Dog Training and Pinch Collars
Are Pinch Collars Ever Really Necessary?
That being said, I realize that I have more arm strength and experience than the average dog owner, and for some folks a pinch collar may be a temporary necessary equalizer when they own one of the medium to large size hyper-active breeds. The pinch collar should be a last resort and a temporary installment. If you train correctly for at least ten minutes a day, your dog should become perfectly controllable under a normal collar and leash within a week and the pinch collar should be discontinued.
The key to ridding yourself and your dog of this "owners crutch" is in learning how to give effective, sharp, short leash corrections. The collar should be snug enough to stay high up under the jaw line and still allow your dog to breath comfortably. There should be enough room that you can easily slip two fingers between the collar and the throat without putting any pressure on the dog's windpipe. Leash corrections should be at a sharp upward angle, not to the side. They should be a very rapid jerk upward and then instant release of tension. You can't do this with a stretchy leash and you certainly can't do it with one of those cheesy twenty foot leashes on a retracting reel. The Illusion collar from Cesar Millan was designed to keep the collar in this position, but I don't recommend it...I've tried one and it doesn't work very well, even though the concept behind it was brilliant.
A good correction technique, once developed, should never be used in conjunction with a pinch collar. If you are doing corrections right, and you have a pinch collar on your dog, the correction will result in aerly severe amount of pain for your dog. I don't care what the so-called "pinch collar experts" and manufacturers say about the lack of nerves in a dog's neck. I've seen too many people add pinch collars and then apply normal leash corrections and it's obvious to me that it results in a high level of pain for their dogs.
Pinch collars are crutches, not much better than shock collars, and should only be used as a last resort when there isn't enough time to develop the correct technique for a standard leash and collar correction without it. It can be used as a fast-track option, but believe me, it is far more painful for your pet than a standard leash correction.
In short, there are very few situations where a pinch collar is really necessary. If you find you are resorting to it constantly, you should locate a reputable trainer to help you determine what you are doing wrong.
Published by Timothy Frazier
Tim is a freelance blogger and creative writer living in Grapevine, Texas. He enjoys riding his Triumph Rocket III, woodworking, and making his Grandson, Jade, giggle. He and his wonderful wife, Robin, ha... View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentI actually have no option but a pinch collar for my dog because no other collar will fit him. He actually out grew the largest collar that the pet store has. However, I only use the collar when he is walking. I know that I will never use a choker collar because of the dangers of your dog choking on them. I know that is how I lost one dog and that was with me right there. Her collar had gotten caught in another dogs mouth and we couldnt get it loose while walking them. A great alternative to a pinch or choke is the Gentle leader.
I never heard of a pinch collar before. I feel the same way about the choke chain, too. These are the places folks go when they have no patience! Great advice!
great job and well informative. thanks for this info.
Before reading this, I didn't know that the reasons why a pinch collar might be ineffective or even improper for dog training. When you note it is far more painful for the dog, you convinced me right there that a different method might be better. Thanks for the information. I had no idea of the pros and cons of various collars...but then, we don't have a dog right now. If we get one, I'll be better prepared - at least, when it comes to pinch collars versus other types.