Jul 27 2010
Choosing A Good Training Collar
Many dog owners that find dog training hard, find out that their work is made easier if they use a remote trainer. Regardless of whether you want to train your dog to stay in one area, reduce its barking at night, stop chasing or scaring people, you can find many products and collars that will help you. If you’re not familiar with the proper use of a particular training collar, it would be advisable to consult with a training expert, as some of these collars can be harmful to your dog if not used in an appropriate manner, or if the training collar is not of the right size. You can start by learning about two of the oldest and most common types of traditional training collars: the choke collar and the prong collar. The Choking Collar The use of a choke collar is highly controversial, and while advocators of this type of a training collar agree to its humane effectiveness, critics say that the collar is more of a torturous device rather than a training tool. The collar has produced results over the years, regardless of the controversy, and it’s used by many dog trainers. The way it works is by applying pressure to the dog’s neck whenever the trainer pulls the leash, so that the dog understands that it’s doing something wrong. However, if an untrained person doesn’t know how much force to use when pulling the leash, he could accidentally damage the dog. The choke collar is unsuitable for dogs that constantly tug at their leash, and is most likely to cause an injury to the dog’s neck. A dog trainer can teach you how to use this type of collar without any danger of hurting your dog; he can also tell you if the collar would be appropriate for it. The Prong Collar At first sight, the prong collar can be more intimidating than the choke collar, but in reality, it’s safer. The prong collar is a very effective training collar and also safe, if fitted and used correctly, on the dog. Again, it isn’t suitable for dogs that pull constantly from their leashes, even when they see no results. Whether you want a remote training collar to walk your dog, make it stop barking, or teach it how to behave when visits come to your house, you’ll get better results with it. But most importantly, you should know what type of dog training you wish to enforce, and purchase the best one suited for your dog. It is also advisable to deal with these problems at an early stage in the training process to enable you to teach your dog other commands, too.
