Fact: How about a flat collar with studs on it instead? Fact: Unfortunately, many trainers are still using out-of-date, non-evidence-based training methods, which end up doing more harm than good.
We recommend that you follow the advice of reputable dog welfare groups and look for a credentialed trainer that has passed a reliable, validated assessment of his or her skills.
No trainer should need to resort to pain and fear. Baby food? String cheese? Or, some dogs will work for a ball or a game of tug! Even properly fitted prong collars dig into the sensitive skin around the neck, risking severe damage to the thyroid, esophagus, and trachea. He is just learning to avoid pain. Actually training him will have much more wide-reaching and long-lasting effects. Our goal is to help you find the pet that best fits your lifestyle and living situation so we want to make sure you have a realistic understanding of the time and resources necessary to provide training, medical treatment, and proper care for your new pet.
This can take time so please allow at least one hour for the adoption process. What's Wrong With The Prong? What's Wrong With the Prong?
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As Director of Training for a service dog organization in the U. S, she supervised and taught offenders in the training of service dogs. Today she's the owner of Medical Mutts MedicalMutts. She's also part of a research team working on understanding the ability of dogs to detect changes in blood glucose levels through scent. Jennifer also works with Smart Animal Training System on the promotion of reward based training and the development of technology to support it SmartAnimalTraining.
No more pulling! You claim a PhD, in my world that means that you should be a scientist. Where are the scientific, double blind studies? I do agree that, in the wrong hands, that any tool can be injurious. I train working dogs, i use as much positive technique as is possible! But our dogs are NOT pets and have strengths physical and mental that most dogs do not have.
There is much more. Check the literature. I have known some personally. OK back to your already in-progress program. By the way, I also learned some of my training techniques in Switzerland from my mentor — Urs Ochsenbein.
I appreciate hearing about your experience. I am a scientist and yes we could use more data. If you click on all the links however, you will see that only one of them references a blog, written by a veterinarian who really looked into the subject, the other two were actual studies although one of them is the preliminary from the published study.
I have trained dogs for about 30 years now and have myself worked with prong collars and choke chains for a very long time. Yes you are right, they are effective.
I also train service dogs for people with medical conditions. Many are labradors. I have one right now that weights 75 lbs and is very strong, so needless to say that I too am looking for maximum performance and control. I would also agree with you that no one uses all positive.
However, over the years, we have developed methods that are both scientifically validated in their efficiency and less harmful to the dog. I believe that, as trainers, behaviorists and dog lovers, we should always choose tools, techniques or protocols that present the least harm to the animal. Choke chains and prong collars have many negative effects and cause pain and discomfort. The head halter, like anything else, may also be misused, but, when applied correctly, these devices do not hurt or strangle the dog.
We cannot say the same about collars. I spend most of my life in Europe, right next to Geneva Switzerland, so I became a trainer in that school of thought.
The last 15 years have been rich in new findings on dog behavior and there is much more to come. I also understand the difficulty of challenging our own methods, especially when we have become experts in their applications. However, science today offers tools and protocols that bring better results with less constraint on the dog.
Dogs can perform at very high levels and in very stressful and diverse situation without having been forced to do so.
When you really start understanding how it affects the dog, from a physical and behavioral perspective, there is no question that these tools should never be used. I agree with you as well. I use a prong collar, and my dog is very eager to train with me.
He can walk with me off leash very well. There is no damage to his skin, muscle at all. I want to say some assumptions in the article is not what I would agree with. First of all, I used treat, and also pop when I first use a prong collar, I did not just checked without letting the dog know what was required.
In this situation no additional correction is needed — not even a pull on the leash. The prong collar needs to be fitted properly to ensure you do not hurt the dog. A drooping collar can cause the dogs neck to actually get pinched and hurt the dog. While wearing the collar, the dog should never be left unattended or tied up. Handlers should place the collar on the dog minutes before they start training for that session.
Prong collars should not be used on dogs that are timid or on those that are responsive to a simple choke collar. As with all training tools handlers should do their research and truly understand how to use the device properly before putting it on their dog.
This article is intended to help you understand what a prong collar is and not intended to serve as a manual or definitive answer to dog training. Readers are encouraged to gather further information prior to making a decision to use this type of collar on their own dog.
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