Well, after reading and watching all of the info on this site, I finally convinced my wife that we need to use a prong collar on our pup. Today was the first day and when I walked her it was just the same as our trainer had showed us with "his" head halter collar. My wife is a little confused as she thinks it might be the same type of collar. I am trying to convince her that the prong collar is more efficient at making corrections than the halter, since it seems to just turn the dogs head toward you. I have watched Ed's video on fitting it properly and using a back up collar. If anyone can give us some more advice (and some more assurance for the wife) we would be very thankful. Our dog can sometimes be a handfull for my wife when she is walking her without the "gentle leader"

Its the difference between a pinch and a punch.

What is she worried about with the prong?

Thanks, I think that she thinks the dog might be to young.

Let's see....about 7 months now, right?

Are you going to use it mainly for walks?

Yes definetly for walks,and for daily ob training, funny you should ask but my next question was can or should we use it for in the house when we have her on the tag line or a leash for behavior corrections? Oh yeah 7 mos. now Mike.

I started using a prong collar for walks with my dog when he was 5 months old.

Do you need to correct the dog in the house? what for?

Thanks Angela, I think in the house might have come over wrong, I was more thinking of when outside and training not so much as just on walks as opposed to just in the house and not listening.

For training, yes. But ONLY if you are 200% sure the dog knows the command. The most common mistake is correcting a dog for a command the owner thinks it knows, but does not.

Your pup should be able to perform the command without hesitating, and with your hands behind your back, 30 times over a period of days, before you start correcting for non compliance. This is just my rule of thumb but I prefer to err on the side of caution and not give unfair corrections if I can help it. You would be amazed how many people are convinced their dog knows how to sit but the dog can't do it off leash or if the owner's hands are behind their backs or without a treat - the owners had been inadverdently been giving the dog different cues.

Otherwise I use a prong for pulling on lead (especially if the dog is strong; the prong helps for control) and for pre-empting aggressive or reactive behaviour (such as lunging or inappropriate barking at other dogs, etc). That is just the way I use a prong collar. Other people can give you their opinions as well.

Excellent info, I will use the collar as you stated for pulling on walks and barking at other dogs and just continue to train with no corrections. She is still inconsistant with a lot of commands. I still can have the collar on while doing sit stays and down stays, but with no corrections is this the norm?

I recently read Purely Positive Training by Sheila Booth and she makes it sound so easy to use only positive methods to teach your dog to walk on a leash. I tried teaching my pup to hitch. Basically he does great while tied and bolts the moment he is untied. (I have to chuckle, he's no dummy.) He would pull with all his strength to the point of cutting off his breathing. Try enticing him with treats? He comes back and takes the treat and goes right back to pulling. I walked in circles. I started the prong at 3.5 months and the change has instantaneous. I don't jerk it, he just won't pull against it. If he pulls I just stop going forward. When he gives slack we walk. I give praise and food rewards when he happens to be walking calmy beside me on my left side. I give verbal rewards for loose leash and calm walking. I usually put the prong and domnant dog collar on at least 30 mntues before I need to. I leave it on for a little while after we have walked. I leave it on when we train. When we hike I leave it on if it is already there but I hook my leash to his flat collar to avoid "bush corrections". I would like to use purely positive methods but with leash walking I have always needed to prong (used it on my other dogs, also).
We had a dog trainer that came to our house several times (before we had our puppy). Her training method involved using corrections with a prong as part of training. The second time she came (out of three times) we were teaching my 8 month old husky down stay. It got a jerk on the prong if it got up and then would be placed back in down stay. It worked, but it was mostly coercive. It involved very little thinking from my hucky. It is in this area (teaching commands) that I would say that the prong should not be used until (as Angela says) you are 200% sure that your dog understand what you are asking of it. I have never corrected my puppy with when he responds incorrectly to a command with anything more than a "No", looking away and withholding food reward. I do this as communication more than correction. He has learned just as well with this (he is 4 months old now) as the husky did with the prong and it is a whole lot more fun for both of us. When he learns his commands he truly knows them and does them with joy. He is not harboring a fear of messing up but the hope and excitement of possibly getting it right.
SOrry it was a lengthy reply. Like I said I feel guilty for using the prong on my puppy, but it works.