To Prong or Not To Prong?

[donnieo]

Hi All;

I am considering using a prong collar for my dog and wondering what people's thoughts are on this device. My dog, Jinxsie, tends to pull, but not all the time: mostly at the beginning of a walk, on the way home, occassionally when she passes a dog and every time she sees a squirrel. Presently I use a martingale collar but it doesn't seem very effective, plus she makes the kind of hacking sounds that I'm sure most people with pulling dogs know. I am concerned that her trachea will eventually be damaged from this. Also, I find that her pulling causes me to become tense, which causes her to tense up and pull more, and so on. I've been trying to remember to breathe and relax on our walks, but with the pulling it's not easy.

What got me thinking about this was reading a comment thread from one of the articles on Lee's website (Mental Associations, Pt 1 I think) where several of the contributors used a prong with great success. I know that Jinxsie could use some help focussing her drive and that's what it sounds like the prong collar can accomplish.

My concern is wether she's too sensitive or not. When I was using crossover training and giving her leash corrections for going after squirrels they didn't seem to phase her. However, if, for instance, I accidentally step on her foot on our walk when she drifts into my path (it's happened once or twice) she jumps out of the way, startled.

I really don't think that using a prong collar is inhumane. Like any tool, it's morally neutral. You can use a hammer to build a house or to beat someone senseless. I just want to make sure it's the right tool for her...

[neilsattin]

Hi Donnieo,

I'm going to have to revisit your other threads to ensure that I'm not missing anything here. A few thoughts re: prong collar.

Mostly I think it comes down to how you intend to use it AND what you're trying to accomplish with your training...and what you're trying to accomplish on your walks with your dog. When you're out on a walk, every time you see a squirrel, another dog, etc. - essentially something "out there" that energizes your dog, it's an OPPORTUNITY for you to rechannel that attraction to you - using the redirection technique. If you're planning to use the collar as an aversive to pulling when your dog is revealing to you what she's attracted to you, then I think you'd be missing a lot of those opportunities and potentially creating a charge around other dogs/squirrels/etc. - in other words, you'd be ultimately increasing your dog's attraction to those things, and missing the chance to show her that the WAY to resolve that energy is by interacting with you.

Also, the more that you can attract Jinxsie - and especially once you start working on the heel (that's on DVD#2 - did your copies arrive yet?), then your walks will allow you to again focus on the dynamic of being attractive to your dog and in harmony on walks...when you need to. And, imho, allowing Jinxsie some slack to do "what she wants" when you don't "need to". I talk about this concept in this article on how to walk your dog.

However, I do think that a prong collar can be an effective management tool (as I discuss in that last article) - when using the high collar technique. But in general my preference is to use all the opportunities that a walk with your dog offers you, and to use a management technique only when it's important that you have your dog under control. And even those moments, I'd consider leaving a dog at home and enjoying a walk by yourself on occasion. Eventually your training will catch up and you won't have to think about "training" when you're on a walk.

Perhaps when you start out on your walks you have a tug toy or something like that, and you actually play a walking game of tug - to keep Jinxsie focused on you (and the game) instead of whatever's "out there" (which is what's beckoning her explosive energy at the beginning of the walk). The more that she comes to trust your ability to resolve her energy and stress, reliably, the more she will turn to you in those moments instead of bursting out of the gate.

So, anywho - those are some thoughts. I hope they help.

Note: you mentioned a prong collar in the context of "management on a walk". There is also a place for using a prong collar to ADD DRIVE - particularly when you're training the down. In this situation the prong collar is not meant to be a deterrent at all - but instead helps you keep the engine revving for your dog. I talk about the theory/practice of this concept in this article on the blog. In case you didn't have enough to read already.

[donnieo]

Thanks for the advice Neil; I think that before I use this tool, I'm going to learn more to how it applies in NDT.

Still waiting on the DVDs, hope to see them soon! I also ordered one of your 50' leashes.....

[neilsattin]

ah, customs. They'll get there! Leash is on its way too. And thank you so much!