I just wanted to thank the people on the forum for the advice they have provided in regards to prong collars that I have found using search and Ed for his guide on prong collars as it has helped me make a decision on training tools.

My husband and I own a Golden Retriever who pulls like crazy and I have tried different training methods and collars/harnesses (Easy Walk) with no luck. My dog responds some what to a choke(slip) collar but I have a difficult time delivering a strong enough correction to deter him from certain behaviours like chasing after cars, rabbits and garbage. In fact, we've had our trainer show us how to do a proper correction, and it has broken his fur and discolored it over time.

I ended up ordering a Herm Sprenger prong collar made from curogan and am impressed with the change it has made. I am still working on delivering corrections (but it no longer wrenches my arm and the dog is not dragging me down the street) but it takes much less effort and the neighbours don't think I'm choking my dog. (If they only could see what a prong collar looked like, I'm sure that nosy neighbour would be flapping her trap.)

My dog is responding much more readily and I can get his attention back when he is distracted, and he is distracted easily as I feel his prey drive is very high.

I've also been reading Ed's articles on dog training and dominance and we make our golden retriever work for his food, treats, and toys. When he was handled by our breeder a few weeks ago at a conformation show, even she felt that he was a dominant dog when she saw him interacting with her other dogs at the show.

Again, thanks for the info provided all over the site, and I look forward to reading more...

Hi Christine:

We have a Golden Retriever Too. He is 15 weeks old today (unless I've lost count somewhere). He is just a pup so I have been dismissing certain behaviours and working with him on his commands.

I met someone with a chocolate lab at one of our ice arenas, and she uses the prong collar and told me all of its wonders. Especially that the dog could no longer pull her down the street or her arm out of her socket. As our pup gets bigger, it may be a consideration for us as well.

We too make our pup work for his food, treat & toys. good to meet you!