Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey_
While I agree (mostly) with everything you've said, I also believe that Prong collars should be used as an extreme last resort. And even then, I personally try to avoid it at all costs and have never ever had to use one on any dog.
There are MUCH more effective ways to teach a dog how to correctly walk on the leash without resorting to the prong, in even the hardest cases with dogs where pulling has become a learned behavior.
Not to mention that some harnesses do NOT encourage pulling. (Your basic flat harness will, especially with certain breeds, yes.)
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I personally don't see the prong collar as a last resort, but rather as a training tool. I don't only use it for walking but obedience which does include heeling, later on moving to regular flat collar and off-leash training. What it does for me, is let the dog know that if the first command is ignored a correction will follow, which results in dog that will obey the command without repetition. And owners of breeds with high prey drive cannot afford a dog with selective hearing.
I do agree with you that there are differen methods, and I have nothing against that. As long as the dog is corrected properly when it is not behaving appropriately, it doesn't matter what is used. But it's much easier to properly correct a larger dog with a prong collar, as larger breeds, dogs with longer coats, bully breeds have higher pain tolerance, and a correction with a martingale collar or a choke collar (if used properly, more often than not, it's not) will not have the same effect.
I don't think there is one right way which is more or less effective, what might work for someone with one dog, might not be appropriate for someone else with another dog. Some dogs enjoy working with people despite the distractions, other dogs are more independent, some have higher prey drives and have harder time focusing on the person when there is a distraction.