Prongs are the only thing that Mike and I use. When I got Dio back from the shelter he was unmanageable. I bought him a prong on Tuesday before I took him to Illinois and he was great. He walked calmly next to me after 2 corrections. Also, when he got to Minnesota to his new home he went after her dog and she grabbed the collar and yanked and he backed off and has not done it again. It does NOT hurt the dog as long as it is fitted properly and is A LOT safer than choke collars because that can damage their esophogus.