Training Collars to some, Torture Devices to other

There is a huge selection of training collars available. I will obnoxiously discuss them here in order of intensity. WARNING: this is a long post!

1. No collar. Well, this is fairly simple. Don't bother to put a collar on your dog. Make bets to see if he does what you want. For the very lucky few who accidentally find a stable, happy-go-lucky personality pooch this will work great. For the majority of us, not so much.

2. Flat, buckle-type collar.... can be adorned with spikes, semi-precious jewels or other decoration. Again, this will work well for folks with fairly compliant pups or teeny-tiny teacup breed that are not experiencing Napoleonic behavioral issues. Many a medium-grade Lab has been started on their flat collars by this trainer but the tend to graduate to a more meaningful correction by nine months of age. I like to add the clicker into training with the flat collar as it gives the dog the indication when he is doing something right. If you are not going to "mark" the bad behavior, you must "mark" the good behavior in a meaningful way.

3. Body harnesses. Some dogs are anatomically constructed so that neck collars and head collars are explicitly NOT an option. For a specific example, the Maltese, while not immune to aggressive or highly unwanted behaviors, are built with a soft trachea. Applying collar correction WILL injure the dog so a body harness is often a good option to preserve the dog's well being and good health. Likewise, pug-faced dogs have a less efficient cooling system due to their distinct facial construction. Restricting airflow with a neck collar or a flat collar, even briefly, can stress out pug-faced dog enough to cause him to pass out in the worst case or just not train well in the mildest case. One word of caution if using a body harness: dogs respond to pressure with counter-pressure. This is the reason sled dogs will pull like mad through snow and ice and weight pull dogs will knock your socks off by pulling carts loaded with cement bags. If you chose to use a body harness, you must employ targeting bait work and possibly a clicker to "mark" the good behavior.

4. Head collars. Many of you have seen these collars on the street and thought they were muzzles. Quite the innovation in training, the concept is that of the horse bridle without the bit: where the head goes the body will follow. I am a fan of this collar but far too many owners run out, buy one, put it on the dog, completely stress him out then throw the collar in the drawer, never to be used again. As a professional I had an entire filing cabinet drawer filled with head collars from owners that failed to use them correctly, distressed the dog enough to put him off the head collar forever and gave up on them. Although the packaging claims to be an instant fix for behavioral issues such as pulling on the lead, I strongly urge anyone desiring to use this nifty collar to employ a trainer that is conversant with the collar as well as experienced in training with it. Be careful, the master trainer that apprenticed me asked me to do an initial application and lesson with a head collar by myself during the first week of my apprenticeship. I refused and then watched him completely stress out two owners and one Lab. This is a delicate, subtle device and WILL NOT provide instant behavioral correction. Bottom line: consult with a trainer if you want to use this one.

5. Martingale-type collars. These collars equip the handler with a mild correction. You will most often see them on greyhounds as they recommended for the breed especially if they are racing rescues. They are effective as well on smaller, more delicate breeds providing they are responsive to gentle direction. Again, good "marking" of desirable behavior is critical for good success. They are available in many thicknesses, from wide, flat collars to rolled nylon and cotton with chain connectors. Good correction control is important: if you find you are correcting the dog's front feet off the ground you are applying too much pressure and should modify your technique or consider a different corrective device.

6. Nylon or cotton slip collar, also known as choke-type collars. Lots of folks start out thinking that a fabric slip collar is a "nicer" alternative to the traditional chain link "choke" collar. While this may be a good idea for young pups that will eventually graduate to a chain-type slip collar, I have often seen "shaving" of the fur around the neck from the fabric rubbing. Also, the concept behind the slip collar is not to choke the dog. This is called coercive training and will be discussed in a later post. For the time being, understand this is not an ideal philosophy in training and is fairly archaic as well as abusive. A slip collar should provide an effective, meaningful distraction from the dog's attention. For example, if you tell your dog to Heel and he is more interested in the squirrel running by, you need to redirect his attention to you, the handler. Correction is a tap on the shoulder, not a slap across the face.

7. Chain choke-type collars. As with the fabric slip collar, some "shaving" of the neck hair can develop from poor, incorrect application of this training device. One of my biggest beefs with the consumer products in the dog industry is the availability of this collar. Not only can this collar seriously injure the dog with a minimum of improper application, but far too many folks run out and just start yanking on the dog with complete abandon of sense. Also, the cheaper the collar the worse the damage can be. Many people allow their dogs to pull to the end of the slip collar, gasping and panting far ahead. Remember: dogs respond to pressure with counter pressure. If he is pulling to the end of the lead, he is going to try to pull through the collar's tightening though it is a futile effort. With time, the dog can develop a "calloused" muscle around the neck known to some trainers as "tire neck." Essentially, the dog will pull so much and brace against the correction, that the neck muscles will build up to protect against the tightening chain. Even worse, many owners fail to remove this collar with tragic results. It is unfortunately not uncommon for a dog to hook his collar and hang himself when wearing this collar unsupervised. Also, we have all heard stories of dogs having the collar embedded in the neck skin from failure to resize. This collar should always be used with the support of a trainer. It takes a good amount of practice to achieve a good, sound correction with this collar. Technique counts.

8. Prong collars. I have heard many a gasp when I have pulled this type of collar out of my training bag. They come in all sizes. I myself have a Mighty Max prong collar suited for a toy breed that I have worn as a bracelet to many a dog show for a laugh (see last post for a cute photo). The prong looks like a medieval torture device but again is only as dangerous as the handler makes it. The concept behind this collar is to give a full neck correction by compressing the loose skin of the neck. The prongs are not stabbing the dog in the neck! High quality prong collars have rounded prongs. I have heard stories of brutal trainers flattening the prongs to create a more painful correction but this again is giving into the old school technique of coercive training and is not an ideal practice. I presented my sister with this collar for her pit-mix and while she did have some reservations the collar has provided her family with a consistent meaningful correction for a dog that was heading down the wrong path. Consider this collar the power steering of dog training. It is applied in many situations and for many types of working dogs. Many handicap assistance dogs are given this collar as the potential owner many not have the physical capability to administer a meaningful correction with another device (ie. paralysis, arthritis, etc.). Also, if there is a incongruous difference in handler and dog size this collar may be necessary for effective correction and handling (ie. 200 lb Mastif and 95 lb owner). I know I am singing the praises of this collar, but it really can provide a novice handler with good control in a fairly short period of time, but like my other examples it must be sized and used at the direction of a good, experienced trainer.

9. Remote, electric collars. Electric collars have come a long way in recent years. Many collars now offer a vibrate feature which is excellent for owners with hearing impared dogs. Commands can be trained with a series of vibrations and hand signals rather than the traditional verbal command/hand signal combo. Remote collars now offer variable corrections from the hand-held remote (years ago you had to change the intesity level from the collar by removing the prongs and going through a whole rigamorole) and some electric fence systems have a Train and Contain option. Technique has also made some advances. Some years ago I was completely against electric collars as I worked with a "behavioralist" who shocked the snot out of my softy Rottweiler Buster which resulted in him becoming MORE prey aggressive. At the urging of a fellow trainer in Florida Mike Harvey I accompanied him to a three day workshop with Fred Hassen. So the legend goes, Fred was just a regular dude that had a negative experience with a "trainer" using traditional "shock and stop" techniques, in essence blast the dog with the highest level of correction as a deterent for unwanted behavior. Again, as the legend goes, Fred fired the "trainer," kept the collar and worked out his own technique with remarkable, REMARKABLE success. His technique involves "tapping" low level corrections coupled with verbal and hand signal support to guide the dog back to the desired placement or command. His work with professional working dogs and aggression cases is simply amazing. Videos of his work can be found at www.youtube.com. Search his name and you will be amazed to no end. He established two schools for remote collar trainer certification, one of which is in Las Vegas (Mike Harvey is a certified trainer in both traditional techniques and Fred Hassen's remote techniques). I strongly urge anyone seeking to get truly amazing (yeah, I know I used the word "amazing" a bunch of times but watch the videos and you'll see why) off lead results to hire one of Hassen's certifed trainers. I do not recommend using a remote collar without a competant trainer and a veterinary OK. Some medical problems such as seizure disorder may disqualify a dog for this type of device.

As you can see there is a big selection of training collars. I like some more than others. However, it is up to you and your trainer to determine what will work best for your family and your dogs. Consistent correction from ALL family members is crucial to success so a device that works for everyone must be employed. Likewise the device must suit the dog's personality. Buster was eventually clicker trained on a flat, padded aggitation-collar (used to pad the dog's neck for pulling in bite/protection work). This may seem like a contradiction in devices but it was what worked best for him. Buffy, on the other hand, could take a full level remote stimulation though she was half the size of Buster. I have met poodles that could take no more than a gentle prod and bulldogs that didn't even need a collar. I have trained labs that could tra-la-la through electric collar stims when out in the field birding. You should consult, experiment carefully and train responsibly.

Until again... train well!