Comments on: Service dogs and pinch collars: help or hindrance?

By: Melissa Wallace

Melissa Wallace — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:22:58 +0000

I use a micro-prong sometimes for my SD. He is also a trained tracking dog, so I want him to pull in certain harnesses. We also do obedience, so he has beautiful heeling. BUT, he pulls fiercely when he knows we are not training or showing for obedience. The micro-prong brings an instant response from aggressive pulling to quiet walking when I cannot devote all of my attention to him, like navigating stores and airports. Once he calms down, I can remove it if I want because he knows how he is supposed to act. He is still young (2 Years), but little dogs have delicate tracheas, so I would rather have a micro-prong on him than do leash corrections or let him pull and hack.

By: Barbara Drury

Barbara Drury — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:50:53 +0000

My dog as well has developed a need to sniff every pee spot we pass by. My solution is to put him back into the gentle leader harness. It goes around his neck and slips over his nose. I hook his leash to the nose ring and with the concept that “where the nose goes, the body immediately follows”, he only requires a gentle tug to keep him on task.
After doing this a few times, I now only need to put it on him and he “KNOWS” that he better behave and he acts like the most well trained service dog in the world! lol

This has also worked as a quazi-muzzle for places that require all dogs to be muzzled while outdoors…People just assume that it is one and it doesn’t impede his helping me and everyone is happy.

By: Marcie

Marcie — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:40:17 +0000

Thanks for your comment Mary. I can only speak for myself, but I only use the pinch collar on Whistle when we are out in public. When we come home or if I feel we are in a comfortable environment, the collar definitely comes off.

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:17:10 +0000

I’m curious as to how often the pinch collar comes off the dog(s) am I correct to assume that the dog does not wear the collar at all times? Thanks!

By: Marcie

Marcie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:02:55 +0000

Thanks Sherlock, I really appreciate those web sites!

By: Sherlock

Sherlock — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:43:47 +0000

Here’s a place to get prong collar covers. http://www.cozycritter.com/prongcovers.htm

And I have a prong collar that snaps into place — here’s one
http://www.activedogs.com/herm-sprenger-stainless-buckle.html

By: Wayne Tuttle

Wayne Tuttle — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:36:46 +0000

I am a Guide Dog handler and a Service Dog advocate and for many years I have seen a number of people with their pet dogs using these horrible looking Collars. Like many, the commonly called “Pinch Collar” or the less obtrusive name “Prong Collar” has been given a bad rap because of it’s medievil design.

A few years ago I met a chap at a park who was walking his dog that was wearing a Prong Collar. I always wanted to know if this collar actually hurt the dog, so I decided to ask him a few questions. After speaking with him a great length, I was convinced this is a very useful tool for correcting a companion dog or even a Service Dog.

Some research has been conducted surrounding the use of the Prong Collar. Here is one such study… http://www.cobankopegi.com/prong.html#AStudy

After further investigation, we believe the Prong Collar is a very useful tool to be added to our product line. We will also be developing a Prong Collar Cover in hopes to alleviate the negative stigma attached to it’s current design.

By: Denise

Denise — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:34:58 +0000

I also use a pinch collar on my service dog. I also have problems that require no pulling on my arms or shoulder. It works very well and have no problems with him but the public seems to think I am hurting my service dog and I get all kinds of nasty comments because of the way it looks. I have tried to use other collars such as the gentle leader head halter and it does not work for my dog. I recently bought a cover for my pinch collar and I sometimes use his service dog bandana to cover it so i don’t have to explain why i use it. It works and i am not hurting my dog or myself because he does not pull ahead like with other collars.
I wish someone would make one that works as good, easier to put on and looks better until then i will continue to use the prone/pinch collar and try to educate the public.

By: Sherlock

Sherlock — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:27:56 +0000

I am training a rescued 3-4 (approx) year old boxer for service work for myself. He has come along nicely in all areas except he is still highly distractable outside of our home area. He’s getting to the point where he’ll ignore people as long as they don’t walk up to me (and we’re still working on that!). He doesn’t like other dogs, especially big dogs, coming toward him. He was apparently a bait dog for a dog-fighting organization and so he is aggressive to big dogs approaching him, even in a friendly way.

I use a prong collar on Beau when we’re out of the house. My trainer discovered that Beau is well-trained on that particular collar but off collar, he’s a normal adhd teenage boxer! Put his gear on (collar and vest with mobility handle) and he’s a completely different dog.

Somehow he just knows that the collar and vest mean he’s working and at home without those on, he’s just a normal everyday dog. He plays well with our other two dogs and he is able to ignore them when we have training time inside.

That collar makes all the difference in his attitude and behavior. It also helps me a lot as I have torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders and cannot have surgery to repair. I’ve also had surgery on both hands. So I need a dog that is easily controlled with just a flick of the leash. And this works.

I, too, was appalled when I went to get Beau from his first “boot camp” and the trainer showed up with Beau in a pinch collar. Until I learned the proper way to use the pinch collar (for correction not punishment) and also learned that, to Beau, this means “working.”

Because other people have such negative attitudes toward these collars and because Beau’s boxer hair is very short (so the pinch collar stands up and looks like a torture device), I always tie a kerchief around Beau’s neck and drape it over the pinch collar when we’re out in public. It doesn’t hide it completely but enough the people don’t give me ugly looks or (in some cases) say something nasty. One of my trainers also does this when she has her dogs out in public on the pinch collar.

By: Tonja

Tonja — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:51:09 +0000

I use a pinch collar on my Service Dog as well. I have joints that dislocate. Any extra pulling is a big no no for my draft dog! Ha! He is a good leader. Other collars he doesn’t even notice.