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 prong collar looks like a medieval torture device, but is actually one of the gentler training collars being investigated here. When the leash is pulled, the prongs start to pinch the back of the dog's neck. The thinking behind this is to replicate the memory of the dog's mother's teeth nipping the scruff of the puppy's neck. The collar is quite safe to use, the only real problem occurring if the fit is poor. If your dog is one that pulls strongly at the leash though, the prong collar might not be suitable.
The fit of the prong collar should be snug against the dog's neck. There is usually some leeway with these types of collars in that you can add or remove prongs to adjust the fit. A ready guide for the fit is if you can fit your finger between the collar and the dog's neck. If the collar is looser than that, it will not do it's job properly.
The Gentle Leader dog collar (or Halti collar) looks more like a harness. It works by closing the dog's mouth when you pull on the leash. The method aims to control the dog's general movement by controlling it's head. The theory being that the body will follow where the head goes. This type of collar is well suited to aggressive animals that lunge or bite.
There is a downside to this type of collar though. Dog's, as a rule, do not like having restrainers on their face, and it might be quite a job to get your dog to accept a harness of this type. Care should also be taken bot to pull the head to hard, because the dog could suffer injuries to the neck or back.
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.
Correct use of a choke collar starts with correct fitting. They work by tightening around the dog's throat when the leash is pulled. Equally, the tightness should be released when the trainer eases up on the leash, but if the collar does not fit correctly, this might not happen resulting in undue distress to the animal. If your dog is one that continually pulls on the leash, then the choke collar is probably not the right collar to use.
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.
The electronic dog collars work by allowing trainers to give dogs small electric shocks via a remote control to control the behaviour of the dog. How much of a shock the dog gets is entirely in the hands of the trainer, so in good hands, the electronic dog trainer can be very flexible and very effective. As a rule of thumb, the shock that is applied should be just enough to make the dog's ears twitch, but obviously the amount of electricity involved will depend on the size of the dog. In any case however, if the dog cries out when the electricity is applied, then the setting is too high. Once again, this type of collar is only really suitable for experienced trainers.
Getting a dog collar to insure control of your dog is one of the most important aspects of dog safety that you should consider. Securing a training dog collar depends on the type of training you are anticipating for your dog. A training dog collar for a police dog is different than a training dog collar for a house pet. making that distinction is important for you to make in order to understand what you need to have to make life comfortable for you and your pet dog. this article will go into researching dog training and how selection of a training dog collar is very important.
There are different types of dog training plans that are used to make sure that your dog understands your commands and does what it's supposed to do. One of these methodologies uses traditional dog training techniques. This method uses 3 types of reinforcement factors. Positive, negative, and positive negative reinforcement as a means to relay to the dog whether they did good, bad or need more discipline. Now depending on the type of training your dog is going through will determine the type of training dog collar is best suited.
The traditional dog training method was first developed and used in World War I. When the military saw the usefulness of these dogs in battlefield situations, plans were made to expand the program to include the use of these dogs using this training method for World War II and the Vietnam conflict. This training method utilizes negative reinforcement and punishment as a means to train the dog to be completely obedient to the handler. Handler and dog were inseparable and they could count on each other for impending dangers in the bush. Now the type of training dog collar would be a lot different for training this type of dog versus a house dog for which you keep as a pet. I will go into this distinction later on.
The most common type of dog collars used in training with this method would be choke chains, prong collars and shock collars. These types of dog training collars would be considered the mainstay because training dogs of this caliber requires complete obedience and compliance between the dog and the handler. There is no room for hesitation when a command is given to the dog. If the dog fails to obey, it could mean the lives of the handler, the dog, and the platoon of men that may be following them. So when a dog is trained with this technique the type of training dog collar needs to be fast, hard and to the point of whether the dog does what it's told. This method provides instant feedback that it works and also be aware of the fact that these dogs have a high tolerance for pain. So while it may seem to the casual observer that these dogs may yelp from time to time that its just part of the training program and that no long lasting injury will become of this to the dog itself.
So to end this article with the information that you are looking for in the type of training dog collar is best for your dog. It depends on the type of training that you want your dog to go through. There are a variety of selections on the market today and the choice is yours.
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