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A prong pinch collar will make training and walking your dog a much more pleasant experience. If these collars are used properly, they will help you train your dog to walk nicely on a leash in all situations. These collars are not cruel or painful. Many trainers encourage them. My mutt is much better off wearing his pinch collar than without because he gets to go along to more places if he is under control.
A pinch collar is simply a metal choke collar with prongs. When the dog pulls, the collar puts even pressure around the dog’s neck and pinches his skin. I admit, it does sound and look like a medieval torture device. However, I would never hurt an animal. These collars look a lot worse than they are. I am very concerned with animal welfare and have considered taking jobs with PETA and The Humane Society. I recently became a vegetarian partly because of how animals are treated before they reach our dinner plates.
When the pinch collar is worn correctly, it should fit loose and high on the dog’s neck, just behind his ears. As long as the dog is walking without pulling or lunging, the collar will hang loosely. If the dog pulls, you should quickly pop his leash with a quick snap. This will quickly tighten and then loosen the dog’s collar, showing your disapproval of his behavior. It reminds the dog to return to a heel position, or to remain focused on you and not another dog. Using the pinch collar enforces good behavior.
You want the collar to be loose when your dog is behaving. If it is always tight and uncomfortable, he will not learn anything. Remain calm and relaxed during your walks so the leash is never tight and you are never tense. Ideally, your dog will eventually learn to walk on a leash without pulling, so he won’t have to wear the pinch collar.
If you have never used a pinch collar, it would be a good idea to meet with a professional dog trainer and have him or her show you the proper way to fit and use one. If the collar is used incorrectly, it could damage a dog’s throat. And of course, some dogs walk just fine without wearing a pinch collar. I wish that were the case with my mutt. I have spent hours training him to heel properly on a leash, and he walks better on a leash than most dogs I know. But I still walk Ace with the pinch collar, and I recommend you give it a try while walking your dog.
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February 26th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
My wife and I just started seeing a dog trainer last week. We have a silky terrier, and he is trouble. The first thing the trainer did was put a pinch collar on him. We have noticed a difference in only a week of walks.
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February 26th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hey, I have a Silky Terrier too! His pictures are on my site under the “Don’t buy from pet stores” post. I know they work very very well with praise and you have to be the strong one…They’re smart…I don’t like choke collars, bark zappers or any of that though… =/
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February 26th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Cool. I just posted a comment on your site.
Our silky does do well with praise and is extremely smart. He has a bad separation anxiety problem with my wife, and we are working to correct that now.
He is a good dog, though. My wife and I like to say that he’s a lady’s man (like the song), and he does have a bit of a strut when he walks.
Mike’s last blog post..Dream Home Gym
February 26th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
While I have used pinch collars on a couple of dogs, I prefer training with a buckle or regular choke collar. Your dog should be trained to walk on a loose lead. The problem that I have had with pinch collars is that when you put the dog on anything else, you still have the problem. The two dogs that I recommended training with them were problem dogs and they did not have to wear them but a few weeks before we transitioned back to regular collars. I also suggest that you try it on around your thigh and give it a quick pop. You might be surprised, my son left bruises on his leg from it. I have since learned clicker training and can actually train without any leash or collar at all now.
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February 27th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Oh… I would recommend a halti instead. I am a clicker trainer (like Cindy above) and wouldn’t put a shock or a prong collar on a dog anymore. There are friendlier options!
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March 11th, 2008 at 12:11 am
If you need a choke, pinch or shock collar to manage a dog on a walk or pretty much anywhere else, you are doing something wrong in a major way in your training. You’re not building a relationship with the dog, you’re teaching it to expect pain when it disobeys you. My dog walks at my side during walks just fine based on positive reinforcement and clicker training. It took longer, but I didn’t have to hurt, and yeah you’re hurting them, my dog to get a result and my way is part of a larger and more complete relationship.
As someone who knows at least two people who put their dogs down after pinch collar use and the dog became aggressive about having his neck and scruff area touched… and someone who has done it another way and doesn’t have a dog who is hurting on a walk… you’re doing yourself and your dog a disservice in the long run here.
Using the argument that “many trainers” recommend them is bogus. Many trainers, who seem like nice folks, recommend everything from helicoptering to muzzle grabs to alpha rolling to shock collars to pinch collars with a kind and straight face while your dog is learning to fear walks with you. He’s not getting the positive reinforcement you think you’re giving him as referenced in your article. That’s the opposite of positive reinforcement. Get hurt if you do what I don’t like isn’t positive anything. It’s negative, especially to the dog’s psychological well-being.
You say in your article you would never hurt an animal. You are. Sorry, but you are.
September 25th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I have a pinch collar, choke collar and Gentle Leader and use each one in different situations for Ace. He prefers the pinch or choke collars. He walks the other way when he sees the Gentle Leader because he feels so restricted by it. Still, I also think Haltis or Gentle Leaders are a great option for a lot of dogs (including Ace).