Tristan came to us with a collar similar in operation to the prong collar, except that it was 1" nylon and of course, did not have prongs. the idea behind these collars is that they pinch closed to a snug fit, so that they can't be pulled off (like a buckled/ fixed collar) nor can they get continually tighter like a choke collar ( like a slipnot)

Tristan was a BIG puller at first, and I tried the gentle leader, (he would not walk at all with it) and the fast turns, I had given up on walking him, only taking him places he could run free or use the long line - as he had pulled my shoulder out so badly I could could barely stand it. I tried kinds of things before resorting to a prong collar - AFTER researching how they work.

Esp since Tristan had some problems with eating, and the vet figured he had some damage to his throat from a choke chain at one time.

If a prong collar is properly fitted - you remove or add enough prong links to simply MEET snugly around the dogs neck. the prongs should not 'dig' into the skin, they should just snugly put pressure on the dogs neck. it is NOT a 'choke collar" as it does NOT get tighter and tighter as they pull (like a slipnot) - as you can see in the photo - there is a limit to how tight it can get - only as tight as the rings meet. it disburses the pressure around their entire neck.

Especially with a large puppy or a large dog that has a thick ruff - like a golden or a shepherd, the prongs work through the thick fur to put even pressure around their entire neck - unlike choke chain collars, that can pinch in one place and pull painfully on their fur. The prongs are blunt, not sharp, and if you want, you can even get plastic tips for them.

Once Tristan learned how to NOT pull with his prong collar, we didn't need it anymore. If he 'forgot' i would bring the collar out for a day or two of 'reminder' and he would go back to not pulling.

I would always advocate trying a gentler method FIRST - but as a last resort, prong collars DO work and ARE humane. IF they are properly fitted and used!

laura