choke collars: cruel or a godsend?

Question

my dog is an awesome inside dog, but when it comes to outside, she about breaks my arm by pulling and barking at neighbors..should i use a choke collar?

Answer 1

Choke collars are the harshest, most inhumane collars there are - as the dog can get strangled, get a ruptured trachea etc. if your dog is a puller,, try a Prong collar,,, YES! this collar looks barbaric, but it is not,, the prongs are not sharp and there is a "dead ring" in the links which prohibits strangulation... it works by applying even pressure around the dogs neck, similar to that of a mother dog correcting a young pup... bear in mind,, you don't put a prong collar on and start yanking... then again you don't yank with any collar.... if you are still concerned by the looks of the prong collar,, put one on your own arm and see how it feels,, then try a choke(strangle collar) and have some one correct you with that one.. you will definitely pick the prong.. good luck.. obedience classes would be a good thing too.

Answer 2

Use of a choke collar as cruel or godsend depends on the USE of the collar. Many people just toss it on the dog's neck and figure that all is well, rather than using them properly. When walking, the choke collar should be relatively high on the neck so that pressure is on the jaw bone, rather than on the trachea. Also, be certain to put the collar on the RIGHT way. Putting it on wrong means that the pressure won't relax when the dog stops pulling, so they will still be choked, even at a standstill.

The best suggestion is usually a pinch harness. These never cause permanent damage to the throat and rather than stopping the dog by choking it, it stops it by simply compressing the chest muscles. It's far less painful and tends to be far more effective.

Next, you and your dog need to work together on proper leash training. Your dog should NEVER pull. You shouldn't be allowing this. One quick method to teach a dog better leash habits is a simple square. Mark out a square in your back yard or a park. Start walking around the square. If the dog passes you, turn around, go the other way. If he steps in front of you, DO NOT STOP. That would be letting the dog assume the dominant position. Just push him out of your way and continue on your path. Stop randomly. He has to be sitting next to you before he is allowed to go again. YOU decide, he never does. Soon the dog will realize that he has to watch you for signals. This usually takes less than half an hour and makes a MAJOR difference in your outdoor walking experiences.

Answer 3

I am a former professional dog walker, and I would recommend first of all that you and your dog go through obedience training to try to get your dog to learn not to pull.

Some young, active dogs keep doing it though. Before I worked for a dog walking company, I ignorantly believed that all choke-type collars were cruel, but our company's trainer pointed out that with some dogs a prong collar is less cruel that a regular one if you have a dog that pulls so hard that she might damage her throat. Our company specialized in dogs with behavioral problems and on many occasions our trainer recommended these collars to owners. A prong collar applies pressure points around the neck in a way similar to a horse's bridle. The prongs are uncomfortable without pinching or damaging the skin, and the dog will not pull. So she will not hurt herself (or you), which she could do with a regular nylon or leather collar if she is very strong and willful in her behavior.

But your first priority should be some obedience training!

Answer 4

Yes i have one for a lab and lab's are WILD and i got one and then i put it on her and she is so much better. Here is a exaple.

My daughter and my niece were walking the dog in the back yard and she ( the dog ) thought that she was looking at the a bunny. So there goes the dog and then so did my family with her. So what my daughter did is held the collar and choke collar her (not hard) and then the dog was not able to move but the dog weights more than my daugher so my niece grabed my daughters leg and then dog could move at all!! So the choke collar had saved a trip to the E.R.!!!

Answer 5

Well, I guess that all depends on who you ask and if other methods work or not first. I had a malamute mix that we had enrolled in obediance classes because I could not get him trained no matter how hard I tried. I have always been able to train all the dogs I have had or fostered basic obediance on my own.This dog was stubborn and ad a mind of his own. He was a rescue and was very sweet temperment wise but his previous owners never had him in the house or walked him his two years of his life was spent on a chain in the back yard with a dog house that leaked. I took him to these classes and the trainer always ried with their normal collar first but that did not work with Harley and so next he tried a gentle lead and that did not work so he then tried a choke collar which by the way also did not work his final attempt was with a pinch prong collar. The prong collar worked to a degree and we were able to walk him on it and got him to learn sit with that as well, however down and staying in the sit position were never learned by Harley. The trainer said that he had made progress but he could not get him to learn the other commands. We tried several other trainers all with similar results. So I guess it depends on the dog. I would first try to get your dog in training and see if you can get him to learn to heal without the choker and maybe even try with a gentle lead collar first. I would use the choke as a last result because of the risk of damage to the trach if not used properly. I hope this helps you some.

Answer 6

They are a TOOL used correct they are a godsend, used incorrectly they are cruel. same can be said of the Halties (that can break the dogs neck) and pinch collars (just watched two owners driving there dog nuts with them) even a harness or a flat collar.

Best choice obedience class instructor can help you learn the correct use. Distant Second best is propably the prong that is harder to abuse.

Answer 7

They are good if you use them correctly, but I think your problem doesn't require that much, just find a training collar (those like chain) ask the pet store to tell you how to use it correctly and that will be enough, any time your dog try to pull you just say no and pull the collar, if you practice this for like 10 - 15 mins everyday in 2 or 3 weeks he won't do that anymore

Answer 8

both depending on how they are used. I would NEVER use a choke collar for just going on a walk. There are plenty of no pull harnesses that do a better job at stopping pulling and are far more humane. The only time a choker may be used is under the supervision of a trainer in a dog ring... and still, all the trainers i know won't use them.

Answer 9

There are much better choices than a choke collar, which can damage the trachea if not used properly. Many trainers don't recommend them anymore.

I had excellent results with a head halter with my pulling dog. There are two brands - Halti and Gentle Leader and you can get them in pet stores. My trainer recommended it and it was a godsend. Take the dog to the store so you can get the proper fit.

For dogs that have head shapes that don't work well with head halters, a pronged pinch collar is better and safer than a choke chain and is better second choice. Work with a trainer to learn to use it properly.

Answer 10

Try a head harness or control collar, we had issues with one of our dogs pulling when we walked her and a head harness worked wonders, she did't like the feeling at first but it didn't hurt her and she got used to it after a couple of walks. Any good pet shop has these.