Collars - to prong or not

[Dracko]

My Dracko is my first experience with owning a dog. Initially I thought that caging a dog was cruel and the idea of a pronged collar was torture.

But.....after he started suffering from separation anxiety I got a big crate and he was in it when no one was home. Never more than 3 hours and we worked up to build up the time he spent in it. In the end, I only used it for less than 3 months. After he got the message that when he is alone he is to rest, he stopped getting in to things and I have never had another problem in all these years leaving him alone. The crate is long gone.

And, during his 2nd crack at obedience training it was suggested I use a pronge collar. I didn't think I could do that. I decided to give it a shot. Boy did he listen. Easily and quickly. I barely had to actually use the collar once it was on him. He knew what it meant. During that training period I was able to discontinue the use of the pronged collar and he retained the lessons he learned. It was almost like he just needed to get the message to pay attention to me.

As a GS he has a lot of fur on his neck so I know the pronges weren't right on his skin. I might have been more hesitant with a different breed but I have to say that I see the value of them when used correctly. I was in a situation where a trainer was able to show me how to use it properly.

I have to say, people who put those chock collars on their dogs and allow their dogs to pull still bother me. They don't know how to use them and shouldn't have them on their animal. I guess like with anything, in uneducated hands the potential for something to be harmful is there.