Prong collars are a pain in the neck!!

This is a prong collar. Prong collars are a correction based metal collar that applies pressure to the dog's neck when it tightens. It's not an evil thing, although it sure is ugly! Like any piece of training equipment, it must be used properly with knowledge of it's intended use and the physical and behavioral side effects. You see, there are many folks are out there using prong collars on their dogs without any thought of using it properly or what the experience is like for their dog. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the "miracle" of the prong-the dog stops pulling because it hurts!!! You'd stop whatever you were doing too if you wore this thing around one of the most sensitive parts of your body. Here's what a prong collar leaves behind on human skin after only a minute of contact. Now imagine that on your neck. Nuff said. Can I just say from my perspective, I am sooo glad that Jenn is a reward based trainer and that she has never put something like this on me. I can't imagine that thing being on my neck and those pieces of metal pressing against windpipe. It would make me really uneasy and anxious all the time. This dog sure doesn't look comfortable. But what else can happen when you use a prong collar??
Well, physical injury for one. Here's a dog that ran out to the end of the leash too fast and the prongs went right into his neck. Prongs are especially dangerous when they are used with retractable leashes. If you are using a prong, please don't use a retractable leash with it. Worse yet, your dog should never be tethered in a prong collar or wear it all the time.
Aside from obvious physical injuries, behavioral side effects from using prong collars can be even worse and take much longer to heal or resolve. Because dogs are associative learners, many dogs react not just with avoiding the pain from the prong collar, but can also develop a negative association to whatever is around that causes the pain sensations.

So, you are out walking your dog, they see another dog down the street, they pull forward and feel the pain from the prong collar, the dog associates bad things (pain on their neck) with the presence of another dog. With repeated experiences, other dogs = bad things and dog responds with increase arousal and reactions, and with even more intensity when the prong collar comes off. Jenn says that she sees this time and time again: behaviorally healthy dogs developing behavioral problems and reactivity after being put on prong collars.
Once the prongs come off, the dog is less inhibited and the pent up frustrations come out in force. So now you have a dog that doesn't pull as much, but hates other dogs or cars or people or children. Eeshh!! With all these possible issues, there has to be a better way to get your dog to walk politely on leash??

Indeed friends. And that's the topic of my next blog. In the meatime, look at me rocking in my body harness! Relaxed and balanced on all four feet without any pressure on my neck.