I have been doing my homework and developing new opinions of the prong collars and their proper use.
I have a 6.5 month old Dobermann male. He is intact, and will stay that way! He is an incredible forger at this point. Our OB instructor insists on a head collar on him in class. (not Halti or Gentle LEader but the other one that tightens behind the head) I have used it, and followed all her suggestions, however, he still insists on forging ahead, sounding off at other dogs (just started this..age maybe?) and being an ass in general.
So, bring on the new education please!
I wish to use a prong collar to settle this down, or 'nip it in the bud'.
My question is this... At this age and with this breed (he is sensitive) should I use a small, medium, or large link prong? I have a medium wieght one I bought from a local pet store, it seems to overwhelm him from the get go.
Any and All suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
P.S. great forum!

I have a 6 month old Dobie as well <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I started using the prong collar on him a few months ago. I let him wear it and get used to it (only while he was out n about, not while in his crate) first. I've also been leash training him pretty much from the time we got him at 8 weeks. In short he did well with it at first,and like I posted in another thread in this section, I found out I had been using it incorrectly, but once I got it right, he has done very well with it. I am also using the small size, and have a few extra links floating around for when he gets bigger. So far that size is working out well.

On a little side note: I have come across a couple of posts throughout this board (just signed up 2 days ago)and other dog related boards where OB teachers insist on this collar or that collar and the one you picked is wrong :rolleyes: . I am not a trainer or expert, but my opinion is that it boils down to what works best for your dog. A haltie may be fine for one dog, but may not necessarily work for another.

Lee Anne….I’d stick with the medium weight collar. It’s light enough for general use yet sturdy enough for training. The fine weight provides a better correction but the trade off is that it’s a lot easier to bend or separate if you use it incorrectly.

My work dog wears a medium weight pinch both for daily use and when we are in training. I will put a fine weight collar on him when we are working on obedience because the increase in the number of links gives me the type of correction I want for this particular activity. Many people incorrectly believe that bigger is better when it comes to pinch collars….. stick with the medium. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the input. I have been working him for the past week on the medium prong... all I have to say is WOW! what a difference. I was worried at first I would be misusing the tool. But, with the input and information I've found on this site, we're doing fine. First day out with the prong I worked him at my local ball park... only a few distratcions that we stayed about 50 yards from... and he was heeling after the first 3 corrections I applied. I've also included a new command, "close" which I'm using to have him return to my side in a stand position, Instead of the "come to heel" command that means come next to me and sit. I'm finding when he begins to pull ahead of my knee, I stop walking and drop ALL the slack to the leash, while saying (and slapping my thigh) CLOSE, and he actually is backing up into the 'close' position <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I've been using it quite a bit this last week and now see that he is 'listening' to my footsteps and will stop and begin to back up when he hears me stop.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> He learns quick and anticipates the new commands well. I guess I have to change things up more to keep his attention.
I am also thinking I should be using a flat collar and thin lead, along with the prong collar and thin lead.... we'll work off the flat collar and only use prong to correct? Or am I rushing this too much?? LOL
My end goal is to work on a flat collar, so would it make sense to utilize the tools this way?

Yeah, the prong collar's a great tool isn't it? I had to train my Uncle's 6-month Doberman and he was a pain just to walk, being kenneled and all. He supposedly had a trainer but I saw little progress with the dog so I politely stepped in. No luck with the choke, which I've been using on all my dogs. I bought a prong collar so I decided to try that out on him. First time I used it, I was bought. In one week I had the dog doing what I wanted, listening to me, becoming better behaved.

Just wait a while I think until the dog is much older and better behaved. I think you're actually supposed to switch between the prong collar and a buckle collar but I would think it's still a bit too early since you've only used it for a week.

Just a little side note, you can also turn the collar around so that the prongs are sticking out, to allow him to get used to wearing it. The dobie pictured on the leerburg page that shows how to properly fit a prong collar is wearing a medium weight prong. That page is at http://www.leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm if you didn't already know.