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She ACTUALLY used the line, "I've ben training for 25yrs and..." follow that with whatever.

Was that one year repeated 25 times- or 25 years repeated once? Some people just keep repeating their first year (or first month). Others continue to learn their whole life.

I'll admit when I first saw a prong collar it looked like a midevil torture device, but the more research I've done on them and upon closer inspection of them it has become clear to me that they are not designed to hurt your dog. You'll notice that the prongs are not sharp and very rounded on good prong collars and that they slant at an angle so they don't really dig into the skin so as to puncture it.

I would say keep a prong collar off of a four month old dog though as he is still in the puppy stage and most are not ready for the correction of a prong collar.

Of course, that just my opinion...I don't pretend an expert, but just a newbie who has done alot of reading and thinking about the subject.

Hi All,

Could I make a suggestion to help people in this position in future as it's our right to defend our position and possibly our responsibility as users of this tool to provide information to back up our claims/beliefs.

Anyone who has any links to research, web pages, supporters AND detractors of prong collars so we can point questions like this right there for two reasons.

1. This topic has been covered in many different ways, many times so why not try to answer as many questions as possible with one page? I know the search facility is very good but there are a lot of posts and it would be much quicker for people to become informed rather than frustrated looking through posts which may not relate to their situaton.

2. To point people like this pet store trainer to and let them decide for themselves, after reading if they still think it's bad.

3. For us all to refresh the information we know and trust. you normally learn something new from reading something twice, maybe because you can look at it in a different way.

Comments?

John

Sorry to jump on this post, but has anyone used the half-check chain collar and what are your thoughts on them ? I was told I wouldn't be allowed in class with a prong collar on my dog and to put a half-check chain collar on instead!

I used to work at Premium Pet which got taken over by Petco. (Please keep in mind that this was over 8 years ago)


*Disclaimer- These are not my opinions*
The "corporate" position was that they could offer any positive reinforcement training methods, but any methods which might be considered by some extremist as abuse could not be used.

And also a suggestion, don't buy the crappy knockoff brand of prong collar that Petsmart sells,they're not nearly as well made as a stainless steel Sprenger.

My girlfriend uses one on her older male dog when she teaches her obedience classes and he does great in it. I have noticed that the sound of the chain is enough to let some dogs know that a correction is comming and they get into line pretty quick trying to beat the correction.

The above post was in response to Lisa. Sorry I forgot to mention that!

Three things:


1. The Sprenger is the best. My opinion is based on the fact that I'm using a hand-me-down from a German friend in Chicago, which he used on his dog for several years. This dog passed away at least 10 years before he gave the collar to me 3 years ago, and it's still a very good piece of gear.

2. I think this discussion is too focused on the prong as a correction tool (which it is, and a good one at that). It has other excellent benefits as well, including the fact that it won't be "slipped" like a choke chain, meaning that you can retain positive control of your dog regardless of his direction of movement.

3. The trainer at your facility is lost in the sauce.

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2. I think this discussion is too focused on the prong as a correction tool (which it is, and a good one at that).

I think one should be careful in not relying on the prong as a crutch, because it can indeed become a powerful one. A good communication and bond between you and your dog should precede the use of a prong collar.

I find the prong best to use in guiding the dog to correct positions because the dog doesn't resist it as he would a flat or even a choke collar. It is also a great tool simply when walking.

And yes, the Sprenger collars are also the best in my opinion. Even though they're a bit more expensive...especially if you're using a big prong...your thumbs will thank you later. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />