Hi
all! I would like to wish you all a happy Easter, and hope you all
enjoy it, however you chose to celebrate!
In this blog, we are going to talk about prong and e-collars, when they should be used, and why you might want to consider using them if your dog is able to handle them. This follows our previous blog, which mentions them briefly. We felt we should expand our opinion and explain in depth.
In this blog, we are going to talk about prong and e-collars, when they should be used, and why you might want to consider using them if your dog is able to handle them. This follows our previous blog, which mentions them briefly. We felt we should expand our opinion and explain in depth.
Before
we get in to the nitty-gritty, never put a prong or e-collar on a
puppy. Prong and e-collars should only ever be used on adult dogs, 3
years of age or older. Puppies cannot handle the stress these tools
place on them. Also, never use these tools on small dogs, such as
chihuahuas, yorkies, or mini eskimoes. They are not large enough for
these tools to not hurt them, even when used properly. Smaller dogs
can be trained using other techniques.
These
tools are often considered controversial, and rightly so. Like with
any tool, it is easy to use them incorrectly. Just as you wouldn't
allow someone who has never welded before use your arc-welder without
proper education, the same principle applies to dogs and the tools
that can be used. When used improperly, prong and e-collars are
without a doubt the most inhumane treatment from a training tool that
a dog can suffer through, and that is why your dog must be the proper
personality and why you must consult a professional before applying
these tools. They should always be considered a last choice if other
training tactics have failed, the owner is not totally consistent, or
when the dog is a working-type dog that is expected to perform
flawlessly, such as protection dogs, or hunting dogs. You should
never place a prong or e-collar on certain personalities of dogs.
There
are many things to consider when deciding if you want to try one of
these two collars. Most importantly, what temperament of dog you
have; is your dog shy, or is he bold and confident? Is he aggressive,
and defensive? Will he bark at strangers, and pull on your pant legs,
will he snap at you if you try to take a toy, or will he yelp when
you raise your voice? If given a firm verbal or physical correction,
will he act like you just hit them with a 2 by 4, or will they look
at you as if to say "Ha ha, that's all you got"? These
questions help guide you to the personality of your dog; we call them
soft, medium, and hard. A soft dog would cower if you raise your
voice. A medium dog would simply obey at a raised voice, and a hard
dog would totally ignore you. There are variances; a very soft dog
would likely mess on the floor, and a very hard dog would either
totally ignore you, or try and bite your face off.
Prong
and e-collar are not appropriate for aggressive-type hard dogs, soft,
and very soft dogs. These tools will exacerbate the symptom you are
trying to correct. Prong and e-collars should only ever be used on a
medium to hard dog, assuming the hard dog is NOT aggressive. The
reason for this is because to a dog these tools are the equivalent of
someone poking us with a stick, or if set properly on an e collar
similar to your cellphone set on vibrate and startling you.
A
prong collar should never be used to deliver hard corrections. Your
dog will likely yelp, but this should be from surprise, and never
from pain. You should never yank hard on a prong collar, unless the
situation is life-and-death, such as your dog charging a bear, your
dog running into traffic, or your dog charging another dog or child.
There
are two type of e-collars; one uses electricity, and the other uses
vibration. An e-collar should never deliver more than a gentle
tingle; set only barely high enough to usher a reaction from your
dog, such as a glance, blink, or gentle yelp of surprise. It should
never ever cause your dog to panic, yelp more than once or twice, and
should never cause pain on any level. The best way to ensure your
dog's e-collar is not set too high is to test it on your wrist, which
is about as sensitive as your dog's neck. If it is hurting you, it is
set too high. The goal is not to stun your dog or force it to stop;
the goal is to cause your dog to go "Oh! What was that?"
and proper training teaches the dog what that buzz means. Some dogs
will get completely spooked by an e-collar. They are generally best
used for training at a distance, and you have to train your dog to be
able to use one efficiently. It is not simply plug-and-play; there is
a learning period. The uses of an e-collar is touched on very well in
this video:
These
tools are not designed to replace proper training; they are merely
tools to make training easier and faster, so you do not have to spend
extra time physically correcting your dog; the tools do it for you.
Most people equate prong and e-collars to a fix-it-all tool; they are
not. They are merely a way to correct your dog faster and make a
greater impact in the mind of the dog than just going "no".
Prong
and e-collars have a bad reputation because of how they look, they
usually are not employed correctly, and have dire consequenses. Its
like spanking your kid. Some may not agree, but everyone can agree
that it is not okay to smack a child with the full force of your arm
- or even a quarter of your power. The same goes for prong and
e-collars. If you use a prong or e-collar correctly and teach your
dog how to respond to them, you will find that just the act of
putting the collar on them is enough to stop certain issues. They are
also not to be left on all the time; only have them on when you
absolutely need to have it on, when you cannot consistently correct
them, such as when you are training a dog not to pull, or playing
fetch with a dog that loves to chase squirrels. Also, you need to
have a back up collar of some type with prongs. Prong collars will
come apart, usually at the worst possible time, as seen in this
video. It is important that the collar is fit properly, which is
snugly right behind the dogs ears.
http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php/42/Prong_Collar_Safety/
When you go to give a correction with a prong collar, you never do three or four tugs on the leash. That is incorrect, and won't tell your dog anything, besides "my human is causing me pain" and not "I should stop". You need to do one tug, hard enough to get your dog's attention, but soft enough that you don't hurt them. This takes practice, and you can try it on your own arm to perfect it. You also do not need the biggest prong available on a collar. The bigger prongs cause more pain, and less reaction; the opposite of what you want. Use the smallest prong size you can get, usually around 2.5mm is more than enough no matter how big your dog is. The whole idea behind a prong collar is 99% of the time your dog will end up correcting themselves and you really shouldn't have to do anything but put light pressure on the leash unless you have to. Think of it as power steering for your dog. When getting used to a prong, your dog can bite the leash and put on a mighty show of protest, but it is because of a lack of control. If you are hurting your dog, they will usually shut down, ignore it, or attack the handler. The mighty show is just show.
When you go to give a correction with a prong collar, you never do three or four tugs on the leash. That is incorrect, and won't tell your dog anything, besides "my human is causing me pain" and not "I should stop". You need to do one tug, hard enough to get your dog's attention, but soft enough that you don't hurt them. This takes practice, and you can try it on your own arm to perfect it. You also do not need the biggest prong available on a collar. The bigger prongs cause more pain, and less reaction; the opposite of what you want. Use the smallest prong size you can get, usually around 2.5mm is more than enough no matter how big your dog is. The whole idea behind a prong collar is 99% of the time your dog will end up correcting themselves and you really shouldn't have to do anything but put light pressure on the leash unless you have to. Think of it as power steering for your dog. When getting used to a prong, your dog can bite the leash and put on a mighty show of protest, but it is because of a lack of control. If you are hurting your dog, they will usually shut down, ignore it, or attack the handler. The mighty show is just show.
Before
you consider trying either of these training tools, please consult a
professional dog trainer. We will happily teach you how to use a
prong or e-collar. We do urge customers to however to train their
dogs with other means, and we strongly advocate engagement training,
and gentler methods. If you are at your witts end and need a quick
switch in your dog, we can help you. Please only consider these tools
as a final resort, unless you have a working class dog. Never place
these tools on your dog without a professional present, and never use
max settings or hard corrections. If you witness anyone issuing a
painful correction to their dog with these tools, please report them
immediately to the SPCA. If a trainer tries using these tools first,
or tries placing them on your dog without permission, please walk
away and encourage your friends to stay away. Never trust a trainer
that uses prong or e-collars as an instant fix to train your dog
unless there is no other means.
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