Training Collars for Dogs

Choosing training collars for dogs can be confusing. There are many kinds that serve different purposes. The one you choose for your dog will depend on the kind of training you intend to do. Will you be practicing traditional obedience? Do you favor clicker training? Will you be hunting with your dog? Do you lure course? Because there are so many kinds of training, trainers and dog people have developed many kinds of dog training collars.

For traditional dog training purposes many people still use the choke chain collar. This chain link collar, used correctly, should not harm your dog. However, if yanked or cranked up, it can damage your dog’s throat. The collar should be placed on your dog with the loose, sliding side which attaches to the leash on the left side of your dog, under his ear, assuming you and your dog are facing the same direction. When using a chain choke collar you should pull and release the pressure on the collar quickly, not savagely. Your dog only needs a quick correction. Choke collars should be the size of your dog’s neck plus two inches.

You can also use flat nylon and leather collars as training collars for your dogs. These collars may be used for obedience work that depends on positive reinforcement, such as with clicker training. They are also fine for agility and for basic work in the field. If you are using a flat nylon collar for basic field training most people prefer to get one of the neon colored ones to make it easier to see their dog in high grass.

For advanced field work some trainers will use hunting training collars. The collar delivers a small zap to the dog at the handler’s discretion. The handler can use the collar to correct the dog in the field if, for example, he starts to chase birds instead of holding a steady point. Bear in mind that these collars are generally used with advanced, fully-trained dogs who may be testing boundaries to see what they can get away with. Using such collars with untrained dogs is usually counterproductive and may ruin young dogs. These collars can work at a great distance which makes them practically the only way to correct a dog in the field.

Pinch collars or prong collars are often used as training collars for dogs by people who lure course and by people in other dog activities. If you’ve never seen dogs preparing to lure course, such as Salukis or Whippets, to say they are excited and on their toes is an understatement. Owners need to have extreme control of their dogs prior to these events and prong collars give them that control. Prong collars should not be slipped over a dog’s head since the prongs could injure the dog. Instead, you unsnap one of the links in the middle of the collar. To put the collar on, you place the collar around the dog’s neck and snap the links together. You can adjust the collar’s length by adding or removing individual links. These pinch collars should fit somewhat snugly for proper control.

Any dog collar or other piece of equipment is subject to being misused, or even misunderstood by the public. With proper use of all of training collars we have discussed they will remain legitimate pieces of dog training equipment used for specific purposes by people who love dogs. When you choose your own dog training collar you should decide what kind of training you’re going to do, what you will need it for and choose appropriately.