Pronged Collars (again!)
I've had a series of long emails from someone in America taking me to task over the comments I made about pronged collars in an old issue of the newsletter. You can read what I had said here (Essentially I was pretty disparaging about them though I did qualify my comments by adding I had no personal experience of them so was only making assumptions.) I subsequently added to my initial remarks in the Dec 7 2004 issue which I've just uploaded, but my recent corresponder had not seen that article. Our complete set of emails would take you most of the day to read (!) so I'm only reproducing part of our conversation, but I think you might find it interesting - ....This leads me to the subject of prong collars. I read your article on them, and was both amused and saddened at the same time, that someone who has been training dogs for as long as you have can say such uninformed things about the prong collar. Before I start, let me just say that I used a prong collar to train my own dog, and she certainly is not traumatized. I no longer have to use it on her now, but if she so much as hears it jingle as I'm rustling through the drawer it's in looking for something, she comes running, tail wagging, ready to go out and train! I can set up a video camera to prove that to you if you want me to. Now tell me that's the way a traumatized dog behaves! Now, let me go on to discuss the prong collar; at the very beginning of your article, you say "When the dog is wearing it as soon as any pressure is put on the leash the collar tightens and the prongs dig into the dogs neck, causing (I imagine) extreme discomfort." This statement alone tells me that you do not understand the device at all. If you had ever seen one in person you would see just how wrong this statement is. I would be happy to send you one just so you could say that you had seen and felt one in the flesh. I can also e-mail you some pictures of it on my newly-shaven dog (she's part chow, so we shave her down for summer so she doesn't overheat, since we go hiking and camping a lot) if you like. I do agree with you about trainers that think that every dog or puppy should be wearing a prong at the onset of training, but your statements about the prong collar traumatizing a puppy are not exactly on par. The only way the prong collar could be traumatic to a puppy would be if it was just put on and the owner started pulling and yanking on the leash. The puppy would have no idea what was going on, and so he may begin to fear the collar. I'm sure you see the logic in this. Now, let me explain how the prong collar works, since you've already admitted that you have no idea. ;^) The prong collar, also sometimes called the pinch collar (see #3 below), is a training collar just like the slip collar (choke chain or all-in-one leash). Some differences between the prong collar and the slip collar are as follows: 1. The prong collar can only tighten so far, as it has a limited slip, just like a martingale collar (the type of collar that you see on greyhounds). You cannot choke the breath out of a dog with a prong collar. The slip collar has an unlimited slip, which means that as long as there is pressure on the leash, the collar can continue to tighten and tighten and tighten - causing the dog to not be able to breathe, and the injuries I mentioned before. 2. The prong collar distributes a correction evenly all the way around the dog's neck, simulating the way one dog would correct another by biting at its neck. Mother dogs correct their puppies this way, for example. The slip collar has one correction point - the actual ring itself. I will illustrate this point in a moment. 3. The prongs on a prong collar do not dig into the dog's neck as you (and others who are not familiar with the collar) believe. Rather, when there is tension on the leash, and the collar tightens, the prongs are pulled together, causing a pinching sensation. The only time the prongs would actually dig into the dog's neck would be if the leash were hooked to both rings (called the dead ring) and jerked. Therefore, the leash should not be hooked to both rings if you intend to give a leash correction, because then you run the possibility of hurting the dog. The dead ring is for getting more sensitive dogs used to wearing the collar (very sensitive dogs can often be trained with just a regular flat martingale collar, rather than the prong), and for weaning the dog off the prong and back onto the regular flat collar (for leash walking). 4. The prong collar absolutely can not be put on backwards, like the slip collar. It can be put on too loose, but it can not be put on backwards. This is one of the best features of the collar, especially for novices. 5. The prong collar does not require the force of a slip collar in order to be effective, also making it a better choice for the novice trainer. Because it distributes the force of a correction all the way around the dog's neck, instead of in just one spot, all you really need to do for a leash correction to be effective is a simple flick of the wrist. For a correction with a slip collar to be effective, you have to actually jerk or yank quickly and fairly hard on it. If you do it wrong (ie: jerk upward rather than out to the side, which is not usually an easy thing to do), the correction is not only ineffective, but it can seriously hurt the dog. Additionally, when a correction is done right, the dog should not be physically moved from the spot he's in. With a slip collar, this can be very difficult for the novice to master. Barbara Woodhouse and Brian Kilcommons could do it, for example, but it took lots of practice. The average pet owner doesn't have the time or patience to learn how to move their body to correct their dog with a slip collar, so they could very well end up injuring their dog with a slip collar unwittingly. So, now maybe you can see how the prong could be better than the slip collar - or perhaps you're still not convinced. Again, if you'd like me to send you a prong collar, I would be more than happy to do so. I encourage everyone who has an unwarranted dislike of the prong collar to go to the store and compare them to the slip collars. Get a prong, of probably medium-weight, and size it so it will fit snugly around your thigh (not tight, but snug enough so that it will not fall off if you let go of it - I can send pictures of what it should look like on your leg if you want me to). Take hold of the live ring (the D shaped ring on the chain part) and pull gently. You should be surprised at the way it feels. It isn't a pleasant sensation, of course, but it doesn't hurt like you thought it would, and most importantly, it doesn't dig in like you thought. Tug a little harder if you like, and then a little harder, until you're satisfied that you understand what the collar does and feels like. Keep in mind that dogs do have fur, so even the shortest-coated breeds won't feel it exactly as your hairless leg does. If you're worried about the prongs scratching the dog's neck or whatever, you can purchase rubber tips to go over the ends of the prongs to make it more comfortable for the dog. These tips do not do well on long-haired dogs, though - they tend to pull the hair and can cause the fur to tangle or even mat. Now that you've tested the prong collar on yourself, do the same with an appropriately sized slip collar. You should be able to tell a big difference. When I first did this little 'experiment' on myself, I had a nasty bruise/blood blister on my leg for a week afterwards. When I delivered the 'correction,' the skin on my thigh actually got pulled through the ring on the collar just a bit when the collar tightened down to my skin, and boy did it hurt! That was three years ago and I haven't touched a slip collar since. I'll NEVER put one on another dog as long as I live. Just for some more information, here are a few links that you may want to take a look at: http://www.dru.org/prongcollar.htm Kristen Cabe Hi Kristen, Thank you for taking the time to explain so carefully about prong collars. And thank you also for your kind offer to send me one - I'd be delighted to take you up. I'm always interested to learn more about dogs and as I've never seen one in the flesh this would be the perfect opportunity for me to put that right! You'll find my address at the bottom of this email. Normally I upload past issues of my newsletter to my website, but recently I've been so busy that I've not done so for the last six months or so. Had I been up to date with myself you'd have been able to read my follow up article to the one you commented on. I'm copying it below just so you can see I'm only too happy to have gaps in my education filled for me! I wonder if you'd mind me reproducing your comments about prong collars in my next newsletter? When I first wrote about the subject I made it quite clear I was not speaking from practical experience and I believe it's important to be able to back claims up with 'in the trenches experience' whenever possible. This is obviously something you have. (I then copied the Dec 7 2004 issue for her to read.) At that point she replied to me saying - I would LOVE for you to put what I wrote into your newsletter! I truly enjoy helping people learn! Everything Stuart said about prong collars is right-on-the-money. He basically said everything I did in my reply to you, so either we're both doing something right, or we're both doing everything wrong. Since we've both had very good experiences with the collar, both on regular, timid, and aggressive dogs, I would say we must be doing it right! While Stuart said he does not actually administer leash corrections when he uses the prong collar, you can use the prong collar to reinforce every command in training, after the dog has been taught what the commands mean with no corrections whatsoever, just like you would use the all-in-one leash or check chain. The difference being that where you would have to quickly jerk or yank and release the leash to correct with the check chain or all-in-one, with the prong, to get the same effect, all you have to (usually) do is simply flick your wrist. Of course each dog and situation is different. What is sufficient for a toy poodle might not get the attention of a stubborn chow chow or dogo argentino. In certain situations, a harder or lighter correction may also be needed. For example, when I was training my dog, I used the prong collar exclusively, after the first few weeks of trying to use the check chain (and then trying them both out on myself). When I first introduced the collar to her, she was just 6 months old. I had used just the basic flat collar and leash to help teach her the various commands, and now that she knew them, I introduced the prong collar as we advanced into the "reinforcement" or "correction" phase of training. For reinforcement of basic commands (such as sit, down, wait, off, heel, etc.), she needed nothing more than a wrist-flick when I had to correct her for disobeying. If, however, she spotted a squirrel while we were working in the yard or practicing heel, for example, the level of correction required to acheive the same response as the wrist-flick under low to no distractions, and get her attention back onto the task at hand was higher depending on the level of drive she was in. Does that make sense? Sometimes I have a hard time with words - I know what I'm trying to say, and I could easily show you, but putting it into words can be difficult sometimes. I will get a prong collar sent out to you within the week (hopefully). Best Regards, This email exchange between us took place about a month ago and I've not as yet received the collar she said she'd send, so I have to confess I've still not actually seen one in the flesh. However, I have to say that both she and Stuart (whose comments were in the Dec 7 2004 issue) have, to my mind, put forward a pretty convincing argument. Humble pie for supper in the Chastney household tonight? ;-) Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".
If you'd like to receive articles like this on a regular basis sign up for my free Dog Training Blueprint email newsletter which goes out once every month. Sign up now and I'll send you a free copy of "Top Ten Tips For Having An Obedient Dog". To join the list just fill in your name and email address and click the 'Send me the tips' button - (If you prefer not to subscribe until you know a bit more about what sort of dog training advice you're likely to receive, you're welcome to read a typical selection of comments from other subscribers first.) This is what other readers of the Dog Training Blueprint email newsletter have to say about it. Also read through some of my other dog training articles.
Return to the main article index Webmasters - If you have your own dog training site, you are welcome to reproduce this article provided you reproduce it in full, without editing it in any way. Furthermore, at the end of it you must also agree to put the following resource box (without the speech marks) with an active, working link back to this site. If you are not prepared to do this you may not reproduce any of my work. Here is the wording you must use - "This article is the copyright of Andrew Chastney, author of Dog Training Blueprint to Success. To read more of his articles and get a free copy of 'Top Ten Tips For Having An Obedient Dog' go to www.dogtrainingblueprint.com" The section to hyperlink back is www.dogtrainingblueprint.com as I've done in the example here. In case you are not sure how to do this, simply copy the following - (a href="http://www.dogtrainingblueprint.com")www.dogtrainingblueprint.com(/a) and replace the brackets with the 'triangular brackets' that are used to open and close html tags. |
