Prong Collars?

Question

I just asked a question a little while ago stating that my dog thinks he is Alpha and he is wayyyyy out of control.
Someone mentioned something called a prong collar. I looked it up and they seem pretty harsh! I'm sure they are not as bad as they look, so we are thinking about getting one & trying it. [Desperate times call for desperate measures]
Can someone tell me all about them? & How to put them on? I'm not even sure what size I need. My Malamute has more fur on hiss neck area then anywhere else on his body! Do i need a bigger size because of this?

tried training & obedience classes. Look at my other question

Answer 1

Yep, that was me. You're going to get a lot of people here telling you they're cruel -- they're not. Any intelligent, experienced dog trainer will tell you that they work wonders.

I personally believe that they are better than a choke chain, because they tighten evenly around the neck rather than tightening against the trachea.

Yes, they 'look harsh'. But they are excellent for coated dogs (such as Malamutes), because the prongs sink down through the coat, right to the skin, whereas a regular collar or poorly-fitted choke collar will stay on top of the coat and blunt your control.

The prongs are blunt-ended...I have never seen one damage the skin.

As far as sizes and how to properly fit them, this is where a good trainer (or at least someone who knows how to size/fit) comes in -- they need to be able to fit one to your dog in person. The collar should sit high on the dog's neck, as close to the ears as possible.

Especially if you've never used one, you need someone with experience to show you. But I really think this is what you need for your situation.

Answer 2

Unlike everyone else I know the prong collar is very very effective. I've actually done my homework on both the prong collar, the choke collar, and the gentle leader headcollar and head halti.
The gentle leader head collar is actually very useless and sometimes if used incorrectly can do more harm than good. (but the really that's all of them) the gentle leader is a collar that does not help with training at all. It forces dogs into a complete submission making the dog follow your every command. Once you take it off the dog goes back to the same bad behavior as before. I know your thinking well I can just leave it on. Hump.. You can only correct the dog when the lead is attached. And leaving the lead attached all day is a big safty issue.
Next the choke chain these are actually highly affective to most dogs. And can actually help train the dog. I know they seem kind of inhumane but they aren't as bad as they look. As long as yu put it on correctly.But then there are the stubborn few who don't care about choking themselves and will pull on the lead untill gaging or stay behind you and slip out.
This is were the prong comes in. For those excessive pullers the prong has little stubs that press into the neck and apply irritating pressure which will make the dog stop and automatically correct himself. They are rounded so no they wont poke into the neck even if the dog makes a sudden jerk he may get red spots were it applied pressure and he may give out a little yelp but it won't harm him and most likely he won't do it again. If they still look alittle harsh there are little plastic stubs you can put on the tips. And for the fur they have a fur- saver version that's longer and won't catch hairs. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I don't know where you took your obedience class, but I would try a different trainer/facility.
mcr is so wrong about pinch vs choke collars.
A study was done years ago in Germany. They followed 100 dogs from birth to death. 50 had choke chains used on them. 50 had prong collars used.
Of the 50 with the choke chains, 48 had damage to their windpipes, 2 were congenital.
Of the 50 that had prong collars, 2 had damage, 1 was congenital.
You have a 92 percent injured rate with the choke, and a 2 percent with the prong. Which one would you choose?

Answer 4

Prong collars are an effective way to control your dog if used correctly. That is key. You will need to have the collar fit properly and have some instruction using it. I had an Akita who, like your Malamute, had tons of fur and skin around his neck. He used to drag me around, until I used the prong. I used to hate walking him because he was too strong. After the prong he was a well behaved dream-which is so important especially for big dogs like Akitas and Malamutes. He did not fear it, nor shy away when I was putting it on. If you put it on your arm and tug on it, you will realize that it is an even pressure that is not as aggressive as it looks to be. The prong collar should not be loose around the dogs neck when it is on, but not so tight that it is constricting the airway. When my dog was first fitted for his prong by my obedience school instructor, it seemed too tight, but that was just because I was not used to that type of collar. You will probably need the large type prong collar (depending on the size of your dog), and you may need to get some extra links (they sell them by pairs). Also, when you are training your dog, remember to use short, corrective tugs (as with any correction) instead of just pulling the whole time. In any case, I would advise getting some professional instruction on it's proper fit and use. You might want to look up a local dog trainer and get one or two private sessions.

Answer 5

Having tested both on my arm I can tell you from first hand experience that a prong collar doesn't hurt and actually they are much safer than your normal "training collar", aka a choke collar. With a choke it is pretty easy to seriously damage the dogs throat and you can actually kill the dog by choking it to death. with a pinch or prong collar the force of the correction is evenly distributed around the dogs neck which makes it much harder to do any real damage also they only close so far so you can't choke your dog to death.

With a pinch you need to apply much less pressure than with a choke collar. Start with very little pressure. With some dogs if you use a prong collar you can get your point a crossed with a slight finger movement with others you will need to use a small amount of hand movement but you never want to jerk your whole arm the way the some folks do with the choke. Your best bet is to find a trainer who is experienced with using prong collars and get a lesson or two so you are comfortable with it.

To take them a part you inch the prongs of one the link together with your fingers and slip it out of the connecting link. You then slip it around your dogs neck, pinch the prongs together and slip them back into the link you took it out of. If you need to adjust the collar you just add or remove links. Personally I would suggest getting a collar with small prongs and adding extra links to make it fit because the more links the more the pressure is distributed around the dogs neck and the smaller prongs are much easier to open and close.
To determine the size you measure your dogs neck and get a collar and enough links to go around it.

Unless your dog is a show dog and you are going to be showing him soon I would strongly suggest thinning out the coat around his neck otherwise no matter what type collar you use he isn't going to feel the correction. If you need more help feel free to write.

Answer 6

Prong collars are safer than choke chains (which can cause serious injury) but they are not humane.

The ONLY purpose of a prong collar is to punish the dog in a painful manner.

There are two problems with this:

1) It is completely unnecessary.

Dogs can be perfectly trained, regardless of breed or background, without using any physical force or punishment. If you CAN train a dog humanely, why would CHOOSE to train a dog inhumanely?

2) Physical punishment can cause many problems.

It may make the dog nervous, and in many cases aggressive. You risk physically harming your dog and being bitten. It can also destroy the dogs trust in you, and therefore your relationship with him.
Pain, fear and stress all cause chemical changes in the brain which actually inhibit learning. Punishment therefore often makes training harder, whereas positive reinforcement is usually quicker and far more effective.

Seriously, you can retrain this dog and gain control over him without hurting him or making fear you.

If your classes haven't worked find a new, better trainer. Clicker training is particularly effective as it makes training more fun and much easier for the dog to understand. Nothing in life is free is good practice and reinforces your control. Find a trainer who uses positive reinforcement and avoids painful methods or equipment. Talk to them about your dogs problems at home - they may have useful suggestions for you. Don't just go to classes - you also need to practice outside of them, at home, on walks etc.

If all else fails find a qualified behaviourist.

Good luck with your dog, I'm sure you'll get it sorted, but please don't mistreat him in the process!

Answer 7

With my dogs, I've found prong collars to be one of the best tools for preventing pulling. If you just want to go for a walk and not do a bunch of training to get it perfect, prong collars are the way to go. With dogs that pull really hard, choke chains or buckle collars can actually do quite a bit of harm--damaging the dog's trachea, for example. If you put it on your own leg you'll find it's not really painful. (Do it over your pants--your dog's coat will create a similar effect.)

I do have one bit of advice with the prong collar though. When I had a puppy, he would get so crazy excited about going for a walk that he couldn't think of anything else. Of course he pulled, so I tried a prong collar. He was so excited, he kept pulling as he was poked. So then he started yelping more (he already yelps when he's excited about walking) and continued pulling, which increased the pinch. Basically he was working himself up into frenzied excitement and was too focused on the walk to realize that if he just stopped pulling he would fix this problem.

I don't think this is a big problem with too many dogs, but if it appears that your dog is so excited about the walk that he can't even comprehend that he's being pinched, I'd recommend that you take it off and put it back on about halfway through the walk when he's a little less excited and can think a little bit more about what's going on around him. After doing this for awhile you should be able to start the walk with a prong collar on.

I had a head harness for my Brittany who used to pull a lot when he was younger. He hated it so much I could never use it. It took all the joy out of the walk for him and he spent the majority of time trying to get it off. Even cut his nose in his frantic efforts to free himself.

If your dog tolerates a head harness, they'll work too. You could probably train your dog to tolerate a head harness, but I seriously wonder if I could ever train my dog too. He hates wearing ANYTHING. He loves going for car rides but hates his seatbelt so so much even though it's meant fun car rides for many years.

Answer 8

I have used (under the supervision of a professional trainer) prong collars on a few dogs I have worked with and they have worked wonderfully. When I first saw them, I freaked out! I wanted to see just how bad they hurt, so I tried it on my bare arm. I put it on and yanked on it. I was amazed at how little it actually hurt! They way it works is by providing even pressure instead of all at one point like a choke collar. With a 140 lb puppy to train, I needed something that gave me more control than a normal collar. We have since moved up to plain buckle collars, and even with no leash he heels like an angel. When used right, they are a great tool, but only when used correctly! Remember to praise your dog WHENEVER she does something good no matter how small, and only correct when necessary.

Answer 9

Animal art work and Loki are correct in their opinions about the prong collars, but, I need to take it a step further.
I noticed the other question you posted as well and I keep noticing how you refer your self as the dog's mother..
That denotes some spoiling going on there, am I correct?
If so, do you think that spoiling has anything to do with the dog not being trained? Why have the classes you have taken not worked? Is it you, or the dog that needs a change of mind?
I am sure that the dog thinks that he is Alpha because of how you treat him, I am sure he is disrespecting you because of that too. Dogs could care less about love, but, they care very much about respect!!
Be the Alpha in your dog's life by treating him like a dog, not a human child. Remember, dogs do not follow lovable leaders, they follow ones they can trust and respect!!
Hope I helped!!

Answer 10

Prong collars are useful as long as they're used properly.
The prongs function as "teeth" that "bite" at the dog's neck, just like an actual alpha dog would do to its pack members when they get out-of-line. The collar (again, if used properly) doesn't cause them pain - it's a psychological tool.

Since your dog won't always be on a leash, an EXCELLENT method to use when the dog misbehaves is to force them to the floor and push them onto their side while telling them "NO!" until they hold still. It's ideal to hold them at the side of the neck with one hand, and keep their ribs to the floor with the other hand. This is key! Don't let them pick their head up off of the floor. If your dog tries to get up, or squirms, keep holding them down until s/he stops moving. DO NOT let them up until they do - even if this means sitting over them! (Of course, don't put your full weight on them, you just want them to not get up.) This is a great way to force the dog into submission without hitting or hurting them. You must be very persistent, and you must teach others in your household to do this, too. Your dog will understand this "language" because this is how alpha dogs "punish" pack members... Only after they hold still, count to ten, let them up, and ignore them for a bit. Don't play with them or give them praise - unless they do something good. Only then, lay on the praise.

Another way is isolation. Since dogs are pack animals, they HATE to be alone - especially when there's people in the house. When your dog exhibits "bad" behavior, lock them in the bathroom as a "time out." You must ignore the barking, whining and/ or scratching. Give them 10 minutes alone (or until they stop making a fuss - whichever comes first), THEN let them out. They'll soon learn bad behavior will cause them to be isolated.

Good luck!