Used prong for first time today!

Thanks, guys. That makes me feel better. John - I actually got the 1/2 hour rule from Ed Frawley's Leerburg site info. It's just supposed to help the dog not associate having the collar put on with "OK, I have to mind -that collar's on me again." Otherwise, the dog could end up acting like a PITA when he knows he doesn't have the prong on.

I was just worried that there might be a reason not to leave it on for greater lengths of time. He's our only dog, so he doesn't wrestle around w/anyone, and I always take it off if he's unattended (like in the crate or in the car while I'm in the store.)

Thanks!

Thanks, guys. Tim - I hadn't heard that, but it makes perfect sense. Right now we only use the collar for walks, going out (in the car to the pet store, park, etc). I won't be using it for corrections probably for a few more weeks, since he's only 7 mos old right now, and I want to bond w/him for a while longer before we start doing corrections (I got him at 7 weeks old).

Thanks all for the good advice!

i hope i dont step on any toes here but im sure i will
i ahve been battling to have dog bans flipped for years now, and part of the evidence proving that its the owner who has the ability to make the diference in a dogs personality was the use of the prong collars. A cousin of ours had one for their GSD and i had him put it on himself. Then i proved what it does to the dog. he took the collar off and out it went.

Prong collars are a torture device. In most cities across Ontario they have been banned (thank you very much). They have the ability to inflict emotional and physical suffering on the very fur babies that we love. We would never think of training a child with one, nor should we with a dog.I agree it gets and keeps their attention. i agree tht they learn fast using this method.
but i have also seen the collars imbedded in the necks of dogs who were using them and were allowed off leash to play with it on and got snagged on a bush.
ive seen lovable, trusting animals turn into dogs taht are constantly on guard and no longer trusting of humans. ive seen the scars on GSD and other dogs while i have been grooming them at the shelters. i dont believe in the electircal training collars either. Citronella sure, but unless we are willing to put one of these on ourself and allow someone to continually shock us to try to quit smoking or wear a prong collar and let our spouses yank us around, i dont think we should be using them on a dog that cant say, 'hey, enough, i dont want that on me. i dont want to be hurt."

have you ever looked into the eyes of a dog that had been wearing a prong collar the first time and had it used? The happiness and light goes out and the look in their eyes is replaced with saddness and a look that says 'But i thought you love me."

Originally Posted By: bearlasmomProng collars are a torture device. In most cities across Ontario they have been banned (thank you very much).

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This simply isn't true and I would be interested in seeing any information on provincial regulations against prong collars. As far as I know, the Ontario government has not stepped in and told dog owners what type of collars they can put on their dogs. Unfortunately, they do try to tell us what breeds we can and can't own, but that's a whole other thread.

There will always be an ongoing debate for and against prong collars. I actually think it's quite simple. If you don't like, don't use them. If you're going to use them, find out how to use them properly.

Originally Posted By: bearlasmomWe would never think of training a child with one, nor should we with a dog.

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Dogs aren't children. If they were "trained" using the same methods, I would have invested in crates long before I ever had dogs.

Originally Posted By: bearlasmomhave you ever looked into the eyes of a dog that had been wearing a prong collar the first time and had it used? The happiness and light goes out and the look in their eyes is replaced with saddness and a look that says 'But i thought you love me."

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In this case, I would have to question the way the collar was first introduced to the dog, and the training abilities of the person using it. This is not a common reaction among dogs wearing a prong collar.

There's nothing wrong with debate or expressing an opinion about a training method, but spreading misinformation isn't going to help anyone, IMO.

Dogs are not "furbabies" or "children". They are dogs. The ideal GSD according to standard is a driven, intelligent and powerful animal with awesome capabilities. To equate them with something that sounds like a freaking guinea pig or a toddler is ignorant. Flat collars, chains including choke or fur savers, halti's, and virtually any other training tool can be torture devices if used incorrectly. I have given myself live and dead ring prong corrections on my upper arm and my leg. I have given myself e-collar corrections as well. I refuse to put something on my dogs that I will not test on myself. Stupid people do stupid things with and to children and other human beings every day much less poor animals. Because some other moron cannot train in a humane manner with a certain tool does not dictate that I cannot use it.

I have never seen the look you are talking about in my dogs eyes, and FYI dogs can say "hey, enough, I don't want to be hurt". It's written all over a dogs whole body expression when pressured too far. People that actually know how to train and work with dogs CAN understand 100% what a dog is trying to tell them. Do you know what my dogs tell me when they get prong stimulation while out of position when training to heel? "Oh, I lost my head and got out of position. Here, now I'm back. GIVE ME MY TOY! GIVE ME MY TOY! i WANT MY BITE!" When they say this their body language is pumped up and hapy with tail and ears up with bright eyes.

i second what john says. i've used the prong on myself, and did not find it painful (and i don't have fur). does it deliver a physical message? yes.

if you have a dog with aggression issues - and i don't just mean 'he growled at someone' aggression, i mean a dog who is perfectly happy to take on any comers (like oh say teagan) - my experience - a flat collar means nothing to that dog, if it's hard, slips into drive easily and turns on (so to speak) to the exclusion of its surroundings - try and see what a flat collar will do. or a martingale. a halti or gentle leader is just absurd. a prong collar is one more tool - should you yank and crank your dog? hurt it? no. do i still need to catch teagan early with a prong? yes, otherwise, it either means nothing to her or she escalates. but a prong is one tool to make sure that teagan is safe, and that those around her are safe as well. i'm not hurting her, but i'm making it clear to her that she is not the only one who needs to be reckoned with.

i train teagan by and large with positive methods/reinforcement. but for her aggression? i correct her, and i would be wrong not to, and i need a tool that can through to her. i do try and eliminate opportunities for her to become aggressive, but i can't control our surroundings 100% of the time. for the times i can't, a prong is an important tool. it's not about being cruel, or beating up my dog, but it does stop teagan, and it's taught her that she can be stopped, and that i'm someone who has the power to dictate her behaviour. i've never had teagan do anything but start wagging her tail and whining to go out the second she sees her prong. she loves it.