I have been using a prong collar since my Mal was 4 months old. She is 2 now and when she sees me get the collar out she gets really excited because she knows we are going for a walk or work. Best tool you can get in my opinion. Another great video Robert as always.
I want to thank you for imparting information on the prong collar. It saved the life of my Jack Russell mix which was obtained from a local shelter. He was extremely leash reactive and we were at a loss as to what to do until I happened upon your RU-vid videos. Thank you again.
Just a quick FYI ... I wasn't smart enough with my first dog to take off the pinch collar in the car. One of the prongs got stuck in the dry cleaning hook in the back seat. She was seat belted in to the car and she started to strangle herself. She was in a total freak out from being caught. We finally got her out of the collar but I learned a very hard lesson -- No prong collar when in the car.
Good point, no prong--or leash in the car. Something a little similar happened to us when the poop-bag dispenser got caught and my dog, trying to jump out, was inadvertently getting pinched by her prong while I tried to free the leash.
THANK YOU for your video. i got this collar and it was a game changer for us. we almost had to rehome our dog- he would pull us all over the place, he pulled my daughter into the street twice. he pulled my back out! he is not a bad dog- he is unaware of his impact on others and just goes with his impulse. this collar was a game changer for us. your videos were pivotal for me to learn how to use it as a tool and not a torture device. thank you so much!
Thank you for this video! I use a prong collar on my service dog but i finally figured out why i had to use so much pressure. She just needs a snugger fit to keep it from falling down on her neck! Thanks!
Our powerful 7 month old 76 lb English Lab is a terrible puller on his walks (he’s not our first Lab either, just the biggest and most stubborn/demanding). He’s respectful at the door and waits for me to go first and then sits and waits for me to lock the door but, once we start walking, he’s all over the place. Every smell or interesting leaf results in a powerful lunge/tug or zig-zagging. We’ve worked a lot with him and he’s getting better but still not as good as he needs to be. His dad is about 90 lbs, so I want to get him walking properly before he’s full grown. I finally looked into prong collars and was dumb-founded by how misinformed I was about them. I always thought the prongs were sharp or caused pain but, after watching a ton of great trainers such as yourself promoting these tools, I decided to pick up a Herm Sprenger. I did get a large (stainless steel 3mm one) but it doesn’t seem too big or heavy for my bud. I’ve got it all sized up and ready to try tomorrow. I’m going to introduce him to it in the backyard and then try a short walk. I must admit, I tried the collar on myself just to feel what it’s like when it tightens and, just like you said, there is no pain or even pinching ... it’s just very even pressure. The prongs focus the pressure too and it’s a very distinct feeling compared to being choked by a collar/choke chain...it’s probably why dogs respond so well to prong collars. Anyhow, thanks for making these videos and spreading the word about these training tools.
Thanks so much for your training videos! Your no-nonsense approach has drawn me in (although I did enjoy your recent more lighthearted kong one too). My husband owned a dog-aggressive pointer mix and used a prong with her. When she passed we got a new dog and I got sucked up into the positive training stuff and wanted to stop using the prong. There is this idea that the association with something negative (being pinched by a collar when they pull to meet a dog) will make them aggressive. At about the same time I became a dog-walker. It's been a year of boarding and walking dogs on a variety of different leashes, collars and harnesses and I've experimented with all types with my own dog- the gentle leader (bridle) and front clipping harness. I've seen dogs pull through front-clipping harnesses until their chest is compressed enough for them to struggle for breath, wheeze and develop a cough. Dogs on a martingale getting choked when they pull. My own dog has developed a bald spot on his belly from the harness and will pull even with the bridle especially when he sees squirrels and is obviously unhappy with this thing on his face despite rewarding him for having it on. Now, with some more experience, I'd say most dogs with a pulling-problem choke LESS on a prong. I should say, they don't choke at all on a prong. Anyway, thank you so much for the video! I have started using the prong collar again but realized from watching your video it is much too large for him. I'll be getting a small.
One of my biggest peeves is when people put the collar on the wrong side, with prongs pointing out. Like, if you want a cool spiky collar, get one, not a prong
"It tells me Goofy and I have the same neck size" lol 😆 Thanks for your detailed explanation of proper fitting! I have heard that "the tool hasn't really taught the dog how to walk next to you because it is dependent on the tool" This makes sense to me. But anyone who's seen your and Goofy's amazing off-leash work together know he is TOTALLY compliant off-leash! How do you employ the prong-collar to transition into off-leash walking by your side? Thx!!
I just ordered a Herm Sprenger hypoallergenic one (I can't spell it 😆, but it starts with a 'C') for my very large husky boy. Bc of his neck size, I was to order the 3.0 size/20". I'm doing all that I can in researching this collar, so I can set Jackson 🐾 and myself for success! 😃
The unused ring of the prong collar should be attached to the flat collar steel ring/ leash loop with a small carabiner. If the prong collar opens (it occasionally pops loose), you still have the dog on a leash.
Thank you for this piece of advice!!!! Ive searched everywhere for a double ended lead (im in the uk) and ive found nothing apart from on leerburg. I cant afford to pay their shipping costs at the minute for just one lead. Great tip you legend!!!
mattystewart8 I suggest a twist lock carabiner, specifically those for rock climbing since it won’t bend/break compared to cheaper carabiners only meant for keys. Shorter traffic leashes also help with being in crowded places, offer more control as well.
Just starting to use this training collar,and I am so glad I watched your videos first before using, because I would of been doing it all wrong. Thank you for the lessons and I will continue to watch all tutorials from you.
Your video hands down is the Best I have found at explaining All aspects of the prong collar. I love it, thank you so much. Especially about the 2.25mm prongs, I had been wondering which would be best for so long. My only question would be about is have you ever tried the covered prong collars where the prongs are attached to the cover collar? What do you think about those and their effectiveness?
Question!! Why do you remove the center/distribution plate and why don't you like it? I copied you but I don't really understand why it's better to have the links facing one direction
Without my European Doberman's prong collar, I would literally be laying on the ground, without a pinch collar I would be the one treated inhumanely. I had a terrible time getting the right fit and his hair was coming out, I switched to a small prong collar and the hair quit coming off. It looked terrible. Thank you for the information.
Hello. Loved your video. I am going to have to order this brand on amazon. No local businesses have this german brand. Only cheap chinese. My question for you is, I measured my pitbulls neck with a tape measure, his neck is 16in diameter. The collars available are 16,in 23 and 25in. From watching this, I should order the 16in? I will be signing up for your program as soon as my work schedule changes in April and off night shift and back to a regular 4/10 schedule. My pit, showed up at my house a month ago, he's about 1-2 years old, and he knows some basic skills. He needs a lot of work. When it comes to listening especially in high distraction environments. He gets along great with other dogs, and children.
thanks for the video ! just got a prong collar for my gsd pup that’s getting too strong, my trainer also recommended it so today we’ll give it a go hope it works :)
Excellent video as always. I just used in mu 7 month mal and it was amazing the change she had. We were very gentle and following your advice,giving treats etc. I would recommend a leash with two leash-ends from Leerburg. It is amazing since the "short" leash goes to the prong collar and the long (safety) leash goes to the flat collar of even a harness. Thanks again Robert and keep the videos coming.
Lots of people refuse to even be educated about pinch collars or e collars. No one can argue from a position of ignorance. Well they will but shouldn't. Great video, thank you Robert : ) Note; According to Vets a dogs skin is thinner then ours but as they have fur then I guess it works out similar. However it is worth remembering this when using e collars : )
why is there a need to "wear it for years" if its a training collar? when is it no longer needed? Im no knocking it. Im just wondering. also, if that dog, a shepherd, uses a small, then who on earth would use the medium and large ones? I have a 1 year old great pyrenees. So Im the large one, right?
Thanks for the video! It's helped me feel better about my decision to start using one. When I first got to the training facility I do Rally training at, I was shocked at seeing numerous people using them (compared to where I had trained him before in puppy classes and such that was "positive only"). What I've found is here, everyone is also using positive training techniques but with a tool that is allowing the dogs to learn to calm down, allow for more productive training sessions and no choking compared to just using a flat collar to train with (on a dog that pulls severely). Some of the dogs have now been weaned off of using one and are amazingly well behaved, but they were happy all along, even when using the pinch collar. It's completely turned around my thoughts on using one (where everyone else would say it was evil, while their dog would pull at the end of a flat collar choking itself).
@@KARENboomboomROXX I've seen that you've posted this comment on several training channels. This man is a world renowned dog trainer. If anyone knows what they're doing it's him. I'm not sure why you think all these trainers are doing it wrong.
@@censorship_sucks Out of every video I've watched on how to properly fit a prong, I've only ever seen one video of someone putting the prongs on the back. I tend to believe every other dog trainer ( Especially Robert! ) on how the prongs should be under the neck.
Im looking to get hs pinch collar. For my Czech gsd now that he is turning 6 month. I dont know what size to buy. Should i get the same as goofy. Im in south america and need to ship them over. So i dont want to mess up the size.
Thank you!!!! I think it’s so much better to have a trained dog than a dead dog from bolting out into the street. Goofy is very handsome and seems quite happy so I guess he doesn’t mind his name.❤️
I've looked at a few videos about this collar as I try to pick the right size for my 7 month old German Shepherd. You're the first one to mention the size of the prong - others have just focused on general wear of the collar. So thank you. I now feel more comfortable and will be getting the 2.25 mm one.
Is it a good idea to use on a dog that’s terrible on a leash? My neighbor’s dog is a springer spaniel and she pulls and leaps forward so you almost get knocked over. We’ve tried nearly every tool to make her walk better but with no luck.
Our 5 month old GSD gets completely out of control at puppy training. He just wants to play and ignores all commands that he always obeys at home. Our trainer suggested a prong collar and we will first study your videos so we get the right one and understand how to use it. Thank you for all of your efforts to help us do the right things for our 4-legged companions.
I can speak from limited personal experience, but our young Pitt/Boxer mix (six months-1 year) had bad leash pulling until we introduced the pinch collar. She's just started, but is already showing a great hesitation to pull like before and responds to corrections very quickly.
Is there any way you can do a close up video of you removing the tag in the middle? From minute 3:30 until minute 4:30? I need to remove that little metal tag in the middle to properly size my client's Herm Sprenger.
Great info. Have used them on some of my dogs for long time. You might want to mention regarding the fit that extra prongs can be purchased separately if the fit needs it and also removing a few if needed to be more snug. Also I have found to not use the same link each time to open.
My Herm Springer arrived today. This video is incredibly informative. It has saved a dog, my dog. I bought a pinch collar of Amazon, wasn't the cheapest but... I watched this video as a tutorial when I got it, I checked the prongs and they were sharp. I returned it unused. I now have the real deal and I'm ready to start with my 16 month old GSD. He's great, I just want to fine tune our coms channel. Thank you again. Top job 👍🐶♥️
Actually quite nice when you made a mistake.. then a person gets to recognize that that is a mistake and must correct it..(if that makes any sense).. Laughed when you stated that you and goofy have the same size neck...
I feel that the prong on my Aussie is too tight, but if I add one more link then it is too loose and he can shake it down around his lower neck which is no good.... I am using a 2.25mm and he is a 36-40 lb dog. He also has long hair. Is this common?
My pitbull has some fear aggression issues. He’s bitten too people. I am poor so I traded something of value for proper training to save him from euthanasia. Today the training had me put a prong collar on him. I was concerned but I also trusted the trainer and I knew my dogs life counted on this working. The results were amazing. Normally he pulls till he’s choking and still keeps pulling. Then he drags me across the fields for a quarter of a mile. I have a joint disease so that’s not fun. Plus since he’s a powerful breed I’m not capable of holding him back by sheer strength. With the prong collar he didn’t pull and it took very little correction for him to realize “oh I shouldn’t do that” and quickly stop. I just wish I knew all this earlier.
Those collar are a very good training tool. We used this on my english Masttif and it did was the best thing we did specially for my wife that the dog was 100lbs more then her.
I''m still not sure what size I should get for my dog. He's a 73 lbs lab/Staff mix with a 19-20 inch neck. I ordered a 22 - in neck, 3.8 mm wide but it's too big and probably heavy for him. Any suggestions?
so sad. these type of laws hurt dogs and dog owners alike. any dog that can't be trained with a treat will now be at risk of being killed because tools that could have trained him are illegal. I'm so sorry for the state of dogs in your country!
Sally Wilson they are not banned in Australia only in Victoria. They are illegal to import but can be bought from reputable protection dog specialists. They are perfectly legal to use on your dog in Australia (except Victoria) it’s even on the RSCA website. Unfortunately you get uneducated people trying to ban them.
Used two 2.25 to make it into one for my cane corso wow .. game changer id rather give my dog a quick correction then let it choke itself 80% of the time on a walk especially because it's only 10 months old
Thanks for the great video. If we train and teach with the prong collar, do we use it forever or do we stop at a point assuming the dog's behavior is good. I have not found any info on this. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for this video. I was really confused on whether prong collars were humane or not, and this video reassures my experience. What lot of people don’t understand is a correctly fitted (and if used fairly) prong collar is safer than a flat collar and harness. I’ve come across dog after dog in my life that get temporary or permanent trachea damage from their harness and flat color, but not a prong collar. I’ve tried a prong collar versus flat collar on myself even, and the prongs are a lot more comfortable when pulled compared to flat collar. Dogs do get excited when they see their prong collar, because they associate it with going for a walk. I hate head halters too; they are extremely uncomfortable.
Beautiful video! Your dog obviously adores you! Is there a reason you dont like the metal middle piece that goes over the trachea? Is it more effective to ditch it?
My grandparents have a husky that I walk because he is too strong for them and also needs to lose some weight, he tends to pull a lot and is easily excited by other dogs and whatever is around him. They have a prong collar, but it’s an old 3. mm and is difficult to open and close the prongs, maybe from age, but I wasn’t sure if that was too big for an almost 80 pound husky? Also, he has a dislike for anyone fitting a collar around his neck for an extended period of time and starts to paw and try to get away. I know the herm springer site has prong collars with a buckle to easily put it on and off, but I wasn’t sure if those were as good? Thank you so much for your videos!
Hi Robert, you videos are great, thank you. I am deliberating using a prong collar on my 16month old Mali x DS he is very strong and can be reactive to cars and people/dogs. He walks well on the lead at other times. I currently use a choke collar and a head collar but I think this increases his frustration!? Would this be a situation that may be helped by using a prong collar?
I tried everything else. Shock collar. Choke leash. Kick in the nads. Muzzle always now so no treats. My malinois GSD gonna end up ded if he keeps on with the way he's going. He's only 8mnths old but he's been furious with anything that moves since 9wks old. I never fed into it not once. I have won with traffic he ignores traffic now. But he prowls like a panther looking for people dogs cats. I hate it.
Robert, I finally got a Herm Sprenger prong collar that fits great behind the ears. Now i don't know what the best collar is for a back up. The one I have been using is a dominant collar and it seems to get caught in the prongs at times ( I know it is too small so maybe that is only reason? It is too close to the prong collar?). Any suggestions on what to use only as a back- up for a large german shepherd? I want it to hang under the prong collar. thanks!
We have rescued a 4 1/2 year old Pomsky. Coming from a puppy mill, it is clear he has no formal training. We are in our 70's and find the problem is his constant pulling or lounging behavior towards much larger male dogs when we are on walks. I know how to basically train a dog to walk properly, but his fur mane around his neck is so long and extremely thick. I'm having a problem with collars for corrections because he doesn't seem to feel them. With that much fur how can I properly fit a prong collar.
Sir, I have an 90 lbs dog, and I’m considering using a HS pinch collar training him. I would like to ask you which size collar you recommend I should be purchasing. In advance, thank you.
coming from the R+ school where any punishment is to be weighed very carefully, I was against prong collars until this lady who was dragged in the street by her rottie with her whole arm scaled and bloody. I am reconsidering my "against prongs" at this point and thank you for your clear explanations. I may need first to watch your other videos about how to use it before training these "heavy" pullers who just don't listen to martingale corrections and pull and drag their owners as the rottie did to his owner...Thanks for your clarity!
?is there a way to prevent it from coming off other than the linking to flat collar? Good think I linked it because it did come off. Then after the walk I realized input it back on with the chain twisted. Having to fiddle with it when the winter gets to below freezing is going to be tricky. I’d love a way to prevent it from coming off at all
I rescued a dog with a strong prey drive and walking her was nearly impossible until I tried a prong collar. Your video(s) are the best I've seen. You give such a concise explanation of each component. I definitely had mine on too loose. I was so worried about hurting my dog, so watching you put it on your neck was invaluable. My dog is smart and loving until she sees a squirrel or certain rowdy dogs and then she takes off with unbelievable strength. I will start using your techniques, including way more treats than I realized were an integral part of this protocol. I've been walking her with two leashes, as well; keeping one attached to her harness.
do NOT fight your dog on a walk. When you see it, stay quiet because a person with a pulling dog did NOT learn how to walk a dog. Do not volunteer skills unless asked. People get angry when shown to be ignorant... it's just how they are.
That’s the one I was told to get for My 43lb standard poodle. I’m waiting for my first session with new trainer to be shown how to put it on and use it. Ok I’m the mean time I’ll let her sniff it and give her treats. Done.
I have a collar. Does it effect their breathing/ neck at all when it’s very snug like you have it fitting? I guess I’ve always followed the 2 fingers in between for breathing but does that change with the pinch collar? Should I be worried if it’s very snug? I understand the slipping down and effecting the trachea I’m thinking more about breathing?
Could I use this for small dogs? I have two shih tzu and my girl pull crazy. She goes nut when she see people on our walk. She wants to greet everyone and would choke herself. I use a non-slip lease on our walk.
Your content is fantastic, my friend. Always. I am confused as to why you prefer the smallest size, though. 3mm seems appropriate on my 65lbs Korthals Griffon. Just curious as to the reason. Thanks!
Sorry these are in 3 different comments however I had not listened to all video before asking!!! The breeder also told me it should be loose so that under his chin you can stick your whole hand under that collar. Your saying it should fit snug. That is a different concept. She has been breeding for a long time and trains her dogs. I want to use the method you are using but can you elaborate why your method is best and why she might want it loose.
my dogs neck is 18 inches. Where can I find that length but in the 2.25? Or do I just need to purchase added links? if so how many inches would 1 link add?
How do I know if the 2.25 is small for my dogs ones 62 the others 60 I ordered a 16 in 3mm and it slides when my dogs shake their heads but when I put it on it seems tight if that makes sense
How do I know if the 2.25 is small for my dogs ones 62 the others 60 I ordered a 16 in 3mm and it slides when my dogs shake their heads but when I put it on it seems tight if that makes sense
Im getting a prong collar for my dog, do you recommend its better to get a larger size and remove the prongs if its too big rather than one thats too small?
Oh 1 more think the links are only 1 inch long. It seems small for an adult Doberman so if you can tell me if that is too small or the one you use on goofy they are 1 inch as well. Thx in advance
Hi Rob, would you recommend the Schpringer collar for training a GS puppy if so what size should I get. Should I also get another collar for walks. Cheers
