I say moderately, because he still pulled and lunged somewhat. A prong would have cleaned him right up. . Leash pulling is certainly one of the most frequent points of contention between human and dog, and it may be one reason that many dogs dont get walked: It can become a real headache for someone to try to walk a dog who constantly tugs and pulls and strains. Make sure to check back in, cant wait to hear your success story. The e-collar is not banned in Scotland The Scottish ministers rejected the proposal as their independent reports found insufficient evidence. Yet, some dogs are repeat offenders, and those dogs? Your email address will not be published. I think its a bad idea. After our trainer introduced us to the prong collar walking with him is a joy. I noticed early on that other dog owners or even people who have seen a dog somewhere in their lifetime, have become experts on how to care for MY dog, irrespective of how theyre known me! We decide when they eat, what they eat, when and with whom they play and also decide when, where, and for how long dogs get to be outside each day and, perhaps more subtly, by imposing the physical constraints of collars and leashes, which guide the speed and direction of a dogs movements. WebThere are two recommended sizes of prong collars for dogs. To help create a puppy capable of being a confident and adaptable family member and keep puppies out of shelters. Dr. Jean Dodds. I dont care what breed you have, how strong they are, or how small you are. Weve invested a lot of time and money in our training and I feel like we have to go back to the drawing board. You can purchases extra links if you have an extra large dog (just make sure to get the right mm size for the collar you have). It is amazing!! So many people misuse them, but when used correctly theyre very good tools. I am also convinced, after having tried every other gentle alternative, that these are a) not effective and b) not kind, because walks with my dog are miserable for us both. Any advice would be appreciated. We are taking it really, really slowly and not forcing her to go anywhere for the walk as far as she is comfortable and I try to avoid triggers but its still stressful for her and I want her to feel more confident. Are you confident the prong collar is fitted properly? I want to make sure that they wont get hurt when using the collars that I will buy for them. Have your new trainer help you make sure the fit is correct and you will be well on your way to having peaceful walks again. Some foster dogs come to us without any leash skills and in order for me to be able to walk them with my dogs, I need to quickly teach them how to walk on the leash without pulling, and a prong collar is a great tool for this. and eventually? Oftentimes, breed is an excuse Oh, hes a German Shepherd, he needs a prong or hell be out of control well no thats not really true is it? The prong collar allows us to share our life with our dog and not just have a dog at home waiting for us to get back from our adventures. Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I bought a prong collar for my 12-year-old unfixed rescue dog, pitbull. Hes not a bad dog and doesnt have any serious issues just your normal puppy stuff. We rescued a 14 month old, 80 pound, muscular, untrained male doberman and walks with him were impossible. At the very least, as a thoughtful species, we can most certainly begin to question and ponder the use of clearly aversive equipment such as electric, choke, and prong collars. You wouldnt have any control at 20+ The prong is really meant for a quick snap of the leash not pulling or nagging on the leash. There are other ways to train a puppy to walk nicely on a leash. Check Latest Price. Lindsay Lowe, "5 Ways Collars Can Harm Your Dog". I thought prong collars were for out-of-control vicious dogs! If it werent for the prong collar, our super sweet 70+lb lapdog would not have been able to stay with us. She wore a harness. Legislators cited prong collars violated their Animal Welfare standards by using pain as punishment.. How to Use a Prong Collar on Dogs: 9 Steps (with Pictures) WebPerhaps it was the way the cave people restrained their wild dogs from running away. I used to be someone who thought the prong collar was evil and harmful.. until I met a former LEO K-9 trainer who taught ME how to use one, properly, on a GSD. Why? This forces the dog into a state of learned helplessness. In addition to pulling, hed often suddenly and without notice, take off after a bird, a blowing leaf or just a mailbox post that looked appealing. It literally saved his life. Are just such huge 2000 2022 Rebarkable LLC. Thank you for saving a dogs life! It was so bad before that I actually would dread having to take him for his walks and I loved him so much because he was a beautiful loving dog but he literally hurt me on his walks but after we tried the pronged collar and he walked so calmly and correctly I couldnt wait to take him on his walks. I have a large, leash-reactive male German Shepherd. Plain martingale collars dont provide the same type of pressure to catch a dogs attention. When I got him, I vowed to use only positive reinforcement in training, so, rather than use a prong collar again, I tried every other alternative easy walk, gentle leader, various harnesses and treats. I love my dogs prong collar. The prong has been like the cherry on top a great tool if everything else is in place. 1 1/2 Inch Keeper's Hidden Prong Double Leather Collar Gold and Silver Knots on Black Web with Metallic Gold and Black Leather and Brass Hardware $0.00. Anna, if used and fitted properly, the prong collar is going to be a life changer and youll wander why you waited so long to try it! A world of difference. I do actually have a prong collar, the trainers at his class suggested it. These collars have been the subject of controversy in recent years, with some people arguing that they are inhumane and should be banned, while others claim that they are an effective tool for training and managing a dog's behavior. My trainer switched her to a prong collar with flat round ends. I can see how someone would see it as dangerous or harmful. I would think they would still work as long as you have the collar up high on the neck. He didnt need to or want to. He responds instantly better when a prong collar is put on him. and links therein.) Why would he still be so excited to go on walks if the prong collar was so terrible? If they are, the whole world may have collectively hopped in banning Because I adopted a 90 pound dog that, once he settled in, became seriously dog reactive in a city full of dogs that walk their owners and have no manners. Familiarise yourself with canine body language, particularly stress signs. Choke collars and collars with sharp prongs, which are designed to make pulling painful, can also do serious damage if not used with extreme caution and under carefully controlled conditions. page. The warning said that they should be banned and included a photo of a dog with several lacerations on its neck, allegedly caused by a Agile_Zookeep 1 yr. ago. New Zealand, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, the Canadian Province of Quebec, and many others have made prong collars (and in many cases choke and shock collars) illegal. If youre going to miss something, would you rather that your dog misunderstood a reward, or a punishment? Still a long way to go but this collar has put us on the right tracks. This is a really simple. However they are illegal here so its very difficult to promote them in a public way. New Zealand, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, the Canadian Province of Quebec, and many others have made prong collars (and in many cases choke and shock collars) illegal. The proper positioning for a prong collar is right at the top of the neck, where the skull meets the neck muscle as this is the most vulnerable part of your dog, where the prong collar will yield maximum effect for training and consequently the desired result. Without leashes, dogs wouldnt be able to go many places with us. I went on vacation and decided to send him to dog training school to try to correct some of his bad behaviors and the trainer brought him back and showed me how to use the prong collar. While establishing a governing body regulating the dog training industry is essential and necessary now, it will take time. He is doing well but, as he is getting older, he is pulling toward other dogs and people. He is a pandemic puppy but I had actually had my name down to get him 8 mths prior so he was very much wanted not a knee jerk. Yours and the fur baby. I swapped over to a prong collar, and got him to behave, and pull and run after other dogs less, but it doesnt stick when I put him on another collar. He pulled his previous owner down their porch steps! Choke Chain Collars A choke chain collar is another inhumane training tool. These collars have been the subject of controversy in recent years, with some people arguing that they are inhumane and should be banned, while others claim that they are an effective We rescued a super sweet lab mix from down south a few months ago. That creature is way stronger and way more dangerous than a german shepherd so why keep perpetuating the same rubbish?. Its a tough call. Many civilized countries have outlawed prong collars, recognizing the harm they can do! Every dog and situation is unique. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Try the stop and go method first, by not moving forward anytime there is any tension on the leash should teach him not to pull. A dog has to have the following floor space available: If you have a stubborn or strongly pulling dog, these collars can change a dogs behavior in literally one short session. He pulls when i walk him half the time. Of course I do not know this dog. Yes that is the entire purpose of the prong, to use it as a training tool. Im a 68-year-old skinny woman I dont have the strength for this dog and dont know what to do. I have had 0 success teaching dogs to walk correctly using a harness. Meaning, they are walking well with no correction needed. No Credible Scientific Evidence Justifying If it works to stop a behaviour, it must be because the animal found it aversive (if they liked it or didnt notice it, it wouldnt reduce the frequency of the behaviour).". He is now 9 months old, over 90 lbs and still growing! But I now see how wonderful they are in training my dog. Are dog pronged collars illegal in Australia? The prong collar has always been a life-saver for me and my dog! Although I am thinking I need to do a research project with every type of collar available on the market today! The prong collar is a tool to train leash manners. It also helps me correct her and keep her focused. If hes really excited treats have no value, even hot dogs. No collar will permanently fix a dogs bad behavior. Used poorly, the leash can become a source of severe physical and sensory deprivation and harm. I had a guy ask me yesterday, as my dog and I were riding the bus, why I had a prong collar on him. If you correct the behavior before he gets into that state of mind, the prong will work. So I started on this years path of advice from experienced rescue owners, 1:1 sessions with a personal trainer ( But this got expensive and she made me feel like i was a big part of the problem by not being able to get over my anxieties when we walked by people, dogs etc) I know I have some work to do there and I am trying. Possibly causing neck/throat problems. The bans on them are sad as so many people jump on the band wagon without fully knowing the full story. He was much better with not pulling for a period of time when I would take him on a walk, but then he went back to his old ways and now pulls like crazy now even with the prong collar. Thats all. We have been trying positive reinforcement with him but he goes over threshold quickly if were out on a hike. We just have to apply it. And if you genuinely feel like thats the case? As a trainer, it breaks my heart, because I know how the story often goeswhile the owner may have been intending to diminish and disrupt jumping, she was likely unintentionally building an association between strangers, dogs, and shock. I am still hesitant to give a little correction tug. Use a no-pull, or a choke chain, and train them w/ positive reinforcement. You need to correct the behavior at that point. No more shoulder injuries for me. We plan on taking him to training classes for sure but the dog is making everyone in the family cry, angry, sad because of the jumping/biting. Twice have hurt my back holding him, and I also have tendonitis in both hands/wrists, so holding on to him when he is distracted can be really painful. With positive reinforcement. Once I started using a prong collar on my girl (along with the time commitment of training! You still need to train your dog. Hi Carol, the prong collar is known to come apart at the most inconvenient times. Thanks for your advice and recommend!! He was a bully breed mutt and 100 +lbs. In these places, it is illegal to sell or use shock collars on dogs. Just last week, while at a local dog park, she saw a very social puppy who was running up to every strange human and dog she passed, excitedly soliciting attention, with a loose, exuberantly waggy body. . Had him two years now he has also been attacked by other stray pitbulls. When my German Shepherd was very young she had a lot of behavior issues and I was worried she would grow up to become an aggressive dog. Ill bet you prong collars and strategic sharp jerks will have your dachshunds (or your wolfhounds) respectfully leaving their leashes slack within the week. Ive heard that putting a prong collar on an aggressive dog just makes them more aggressive. Hi Im 19 and have a 4 month old Great Dane and he is almost 70Ib I started him out in obedience puppy classes and the trainer there recommend to get a harness but he grew out of it so quickly that wasnt able to train much with him but even with the harness he was very difficult to walk because he pulls so hard and he chews on his leash like he wants to walk himself. Summary of eRumor: This warning about the dangers of pronged collars, a tool used for training dogs, appeared on social media. Rainalo The dog will be much happier in fact. Prong Collar But like you mention, fit is crucial. Hi Lesa, I appreciate your feedback and the fact youve never needed to use a prong is great. She may also just be going through a fear period. During the first class Shadow had his own agenda and set out to personally meet and greet every student in the class. And the difference is quite amazing.