Q&A with Ed Frawley on Using a Prong Collar with Puppies

Excellent answer and well explained - if only people would do this with their young pups instead of going for the corrections.

I don't disagree with anything that Ed has said. Nevertheless, a moving vehicle can be a powerful distraction. I have a 9 year old German Shepherd who also loves to chase cars when I'm walking her and my 3 1/2 year old Lab each morning. We don't have sidewalks so are forced to walk on the road. When a car approaches, they both are trained to sit on the side of the road until the car passes. Sometimes my shepherd will still try to chase after it so I hang on tight. Together they weigh over 200 lbs but both wear prong collars. We've also dealt with the vehicle problem with an invisible fence but training for an invisible fence typically starts at about 6 months. For the time being, I think this pup needs to be on a long line so if the food doesn't do the trick, there is a backup plan in place.

As a trainer and obedience competitor I used prong collars on very young puppies with great success. In this gal's case perhaps she lives in an area where several yards from traffic is not an option. While food/engagement is always #1 in some cases correction will play a role in training no matter what the dogs age. I hope she gets the results she needs to keep her puppy safe and controlled.