Shocking Training Dog Collar Guide
All dogs need training so that they learn to behave appropriately, especially in a family environment. To this end, training collars have been created to help you with this process, and they have proven to be very effective in this role. As with many things however, in the wrong hands, dog training collars can be used to hurt and abuse dogs, so you need to understand how they work and what they do.
The first collar to investigate is the prong collar. Whilst it actually looks to be the most evil of the collars, it is actually the least likely to cause harm, although if people want to abuse the collar (and the dog), they will find a way. Under normal usage, when the collar is pulled, the prongs that make up the leash pinch the dog's neck. The thought behind this is that the reaction is similar to the of the dog's mother's teeth used to reprimand the dog when it was a puppy. The collar is reasonably safe. The most likely problem will be if the collar is not fitted correctly. If the dog continually pulls on the leash though, the prong collar might not be the best one to use.
Prong collars can be quite easily adjusted by adding or removing some prongs until you get the fit right. A rough guide to fitting is if you can fit a finger between the collar and the neck of the dog. Any looser than that and the collar will not be effective.
The Halti and Gentle Leader dog training collars look like horse harnesses. The method of control is certainly different to the prong collar in that the design is meant to control general movement and stop distraction. The plan is that if you can control the head, the body will follow it. The device works by closing the dog's mouth when the leash is pulled. This type of training collar is particularly suitable for animals that bite or lunge towards people or other dogs. In other words, the Halti or Gentle Leader is good for aggressive or unruly dogs.
The downside of the head control collars such as the Halti is that most dogs do not like having any sort of restriction placed over their nose. You might have to work quite hard to fit the collar in the first place. You also need to be careful not to injure the dog. You need to ensure that you use the device correctly.
The choke collar is one of those items that can raise some people's hackles. Those that like them point to how effective they are in controlling a dog. Those that don't like them, would say that the collars are inhumane. The answer to this probably lies in the people who use the collars. Used correctly, choke collars can be very effective. Used in an inappropriate manner, the choke collar can be quite brutal.
Choke collars must be fitted correctly in order to be effective. When the leash is pulled, the collar will tighten around the dog's neck. When the leash is relaxed, so is the collar. At least that is what should happen. If the collar doesn't fit correctly, it might not loosen with the leash. This could obviously restrict the dog's airways and cause it to suffer.
One of the newest forms of dog collar are the electronic one's. They are considered to be a very humane way to train a dog, but equally can be abused in the wrong hands.
Electronic dog collars work by passing small electric charges to the dog via a remote control, which is handled by the trainer. The amount of shock that is passed to the dog is completely under the control of the trainer. The rule of thumb is that the shock should be sufficient to make the dog's ears twitch and no more. The amount will vary upon the size of the dog of course. Should the dog cry out when the shock is applied, then the shock is likely to be too strong.
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