This is Part Three in our communication tools series.
The key to the success of a prong collar is a professional trainer introducing it to the dog. We are able to teach the dog that this is a communication tool that THEY control given their actions. We also use food rewards to motivationally condition the prong collar. Another important aspect to the success of a prong collar is that it should only be used during training sessions. Unlike your nylon flat collar that your dog wears on a daily basis and sleeps in, these training tools should only be used when under the guidance of the handler. Your dog should never sleep with a prong collar on or play with other dogs with a prong collar on, this is a safety issue as well as important to maintain a positive association with the tool.
Your trainer will direct you on how to fit your prong collar. As a reminder, it should be high up on the neck just behind the ears and they should be fairly snug. To remove and attach the prong collar you only need to pinch the curved side of one prong and hold still the neighboring prong that it is hooked to. Then you can pull the pinched prong out of the neighboring prong’s loops. We also offer a buckle to add to your prong collar so that it is easy and quick to put on and take off. The leash should be hooked only to the swivel “D” ring on the chain portion of the prong collar, which should be facing away from the dog when the prong collar is properly attached. The “O” ring should be flat against the dog.
