes it seems as if I've spent my whole life in a crusade to get people to stop using choke chains as an everyday collar for their dogs. And sometimes it seems a futile effort, since not a day goes by that I don't see a dog with a choke chain for a collar, the license hanging from the ring as proof that the animal wears the deadly chain all the time.


In the past I've argued that the choke-chain collar is only for walking and training your dog, and you put your dog at grave risk if you leave a chain collar on an unsupervised dog. That's because the ring of the chain has been known to get caught, even on the tooth of another dog in play. When a dog is snagged, his natural instinct is to pull away, and that causes the collar to tighten. The more panicked he gets, the more he pulls, the more the collar tightens. The end result, you can well imagine.


Your dog should wear a collar and tags for his own safety. And for safety, that should be a collar with a buckle or snap holding it together -- not, not, NOT a choke chain.


OK, so that's what I've always said. Today I'm going to say something more on the subject of choke-chain collars. When you take the chain off your dog -- as soon as possible, please -- don't put it aside for training or for walks. Just throw the darn thing away.


The choke-chain collar is an effective training tool when used correctly. And it's not cruel when used correctly. The problem is, the choke-chain collar is rarely used correctly. In a lifetime of sharing my life with dogs, training dogs and writing about dogs, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen the average dog lover using a choke chain correctly -- and I'd still have two or three fingers left over for counting.


There are only two ways to put on a choke-chain collar: with the moving end over the dog's neck (right), or under the dog's neck (wrong). By the simplest law of averages you'd think folks would get them on right half the time, but all I ever see is the wrong way. When the moving part of the chain comes from under the dog's neck, the chain doesn't release easily when the leash is slackened. Since the collar's usefulness as a training tool relies on a quick snap-and-release action, a collar that's put on wrong is useless at best, and cruel at worst.



But even if the collar's put on right, people still manage to use it wrong. The collar is meant to be loose at all times except for the occasional split-second tightening to correct a dog's behavior. And yet most collars are tight all the time, as gasping dogs in coke chains drag their owners down the street.


I realize it may be hard to give up the choke chain. It's an ingrained part of our consciousness, one of the things we buy automatically for our dogs -- food bowls, a leash, a choke chain. Many pet lovers may not even know an alternative exists. But it's out there.


Primary among them, especially for people who have trouble walking their dogs, would be a head halter such as the Gentle Leader. Take the basic idea of a horse halter (where the head goes the body will follow), and add a couple of features just for dogs. Head halters are not muzzles. They work through pressure to the back of the neck and top of the muzzle, spots used by canine mothers to transmit the message of "I'm the boss" to their pups.


If you can't walk your dog without choking him and running the risk of dislocating your own shoulder, it's time for a change. Throw out the chain, and the danger and confusion that comes with it, and go for the alternative that's both safer and more effective. Get a head halter for your pet. Your dog and your shoulder will both be grateful.

Answer 2

I have seen actually MORE regular collars grown into the necks of dogs than "chokers".
It is a useful training tool and that is how it should be used. A dog should NEVER be tied out on one and a dog SHOULD NOT be left unattended with one on. People are WRONG, not the choker. Most people do not even know there is a "right" way and a "wrong" way to put it on.
It is like a gun. It is not the guns fault if some is shot, a person had to pull the trigger. A person has to put the choker on. If they don't know how to correctly use it, it is the fault of the choker.

Face it. People who are dumb enough to use the choker as a actual every day collar for the dog cannot be helped. You can try and tell them, but they do not get it. If they didn't have the choker, they would use chain. I have seen it MANY times before. Many "pit" owners favor chain because it makes the dog "stronger".
Maybe if people would use the cotton snap on chokers, they would use them more correctly. They work better and fit so high on the neck that people would be more likely to take them off.
You can't mandate smartness, and we can't ban everything that stupid people use stupidly!!!!!!! There just isn't enough time in the day!!!!!!

Answer 3

I would agree with you however the actual chain isn't cruel it's the people who use it improperly. I think most people don't even realize there's a right and wrong way to put it on. As long as it's used correctly (as a training tool) I think they are OK. They shouldn't be left on the dog ever. Used then taken off and put away for the very reason so many people on here have already stated. I don't think they should be used to the extent that people use them either. Once you have trained the dog properly you shouldn't need the chain anymore. Prong collars are a very different matter and I am completely against them.

Answer 4

A choke collar is a training tool and like any tool it can be misused. Any collar can grow into the neck of a dog but the problem here is the idiot owner and not the collar.

I actually prefer a prong for many dogs and it's actually more humane than using a choke. Or course I won't convince any of the AR and PP people out there of this but I bet I can run circles around them in obedience with a dog that enjoys it as much or more than theirs.

AR = Animals Rights
PP = Purely Positive

Answer 5

I use a choke chain. It is used for training. The choke correction is used to quickly correct the dog, not to hold and choke. As adults my dogs still wear a choker when in public although it is no longer needed for the most part.
In rescue, I have seen a leather collar grown into the side of a dog. It had to be removed by surgery. People who do not know how to use the equipment, should not use it.
Done properly, the choker is a useful tool!

Answer 6

I agree, I think that choker chains are a horrible idea. How would you like it if every time you tried to go somewhere you had spikes sticking in your neck. I think it is very cruel and animals should be treated better. If a choker chain is the only way a person can control their dog, perhaps they aren't a very good owner and didn't take the time to properly chain the dog.

Answer 7

I don't mean to offend, but obviously the people who don't like chokers have never owned a big dog. Yesterday, I just lost my rotti of 11 yrs. Every time we went for a walk, I used a German pinch collar....why? He weighted 120 lbs of pure muscle! When I did not use it, he would pull me all over the place....if the dog is trained at an early age to respect the collar(pinch or plain), you never have to pull on it....all the people that have regular collars on their dogs, and the dogs are at the end of the leash coughing and gaging is humane? When you take your dog to the vet, and they use one of their leashes on them, think about it, it is a "choker"....it is not a plain collar with a leash, why?, it makes the dog easier to handle.....show dogs....the handlers use a choker.....If used right, a pinch collar or a plain choker is great. Most of the cases of dogs with in-grown "collars" are plain collars that are to small, or tie chains with no collar, or heavy logging chains (usually used on pit bulls). Now everyone go see if you can put 2 fingers under your dogs collar, if you can't loosen it or take it off! If you can great, you are an observant owner.

Answer 8

Except if the choker chain is used right, it is a good tool to train a puppy. When walking a dog you want the dog to stay to your side and not run off. The choker chain pulls him back (but doesn't really "choke" him to death). I don't think they should be used any other way. They should be pulled off the dog after the walk.

Answer 9

A chain collar is a good training tool, but not a good everyday collar.

It is easier for a pulling dogs neck to have a chain or prong for training, than to pull endlessly with a buckle collar. But if your dog is not a puller, there is no need to use anything but a buckle collar.

There is no one size fits all training methods or tools! If your dog doesn't need a training collar don't use one, but you have no right to tell others it is wrong for them to use one.




And for crying out loud people - There have been MANY dogs who have hurt or broken their necks from the gentle leaders! I am glad if yours hasn't been hurt, but educate yourselves! I really cannot understand why so many people here have such strong opinions when they so obviously do not know what they are talking about. Been reading way to much misinformation from the AR lunatics websites I'm thinking...

Answer 10

Lupine makes a collar which is like a choker but it only goes so far. You can adjust it so rather than choking your dog out it will apply pressure to the neck letting the dog know you mean business. I think they call it a 'limited-slip collar', and has 2 D-rings so it can also be used as a regular style collar. We use a Lupine Choke collar on my 4 month old American Bulldog, and it honestly does not hurt him at all, but it does allow me to control him much better on a leash because he is a wicked puller.
Visit lupinepet.com to check them out. Lupine is also great because they have a 100% replacement guarantee, even if the collar is damaged by chewing! That's pretty awesome!