Prong collar: Yes or No?

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There have been many controversies regarding prong collars and whether or not using them is considered humane. Whatever your stance regarding prong collars is, there is no denying their effectiveness.

Even today, a lot of professional dog trainers and behaviorists argue that using the prong collar has its benefits. On the other hand, many dog owners and trainers claim that this training method is not effective in the long run and can cause long-term harm to your dog. So what is the verdict, and are these collars safe for use? Let's check it out.

Are prong collars safe to use?

The first thing you need to ask yourself is - are prong collars safe to use? No one in their right mind wants to deliberately cause their dog harm and pain, so if the prong collar causes excruciating pain, you shouldn't use it. To answer this question thoroughly, we need to divide prong collar safety into two categories - emotional and physical.

Emotional safety

Like with all topics regarding prong collars, emotional safety has two sides. One side says that dogs trained with this product have prolonged exposure to pain, so they become agitated and are likely to "explode" and end up biting someone.

The other side says that it is safe in the long-term and will save the dog from misbehaving, which will stop them from biting and save them from euthanization. There have been numerous studies funded by different movements, and the only thing they do is confuse dog owners. It is impossible to know whom to trust.

Physical safety

The physical safety of using prong collars is also heavily debated, and this topic has opposing views. Some say there are long-term problems associated with using prongs and that they can cause significant problems to the dog's trachea and thyroid glands. Those that like using them say that it only causes discomfort when a dog actively pulls on the leash and that behavior usually goes away after short training with these collars.

It certainly sounds problematic, but then again, many professional trainers really love these things and think they are effective training tools.

Prong collar training

If they are unsafe and dangerous, how is it possible that so many professional trainers recommend them for dog training? We believe that the answer to this question is simple - they know how to use it. The majority of dog owners are not completely sure how to use a prong collar properly and safely place it.

Constantly choking your dog or causing pain is definitely not in anyone's interest, and dog trainers know how to correct the dog's behavior without causing them too much pain. If you are thinking about using it for training, it is vital that you understand how to use it.

How should you place a prong collar on a dog?

Our honest recommendation will be not to use the prong collar if you are unsure how to use it or safely place it around your dog's neck. After asking a few professional trainers, we learned that the safe placement is behind dogs' ears and along their jawline.

When properly placed, the prong collar will not cause pain but should knock the air out of the dog for just a moment, which is more than enough to stop the unwanted behavior. If combined with positive reinforcement training, you can expect great training results. It is necessary to teach and reinforce the behavior you want from your dog. It is not enough just to correct the unwanted behavior with the prong or choke collar.

The truth is, not all dog owners know how to do that safely, and if you are not sure how to do it, leave it to the professionals or use positive reinforcement training. That might be a longer process, but you won't risk hurting your dog.

What prong collar to choose?

If you still think you are capable to safely train your dog with a prong collar, then the next step for you is to pick one, and facing a huge variety of products can be confusing. Are longer prongs better, or should you pick shorter ones? How tight should it be, or what is the safest length? Those are some of the questions you could potentially face, and after reviewing hundreds of products, these collars would be our recommendation.

World Dog Finder team