# Prong collar vs. martingale collar - 7 mo. old



## Womn2Blame (Jan 8, 2012)

I'm (hopefully) transitioning our 7-month-old away from the Gentle Leader, and have been using a martingale collar for the past couple of weeks. She's "okay" on the martingale collar, except when there's a big distraction - like another dog being walked closeby. Then, she pulls hard, and my corrections don't seem to faze her. 

I've wondered about trying a prong collar; however, the trainer who works with her doesn't recommend prong collars until the dogs are full-grown and the neck muscles are developed. 

Is this the general concensus about prongs? How do you feel about prongs vs. martingales? 

Thanks!


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## baumgartml16 (Jun 19, 2011)

We had been using the prong and have since stopped. Koda was apparently a very sensitive dog, moreso than we originally thought, and she became scared of the prong because it was too hard on her.

We switched to the martingale collar this week and I love it! She does too. She waits for us to slip it over her head haha.

As far as distractions, try to anticipate those things that cause the major pulling and get her focused on you. Lots of talking, keep her attention on you. Koda has always been a puller, especially with distractions and we have started using this approach and it works. I mean I sound like a fool to other people around and they probably think I am crazy but my dog is happy so I am happy!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I use a front leader harness with Tucker. He does very well on it. I have a prong collar and use it in situations that are highly stimulating and where he's more likely to get overexcited. 

Why are you stopping with the gentle leader? Is it not working for you? I didn't want to use the one that wraps around the nose because Tucker is a strong puller and I worried he could hurt his neck. With the prong collar, I made sure it was fitted properly. The first time I put it on, he sat there a second and tested it, then never gave me a hard time about it. A well fitted prong collar applies pressure evenly around the neck and most dogs respect it and do not pull against it. If used properly it should not harm the dog. I've never used a martingale collar.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Have you considered a front-clip harness? works well on all my dogs. Stops the pulling, and gives you more control while you work on the training.


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## Joanne & Asia (Jul 23, 2007)

When we were in training with Asia, the trainer said she felt a prong was too much for Asia and recommeneded a fur saver. It is also metal but without the prongs. It worked well during training sessions and then we switched to a Martingdale and that has been fine since. It doesn't allow the dog to feel the corrections as much though or stop the pulling when you are training them.


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## mudEpawz (Jan 20, 2011)

i have used EVERY collar option out there. When I walk my two dogs together they wear their prong collars. I was intially against prong collars until I met with a trainer who explained how they work and how to use them safely. When I jingle their prong collars they come running. I would recommend that you try different collar options and use the product that works for you and your pup. However, I would not use a prong collar on a puppy.

When i walk the dogs individually I walk charlie on a flat collar and Chloe in a no pull harness.


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## Womn2Blame (Jan 8, 2012)

Charliethree said:


> Have you considered a front-clip harness? works well on all my dogs. Stops the pulling, and gives you more control while you work on the training.


I bought a Sporn harness at PetSmart on Friday, but haven't fitted it on Nugget yet. Is that considered a front-slip harness? 

What brand do you use? 

Thanks!
Cindy


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

I use both the Premier EasyWalk and the Sense-ation (Sense-ible)harnesses. With these harnesses you attach the leash to the link at front of the harness. I prefer the Sense-ible as it is easier to fit, than the Premier (the Premeir has a 'martingale' loop in the front) but they both work well.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

I mean there is always teaching your pup how to walk nicely on a leash and not relying on a device to do that for you. 

None of the dogs in the house here wear a prong, or a gentle leader or a harness or any other such type walking device. They all wear martingales simply because they have pointy heads and can back out of a collar easily and have when they have gotten scared but nobody pulls on leash and everyone walks nicely.... its training and consistency.


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## Womn2Blame (Jan 8, 2012)

Shalva said:


> I mean there is always teaching your pup how to walk nicely on a leash and not relying on a device to do that for you.
> 
> None of the dogs in the house here wear a prong, or a gentle leader or a harness or any other such type walking device. They all wear martingales simply because they have pointy heads and can back out of a collar easily and have when they have gotten scared but nobody pulls on leash and everyone walks nicely.... its training and consistency.


That's wonderful that your dogs are so well behaved! I hope that Nugget will be that way someday, too. We have been working hard on training her to walk nicely on her leash, and she's doing very well. But, until I'm fairly confident that she isn't going to pull hard enough to break away from me, and put herself - and me - in a dangerous situation, I'm relying on devices that help to keep her calm and me in control. One day, she, too, will be able to walk with just a collar and leash, but that day isn't here yet.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

the thing is honestly that I don't even own any of those things.... they are taught to walk nicely from the moment they are put on a leash for the first time. I don't honestly understand the "someday" comment.... 

If you are consistent from the time they are little then they never learn that pulling is even an option. There are 9 dogs in this house that range in age from Natalie (the Irish Wolfhound who is 1 and pulling is just not an option for her) to Connor who is 11 and all ages in between and NONE of them pull... 

When you use a device it is too easy to never move away from that device... and your dog never learns that pulling is not an option ... they learn that they don't pull in the device but pulling otherwise is ok....


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## shallwemichele (Apr 28, 2012)

Shalva, Can you please say what you do to train your dogs not to pull? Is it to stop walking when they pull, to reward when they don't, to turn and walk different directions (Monks of New Skete), and/or?


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## jluke (Nov 18, 2011)

*Collars...*

I think there are lots of pros and cons on corrective collars. When I was considering which collar to use with Maisie when she started pulling hard, I started a thread in this Puppy section, "Corrective Collars" to get inputs which you can check out if you want. 

I'd had Maisie on a flat collar. At about 5 months, despite my best efforts to praise and treat her when she walked nicely on a loose leash, she started pulling quite hard. I tried an Easy Walk harness which didn't help. I tried a nylon slip (AKA choke) collar which I really didn't like -- I never learned to give a "pop" correction, didn't really like the idea of this kind of correction and found that Maisie was oblivious -- she would "hang" herself on the collar. After considering all the forum input, the advice of Maisie's trainer and other dog owners I respected, I tried a lightweight martingale style prong collar. It made a big difference. Maisie self-corrected most of the time, allowing me to praise/treat her when she walks properly on a loose leash.

Now, Maisie is 11 months old and I've been alternating the use of the prong collar with a standard martingale collar. She still pulls more on the martingale, but I just keep working on it with her.

Perhaps if I'd done something differently earlier (4 or 5 months) as suggested by one of the posters, I'd have been able to avoid using a prong collar, but that time was past. I never thought I'd use such a collar -- and really had to think about it. It's also possible to moderate it's use -- you can turn some of the prongs backwards and/or put rubber tips on some or all of the prongs.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Buddy wears a Martingale. Never a flat collar for walking because he is a collar slipper. 

When I rescued him he was a terror on a leash it took multiple sessions everyday to train him not to pull. Every time he went out to potty every 2 hours at first since he was not housebroken we worked on loose leash walking. 

He pulled I stopped walking and call him to me. If he did not come within 10 seconds I would turn and start to walk the other way. If he pulled he was not allowed to walk the way he wanted. I also found circling to work well with him to break the pulling habit- 
He hates circles.

It is the training the makes the tool work. I may have gotten quicker results with a prong or gentle leader but he is a "very" soft dog per his trainer.


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

shallwemichele said:


> Shalva, Can you please say what you do to train your dogs not to pull? Is it to stop walking when they pull, to reward when they don't, to turn and walk different directions (Monks of New Skete), and/or?


I change direction quickly, whenever we are on leash I stop walking if they pull and often I change direction quickly as soon as the leash gets taught. Thus the dog never has any idea what direction we are going... I give lots of treats for walking nicely on a loose leash.... it is a process.... 

In the beginning I walk backwards and have treats so they learn to follow me (walking backwards) and treating them for walking and following me when I am walking backwards then I turn so we are headed in the same direction and I treat and treat and treat for walking next to me.... from the day they come home (or I know they are staying) .... then I treat and treat for walking nicely on a leash if they get to far ahead or feel the leash become taught I tend to change direction quickly so they all of a sudden find themselves headed in the wrong direction... when they catch up with me they get a treat... they learn very quickly that when they pull I change direction... I look like an idiot but they learn to walk nicely. 

I don't own a gentle leader, or pull harness, or prong collar... but I am consistent... I took Natalie the wolfhound to the flea market the other day for the first time and I thought her head was going to explode... she is a year old and there were so many things to see and smell and people and dogs and it was nuts and she pulled me at the beginning and I stopped dead in my tracks... pulled her back and it didn't take long before she learned that the rules at the flea market about walking nicely were the same as anywhere else. By the time we left.... I had natalies leash around my left wrist and I was carry 3 large plants (10 inch pots) and she walked with me on a loose leash back to the car ... keep in mind that she is 130 lbs and if she wanted to pull me... she totally could but she knows it really just isn't an option.


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