All training collars must be used properly for the safety of the animal and to accomplish desired results.

With that said prong collars are awesome. I actually like prongs better than choke collars. They distribute the pressure more evenly therefore eliminating potential injuries with the dogs throat/trachea & area. Chokes are commonly known to cause damage to your dogs throat area.

They also now make plastic prong collars too. They are supposed to be a little easier on your dog for "soft" dogs or very short thin haired dogs.

The martingale collar is awesome. Very similar to a choke but again it distributes the pressure more evenly.