At what age can I use a correction collar on a dog? Can I start with an e-collar, or should I use a more traditional type of correction collar first?

I really hate setting an age on this. I usually wait for behaviors that need leash correction for my lab it was 8 months, for one of my papillons it was never as voice correction is more than enough, for another papillon it was 10 months.

I guess my question is What are you trying to correct? What have you tried to train or alter the behavior? Is the dog trained to know what behavior you want?

According to Koehler, 6 months for a choke collar. Personally I'm leery of choke collars for training.

You need to look at the types of collar as well. A pinch collar won't jerk the underdeveloped neck muscle/bone around the way a choke would. The head halters I suspect are just as bad if not worse for causing neck injury.

Harnesses with the ring in the front are very safe to use, and depending on the dog may be more effective than a buckle collar.

My breeder sent our pup home with a harness. She believes that having an untrained puppy dragged around by the collar can cause major damage. We swtiched to a diffrent style harness, similar to Ed's product: http://leerburg.com/1152.htm
and we are very happy with it. The pull point is close to the center of gravity, so they can't just bend the neck and lean the body back against the pull like they can with a collar.

By the way, I've reveresed my position on choke collars. I still believe the prong offers a better/safer correction, but between corrections the dog is much more comfortable in the choke. My pup is 8 months now, and powerful enough that we don't take her outside without a metal collar. The prong promotes the best behavior, but is hard to put on/off, has the risk of popping apart, and apparently itches. The choke is less effective, but good enough for low-distraction training or regular walking. The correction level of the choke is just below the dead-ring correction of the prong. My pup will avoid the prong collar if anyone but me tries to put it on her, but will thrust her head eagerly into the choke.

 Quote: Denise Skidmore

According to Koehler, 6 months for a choke collar. Personally I'm leery of choke collars for training.

I'm going to be blunt here.

Koehler is absolute crap. Period.

 Quote: Denise Skidmore

By the way, I've reveresed my position on choke collars. I still believe the prong offers a better/safer correction, but between corrections the dog is much more comfortable in the choke. ... My pup will avoid the prong collar if anyone but me tries to put it on her, but will thrust her head eagerly into the choke.

Has it occured to you that perhaps your use of the collar, and not the collar itself, is the issue?
It really sounds like the dog has been seriously overcorrected whilst wearing a prong collar.

And at 8 months, to boot...

 Quote: Melissa Thom

... I guess my question is What are you trying to correct? What have you tried to train or alter the behavior? Is the dog trained to know what behavior you want?

This question trumps a generic age-for-correction-collar question.

To the O.P., how old is your pup? You have a flat collar? What are you training?

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

Has it occured to you that perhaps your use of the collar, and not the collar itself, is the issue?
It really sounds like the dog has been seriously overcorrected whilst wearing a prong collar.

And at 8 months, to boot...

I'm not sure how you reached that conclusion. The collar clearly itches. She is always scratching when it's on. Even the first time before she was ever corrected with it. Is this not sufficient reason to have an aversion? If I had bad leash technique, it should show with the choke as well.

And my sweet, innocent little 8 month old girl is around 100 lbs, a hard puppy that does not respect buckle collar corrections, and has significantly widened the holes in her puppy collar.

This is the first dog I've used a prong on, my leash technique is usually effective with just a buckle collar, but this is a very hard puppy. I am using the same leash technique now that worked effectively when she was smaller and in harness.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Melissa Thom

... I guess my question is What are you trying to correct? What have you tried to train or alter the behavior? Is the dog trained to know what behavior you want?

This question trumps a generic age-for-correction-collar question.

To the O.P., how old is your pup? You have a flat collar? What are you training?

I'm not sure if you're refering to me, or Stephanie, since Alyssa's post was directed at me, and Stephanie's origional post is 4 months old. I only re-posted to this thread to correct myself in case someone else was reading it later.

Maggie is 8 months. I have a flat collar. There are small tears in the fabric where the buckle pulls against the hole. (Her big girl collar has already been purchased, and has rivets in the holes. She'll probably be ready for it in a month.) This puppy is hard and can not be corrected with a buckle collar. We use just the buckle collar within the home, one of the metal collars when we leave our property, and a mix in the backyard, depending on current energy levels.

I'm only using the corrective collar for loose lead walking, heel, and leave it. Necessary skills for safe walking in public spaces. (We live in the city, all our exercise is in public spaces.) Things she knew prefectly well before she began to overpower her puppy harness and get away with infractions. She already knows the correct behavior to avoid corrections, she just no longer cared about the corrections before the switch.

We do sit/down/stay training without corrective collars. She does very well with that.

 Quote: Denise Skidmore

.... Maggie is 8 months. I have a flat collar. There are small tears in the fabric where the buckle pulls against the hole. .... This puppy is hard and can not be corrected with a buckle collar. We use just the buckle collar within the home, one of the metal collars when we leave our property, and a mix in the backyard, depending on current energy levels. .... I'm only using the corrective collar for loose lead walking, heel, and leave it. Necessary skills for safe walking in public spaces. (We live in the city, all our exercise is in public spaces.) Things she knew prefectly well before she began to overpower her puppy harness and get away with infractions. She already knows the correct behavior to avoid corrections, she just no longer cared about the corrections before the switch.

Can you describe how loose leash walking, heel, and leave it (agreed: necessary) were trained, and how the proofing for distractions was done?

 Quote: Denise Skidmore

Stephanie's origional post is 4 months old. I only re-posted to this thread to correct myself in case someone else was reading it later.

You're getting replies, though.

The itchiness thing seems -- maybe -- a diagnosis that others would not agree with.

Denise, I'm with you 110% that leash manners and leave it are neccessary for a dog that will be walking in public.
I also agree that prongs are appropriate for a dog that finds pulling self-rewarding behavior, and cannot be taught any other way, not to pull.

I am a much bigger fan of motivational training, especially with such crucial behaviors like heel and leave it.
Right now, my 7 mos old walks next to me on a loose lead, with no issues, on a flat collar.
She learned not to pull, and walk alongside, using only motivational methods.

I'm not understanding why the prong would seem so itchy to your girl. If anything, a choke should seem more aggravating than a prong, hair/itchy wise.
I also can't imagine itchyness being so severe as to cause an aversion, unless the dog actually has an allergy to the metals in the collar.