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Dog Collar Issues - Prong Collar Best For Walking And Training

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http://www.dogbreedz.com/dog_articles/dogarticle/dog_neck_spine.htm

Caring for your Dog's Neck and Spine: Dog Collar Issues
by Rose Smith, Copyright 2005

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On one of my visits to my chiropractor, he suggested I pick up the book The Well Adjusted Dog by Dr. Daniel Kamen. The book is written by a chiropractor who also does adjustments on animals, although he doesn't advertise this. Apparently, chiropractors are not allowed to practice on animals in many states, which I didn't realize, since I live in Canada and this doesn't seem to be a problem here in my province. However, what is good to know is that veterinarians in the U.S. are allowed to do adjustments on animals... that is if you can find one that's studied chiropractic medicine. Not an easy task.

In any case, Dr. Kamen wrote this book (among others) so that a dog owner could learn to do their own adjustments on their dogs. The book is very informative and walks you through the anatomy of a dog's spine, teaches you how to feel for misalignments and provides a variety of techniques that you can do at home. Many of the techniques focus on how to release tense muscles, especially if you're not comfortable with actually working on spinal column.

While reading the book, I came across a very interesting section which talks about dog collars and how they can easily cause neck problems for a dog. Most of it boils down to our (ie human's) improper handling of leash control on certain collars. Here's what Dr. Kamen has to say about dog collars:

"The improper use of collars is the number one cause of cervical (neck) subluxations in dogs. Of all the places to put undue stress, the cervical region, especially the upper two cervical vertebrae, is the most harmful. It is at this point that the body meets the brain." (Dr. Daniel Kamen, The Well Adjusted Dog, p. 24)

** What Types of Collars Are Available **

I thought I was doing well by using a dog harness. Ha! I quickly learned that this might actually be the cause of my dog's disc problems located where her neck meets her shoulders. I was even more surprised at what he said was the best collar to use.

Basically, you will find that there are five major types of collars in use by most dog owners: the regular flat nylon and leather collars, the choke collar, the prong collar, the leader or head collars, and the harness.

** Flat Collars **

The regular flat collars are what most dog owners often choose, however they can also be the most dangerous type. These collars are used for hanging your dog's tags and for simply attaching the leash to the metal loop. This collar type should never be used for dog training... nor should they be used if you have a hard time controlling your dog while out walking.

When frustrated, owners tend to pull back on the leash to stop the dog from pulling and running, or in many cases, to get them to move along if they've stopped to sniff something. This yanking will cause tremendous muscle tightening in the cervical neck area, which in turn results in cervical subluxations. This is one of the largest causes of disc and other neck problems in dogs. Unfortunately, most of these disc problems don't show up until much later in life. At this point, dog owners either put their dogs on medication for pain control and muscle relaxation or resort to surgery to try to repair the damage of degenerating discs.

** Leader Head Collars **

These appear to be an ideal way to train your dog. A leader collar fits over the head of your dog, much like a muzzle does. The leash attaches to a metal loop located on the collar under the dog's chin. The idea behind it is to turn the dog's head to "lead" them where you want to go. Sometimes humans may turn the head too sharply or too hard in frustration when trying to train their dog. This, like the regular collar, can cause upper neck problems.

** Choke Collars **

This is the type of collar most often used by dog trainers. The idea behind it is that if a dog pulls too much, it starts to choke and therefore will ease back and release the tension of the collar. In reality, the instinct of a dog when it feels the tightening of a chain is to pull away from it, effectively tightening the collar even more. Your dog could literally choke itself into a coma! Improperly trained dogs and more importantly, improperly trained owners, could cause extreme damage using a choke collar.

** Harness **

A harness is designed to fit over a dog's shoulders and be secured around the chest area. While a much better choice over a regular collar or a choke collar, these harnesses can cause subluxations in the lower neck, shoulder, chest, and foreleg area. Again, the primary cause to this is often attributed to frustrated owners yanking back on the leash, which causes the harness to put a large amount of stress on the shoulder and chest areas.

** Prong Collar **

This collar looks like some medieval torture device. Made of metal, the prong collar has a circular ring of spikes on its inner surface. When training the smallest amount of resistance distributes pressure evenly around the neck area effectively restraining the dog. As Dr. Kamen states in his book: "Some trainers liken the prong collar to "power steering" where even the slightest touch will produce the desired result." He has found that dog's that use this particular collar have far less upper cervical subluxations than with any other collar type. So in essence, this is actually the best collar to use when training and walking your dog, believe it or not.

** What Else May Cause Cervical Subluxations in Dogs? **

There are many other issues that can also cause problems with cervical subluxations. The requirements of how dog's are trained (taught to sit on the left and look up at the owner causes neck strain) is one area of concern. Mismatching dog size to dog owner size, dog obesity, improper bedding, dangerous play practices, leash length, and the way certain dogs are bred, are a few of the other causes of canine neck problems.

Of course, you would be hard pressed to monitor every move your dog makes. Perhaps he likes sleeping on the hardwood floor near the fire rather than the comfy dog mat you bought. Maybe you played a little too hard today with the Frisbee and caused your dog to jump too high, causing neck pain. The important thing is to try to correct possible activities that could cause neck subluxations in your pet so they don't continue to do more damage. You may also want to pick up the book - The Well Adjusted Dog - and learn how you can check for possible misalignments in your dog's neck and spine, then learn how to do some of the corrections yourself. By doing so, you'll be giving your dog a much happier and less painful life.

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Caring for your Dog's Neck and Spine: Dog Collar Issues by Rose Smith, Copyright 2005

Rose Smith owns www.CaringForCanines.com Where dog owners can explore the benefits of holistic dog medicines and remedies. Find information on topics such as: dog nutrition, dog health problems, herbal &vitamin supplements, dog grooming, and more.
 
Thanks for helping to educate all of us 1st time dobie greenhorns, OB. I'm not on facebook and otherwise would have missed this...

Thanks CV, We share the wealth on this forum and post things we find that we think will be of interest to our community.
 
Thanks for the info.. but I'm still very scared of the prong collar
Kato really pulls when walking; most times.. sometimes he is really good too..
Anyhow my husband is using the choke collar but it does not seem to work very well.
The prong collar seems barbaric to me, am I wrong? My cousin's daughter has a Pittbull and always uses the Prong..
 
Thanks for the info.. but I'm still very scared of the prong collar
Kato really pulls when walking; most times.. sometimes he is really good too..
Anyhow my husband is using the choke collar but it does not seem to work very well.
The prong collar seems barbaric to me, am I wrong? My cousin's daughter has a Pittbull and always uses the Prong..

It's the job of adults to civilize dogs and children. Dogs shouldn't be pulling the collar. If you want him to run back and forth, use a buckle collar and a long line. If you want the dog on a lead, train him to walk by your side without pulling. Teach him by giving quick snaps on the collar until he's where you want him, preferably on your left side with his shoulder roughly aligned with your hip. You'll have to spend some time initially to get him there. Practice in the driveway. When he's doing it right, give him plenty of praise. When he starts forging ahead, give him snaps (DON'T DRAG HIM BACK!!!!! Did I say that loud enough? ;)) to get him back in place. Soon a light snap on the collar will be all you'll need to get him back in place.

Good luck!
 
Anyhow my husband is using the choke collar but it does not seem to work very well.
The prong collar seems barbaric to me, am I wrong? My cousin's daughter has a Pittbull and always uses the Prong..
At least one study has shown that your thinking should be completely reversed. The choke collar, even when used properly, can cause long term internal damage to the throat. It won't be visible from the outside but x-rays and scans proved the damage. The pinch collar is much more "humane". It works by distributing the "force" of the pops to the collar that OB described above around the entirety of the neck preventing long term damage when used correctly. When fitted and used correctly it should not actually hurt the dog. You have to really pop hard or yank back, neither of which is proper use, to even make a dog yelp on a pinch. It is also meant to mimic the way dogs naturally correct each other, the bite around the neck.
 
Thanks for the info.. but I'm still very scared of the prong collar
Kato really pulls when walking; most times.. sometimes he is really good too..
Anyhow my husband is using the choke collar but it does not seem to work very well.
The prong collar seems barbaric to me, am I wrong? My cousin's daughter has a Pittbull and always uses the Prong..
Choke collars can be effective, but they can also cause damage. Prong collars look scary, but they are quite safe and effective. Hans pulled like a freight train until I put a prong collar on him. I tried it on myself before putting it on him, and it's really not bad.
 
Great advice all, thanks!
Gonna show this thread to hubby as he is the one who walks him.
Those dogs are so dang strong, today hubby is walking him and sidewalks are all icy, well Tony falls down and he told me Kato dragged him a good 10 feet before realizing he was down.. then came back and licked him.. omg and hubby is no little guy at 6 ft.
 
Great advice all, thanks!
Gonna show this thread to hubby as he is the one who walks him.
Those dogs are so dang strong, today hubby is walking him and sidewalks are all icy, well Tony falls down and he told me Kato dragged him a good 10 feet before realizing he was down.. then came back and licked him.. omg and hubby is no little guy at 6 ft.
That can lead to serious injury on the ice... I fell on the ice this year and took almost two months to recover from a jammed collar bone. If you're going to get a prong collar (and I think it's a great idea), you should read this: http://leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm
 
I just went out and bought a prong collar and need some help! I have read the articles posted on here on how to properly use them and feel pretty educated..well enough to finally give it a try. Well I wanted to see how hard it really was to unhook and rehook the links before I tried to put it on Daisy just to see and MAN I must be a whimp or something! I can't get the sucker to come apart! I'm terrified that once I'm finally able to get it on her I won't be able to take it off. Is it really that hard to do? Am I just missing something here or do I need pliers to use this thing? HELP!!
 
I mentioned on the other thread about the Prong Collar I bought. I knew after trying, that I would have too much of a problem opening and closing the links. I looked around and bought a prong collar that is similar to a martingale collar as it has a strap that goes through the top rings. It has a buckle on it and I just undo the buckle and the collar is very easy to take off and put on over their head. No danger of sticking them with the prongs and when it is buckled back up it is nice and snug so does not slip down their neck.
 
I just went out and bought a prong collar and need some help! I have read the articles posted on here on how to properly use them and feel pretty educated..well enough to finally give it a try. Well I wanted to see how hard it really was to unhook and rehook the links before I tried to put it on Daisy just to see and MAN I must be a whimp or something! I can't get the sucker to come apart! I'm terrified that once I'm finally able to get it on her I won't be able to take it off. Is it really that hard to do? Am I just missing something here or do I need pliers to use this thing? HELP!!
They are tough but you shouldn't need pliers. Just pinch the tips of the prongs to push them together.
 
Last week we bought a walking harness for Kato. Threw out that dang choke collar..:thumbdown:
At first he was in shock and listened so well with it on, guess he thought it might eat him or something lol
Anyhow Tony took him out for a walk and boy oh boy what a change he was by Tony's side all the time with it.
He seemed to respond much better with this and he likes it now for when Tony takes it out..he knows he's off to walk..lol........good idea..eh?
 
Great advice all, thanks!
Gonna show this thread to hubby as he is the one who walks him.
Those dogs are so dang strong, today hubby is walking him and sidewalks are all icy, well Tony falls down and he told me Kato dragged him a good 10 feet before realizing he was down.. then came back and licked him.. omg and hubby is no little guy at 6 ft.
Wow, sooooo odd, my name is tony, and our new pup is kato ,!!!
 
Now if that isn't something eh? Kinda scary but cool also.. lol :dc: by the way.. you have entered a great group here.. Looking forward to your posts.. :)
 

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