Fact: Prong collars are designed to do one thing and one thing only
Their purpose is to cause pain to a dog to get him or her to stop any
number of behaviors, such as pulling on the leash or becoming aggressive
towards dogs or people.
Question: Do they work?
Answer: Prong collars do work if you are into the quick fix, but in the
long run they do nothing to address the underlying reason your dog is
pulling on the leash, and once the collar is removed the behavior comes
back.
Question: Can they be used by the average dog owner?
Answer: Yes, but unfortunately it’s been my experience that if not used
correctly,( timing has to be perfect every time to be effective) a metal
prong collar will only increase the likelihood of the owner getting
bitten by their own dog, and at the very least the dog will begin to
associate pain with whatever else is close by at the time when the pain
comes..ie, another dog, a child.
Question: Is it safe for my dog to interact with other dogs in a social
setting like the dog park while wearing a metal prong collar?
Answer: I have witnessed many dogs in play and at times they will tug on
the collar of another dog in play..if this is a metal prong collar and
the dog feels pain when the other dog tugs on his metal prong collar the
likelihood of a fight increases 10 fold.
My advice is if you plan on taking your dog to the dog park, (which by
the way I think is very risky for you and your dog,) be sure to take the
metal prong collar off before you let your dog go. This will be one less
reason your dog might get into trouble.
I feel strongly that this should be a rule to gain entry to any dog park,
or area where other dogs are going to be running around off leash with
little or no supervision. A big sign that reads..
Absolutely No Metal Prong Collars Allowed!! One Strike And You Are Out.
What I hope you take away from this post is that it is never a good idea
to cause your dog pain. Your dog will live in fear, and nobody wants that
right.
I have a technique that I use to convince people that using these
contraptions are hurtful to their dog, and unnecessary.
When I meet a client that uses a metal prong collar but is still having
issues with behavior, I first point out the scar tissue that has built up
around the dogs neck which makes the use of the collar ineffective, and
then I ask them to put the collar around their arm and then tell
them to give it a good yank.
As they rub the pain away and check for bleeding and bruising
They often comment that they had no idea how much they were hurting their
dogs and most of them promise to not use them again.
There are more effective methods for modifying your dogs behavior that
don’t use force,fear,or pain.
I recommend putting in place the 4 laws of nature that govern all dogs,
and once you have won your dogs mind, then you can influence their
behavior, without having to resort to gadgetry or other adversive
methods.
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All the best,
Harley
river valley dog training 