Is a pinch collar mandatory for a GSD?

[Stella's Mom]

We began use of a pinch collar a few months ago when Stella decided she wanted to chase ducks while on our morning walks. She almost got us both killed.

Now we walk without incident because of the few corrections and re-direction I was able to give her after a few pops on the pinch.

Stella is a good sized, strong dog at 70 pounds/ 1 year. I am not the biggest gal in the world at just 5feet. The pinch works well for me.

[BGSD]

From my experience, a pinch/prong collar is great for making walks much easier and providing more control over the dog.

The only problem is that if the dog is nervous or fearful in some situation, corrections and pain from the prong can actually make things worse.

[badcalorie]

I used to use a prong on my older female, but don't (well sort of don't) anymore. The prong really helped get her walking skills down. When we go walking now, I put the prong on but I actually leash to her normal collar. For some reason, just having the prong on without even having to use it changes her whole state of mind when we are walking.

[warpwr]

We always used a choke type steel collar at obedience training on our Shepherds.
The rest of the time Miss Molly wears a regular soft collar.
Maybelline has only ever worn a scarf (and a soft cloth collar during training).

I doubt that Guide Dog German Shepherds are trained with any type of pinch collar, so it's kinda up to you and your dog if you want or need that type but it's certainly not mandatory.

[hunterisgreat]

The are tools to supplement your handling skill. Your voice, demeanor, and mutual respect with the dog are the most effect tools, albeit the hardest to master, and the only required tools

[bocron]

We have 8 German Shepherds currently. None of them have had a prong on them for training. (Well, the one we imported from Germany at 10 mos may have). 3 of ours will be going for their Schutzhund titles this spring, maybe 4 if we can get going on her.

[doggerel]

Thanks, everyone!

If I do feel like I need a prong after bringing my dog home, do you know of any helpful articles/websites/instructional materials to help me use it?

I've walked dogs with prongs before, but with little to no effect. I want to be sure to use it properly if I do need to get one. Any advice is welcome!

[selzer]

I think that the liersberg site does instruct in how to fit them properly on the dog -- then they do look like torture devices, but if you are getting no effect, it sounds like an issue with how they are fitted.

[AbbyK9]

The Leerburg article on how to properly fit a prong collar is located here - Leerburg | How to fit a Prong Collar

In my humble opinion, I think that the prong collar used in those instructions is much too large in size for the dog. I like to go with the smallest prongs that I can use on the dog (depends on their coat). The bigger the prongs, the more of the dog's neck will have the chain part on it, instead of the prongs.