Official Prong Collar Advocate

[Seravieve]

We have three prongs for our three. Zeke can walk well without it. He went to obedience school and is very good for J to walk. But he has a longer coat.. and we have hemp/fleece collars.. and if/when he pulls, he slips right out of them. So we walk him with the prong just so we know he wont be escaping. Bunny will pull your arm off w/o the prong. She also walks with a backpack these days.. and 6 cans of veggies to give her a good workout. She's a high strung dog, came with lots of mental baggage, so she needs a lot of direction and control. Both Zeke and Bunny are dog aggressive too, so I need to feel confident when I am walking that there is no possibility of them getting loose.

Eli now walks with one as well. He's a puller, always has been, even at 5 months when we got him. The prong works very well to keep him close.
I also walk E and B on a Y-lead (2 dog walker thingy) so they are quicker to react and easier to control with the prongs.

I understand where some might see it as a dangerous tool.. or where the negative stigma is coming from. If we take Eli into Petsmart w/ a prong, people as "Oh is he friendly?", etc.. like he's an aggressive mean dog that we so carelessly brought in a dog store. With his regular collar, none of those silly questions. And Yes it could be harmful if a dog was left unsupervised while wearing it and they got caught on something... But when used soley for walks, or when on leash, whats the big deal?

I need control of my dogs. We have tried so many other methods; Choke chain, harness, halti, regular collar, a woven slip collar, etc. Bunny escaped while wearing both the halti and the harness (not at the same time, but escaped while using each), dont ask me how.

Use what works, and to each his own.
But sign me up on the Pro-Prong list as well!

[NicoleLJ]

Nicole My best friend works in a dog training Academy ans they do not use prongs and she also never has seen it. Can you imagine a prong in the hands of a child - it wouldn't be possible for most challenged children. Which is why they don't take in the kind of dog that would need a prong.

Oh so this means you know for a FACT that know Service dog training facility, No Dog Training facility, No Service Dog Trainer, and No Dog Trainer at all will use it because your friend says so and you have never seen it? OK if you says so. I will let you believe that as I go to my service dog groups and discuss our training with our prong collars.

We use what works. Each dog is different. Is a dog bad because it needs a Prong? No. Ajax is just a very happy dog that sometimes likes to get beyond himself. The prong helps him to stay focused. And I am already finding I am correcting him less and less. And he is still his happy self getting treats from strangers, adults and kids. Giving out kisses to everyone, meeting strange dogs and wanting to play with everyone. The only difference the prong made was it gave me better control to be able to train his very happy and excitable brain.
Nicole

[bckrazy]

I'm still discussing the issue that Bckrazy mentioned with our trainer and she's looking into it since she said no one had thought of that but the possibility is there depending on the dog. By the way, she said to thank you for that genius moment....lol.

Oh jeez. I don't deserve any thanks! Just googling "prong collar issues", tons of websites with information & studies from knowledgable people come up. When you are using pain-based tools (I don't mean severe pain, just discomfort, of course) there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Even when implementing positive reinforcement training, you can accidentally reward bad habits, or use food or toys as a crutch. There are flaws in everything. It's just, some of the effects of using training tools and punishment are pretty serious and can be dangerous.

I totally agree with you, about trainers using correction collars... every single educated behaviorist or trainer I've met is vehemently against chokers, prongs, etc. I'm far from being skilled or experienced, but I know quite a few awesome trainers, and I trust their judgement. My trainers do approve of sensation harnesses, as a total last resort. They are a lot safer, gentler, and overall there is little room for error. And I've seen them work wonders with intense pullers.