Why do do trainers say you need a choke collar even if you have a small dog?
Animal L asked:
There was a dog competition a few months ago at a park and before the competition there was an hour of free obedience training. The lady who was teaching us had a pug and she started the lesson by saying:
There was a dog competition a few months ago at a park and before the competition there was an hour of free obedience training. The lady who was teaching us had a pug and she started the lesson by saying:
‘First off, if you are going to do training you NEED a choke collar…’ as if if you don’t have one your dog is hopeless.
I read your dog has to be heavier than 40 pounds and have a neck that’s bigger than 16 inches. I have trained my dog to do great tricks such as walking next to me, not pulling, jumping over me, not eating his food until I say ‘eat’ without that cruel collar.
So again, why do trainers say you need the collar when it can seruosly damage your dog’s throat?
Julia
Sophia
29 Sep, 2009
Melvina
I think it’s cruel. If the dog tugs too hard, or the collar get yanked, guess what’s going to happen?
~YoUr G
29 Sep, 2009
Grant
If used properly they are a very effective training tool. If you don’t like it then go to a different trainer. Different things work for different dogs.
Expertise
30 Sep, 2009
Curtis
Because REAL trainers aren’t ignorant AR-brainwashed imbeciles & know *** they’re talking about!
You’ve “read” bullshi*.
Ignorant people “damage dogs”-NOT the tools they use!
TOOLS are NOT “cruel”.
Sorika
2 Oct, 2009
Tamesha
you dont absolutely NEED one. they will NOT hurt any dog so long as you use them properly (as in dont have constant pressure). its true that some dogs could be very uncomfortable with a choke collar- if you want to try it you can start with a short length of rope and make a loop and slip it through to see if your dog is okay with it
starkiller
3 Oct, 2009
Tarsha
I don’t know. You are right. Usually you use a choke collar on a big dogs to keep them in your control. Maybe your dog is not obedient. I think you need to talk with your dog trainer about it.
Was this rule applied only to you or to everyone?
raizdbywolves
4 Oct, 2009
Matt
First off I’d like to say that I agree with most of these answers, they can work effectively, as well as different tools work for different people. However, choke collars are too often used improperly. Your dog can actually permanently damage their airways by tugging on choke collars. Which overtime can kill the dog.
Greek God AKA Greekman
6 Oct, 2009
Kayleen
I know, right…all those cruel bastards…I use the prong collar, have you ever seen one? It works great, on ALL dogs without exception!!!
Stop being a bunny hugger and accept that some things were put there for a reason and they WORK, if you use them right.
Mike
8 Oct, 2009
Miles
I’m a dog trainer and they are not cruel. I don’t agree you NEED one, but when necessary, like any tool, they have a proper use and are quite humane. Your dog is a perfect example that they are not necessary in every situation. Some dogs do need corrective force to comply, but at no time should you see a fear, pain, or apprehension reaction from the dog, and eventually force will not be needed at all.
The proper way to use one is to put it on the dog so it looks like the letter “P” and it must not be too big that it slides down their neck when slack . The collar should have no tension if the dog is not pulling. When the dog pulls the collar there is a squeeze on the upper neck that doesn’t hurt but is unpleasant. The dog learns fast because they realize that there is no pressure if they walk next to you at heel. Additionally, it is used to apply pressure when you are training the dog, but pressure is only used when you know the dog understands what you want. For instance, if you know your dog knows the command “sit” but they aren’t obeying then you can use the collar to sit the dog. You would not do that to teach “sit” but only to enforce it after the dog completely understands the command. It is important to remain firm, consistent, and calm when you train. Never get angry or you will lose the lesson. Used properly, you will have a dog that enjoys the training and responds in a happy, confident manner. Anyone cruel or insensitive enough to punish a dog with the collar will do the same thing in another manner without the collar, so it isn’t the collar that is cruel, it would be the handler. To actually crush a dogs throat, as you say, with one would take so much force that the person would literally be trying to kill the dog. You won’t hurt the dog by accident with a choke collar. They shouldn’t even be called a choke collar because they do not choke your dog at all, they squeeze the outer flesh, which on a dog is one of the strongest, toughest parts of their body.
anguslechien
11 Oct, 2009
Bobbye
A choke collar is more properly called a check chain. It is NOT a prong collar.
Check chains are very effective collars when used in the right hands and can be used on dogs of all sizes. In saying that, you tend to find more people using them on larger dogs due to the weight compared to say a pug.
The check chain should not be kept tight. The idea is that it sits loose around the dog’s neck but if they do not respond to a command then they get checked – ie a quick movement with the lead which tightens the chain momentarily and then returns to slack. The dog will learn the sound of the chain and this will be enough for them to correct their behaviour without resorting to the actual check.
In the right hands it will not damage the dog’s throat BUT if you are reefing at the collar as the dog is not suitably trained then yes you might cause damage.
It is surprising that the training school insists in a check chain as many of them state no check chains however it is a case of finding the collar which works best for you – be it flat collar, martingale, check or halti.
In saying all that – if you have a dog on any of those collars and it is pulling etc when walked on lead then you actually need to address the behaviour of the dog – changing collars will not fix that issue.
Ava Girl
11 Oct, 2009
Loyd
When used properly choke collars / prong collars are excellent training tools & will not “seriously damage” your dog in any way.
With that being said, I don’t believe *all* dogs need them to succeed at training. It varies on the individual temperament of the dog. Some dogs can learn just fine without them, while others need a firm hand in training. If a person uses common sense on the strength of the correction on a smaller dog then I see no problems.
T J
13 Oct, 2009
Marco
All collar types do exactly the same thing. It is only the way they do it that differs.
Collars are an inert object, it takes a person to use it correctly or incorrectly.
So if a dogs neck is injured by ” that cruel collar”, who’s at fault?!? The collar or the idiot at the other end of the lead?
Now to answer your question, TRAINERS do not say it is absolutely necessary to use one. ALL collar types do exactly the same thing, remember?
It is not, nor has it ever been, the type of collar used that trains a dog!!!! It is how the collar of choice is used that does that. During classes, I will often remove one of my shoelaces to use as a collar on the baddest dog in the class to prove the point. (even tie it on with a pretty bow)
Holy Crip She's a Crapple!
13 Oct, 2009
Nelle
Because they can be an effective training tool if used properly. Unfortunately we live in an era of bunny huggers who think that “correcting” your dog is cruel, and use ineffective training methods such as the “gentle leader”, “halter”, “clicker/treat training”, and the “harness”. I for one will use a prong collar with my next dog, because it’s an even more effective training device than the choke chain.