10/27/2026
🛠️ TOOL TALK TUESDAY: PRONG COLLARS 🛠️
Alright, let’s talk about one of the more controversial tools in dog training the prong collar!
Prong collars can look intimidating, and there is A LOT of information and misinformation surrounding them. Like every tool we’ve talked about, I think it’s important to understand what they actually do before deciding how we feel about them.
A prong collar is made of linked sections with rounded prongs that sit against the dog’s neck. When leash pressure is applied, the collar tightens a limited amount and creates pressure at multiple contact points. When that leash pressure goes away, the collar releases again.
For the right dog and handler, that can create much clearer communication without the handler needing to constantly pull against the dog.
Prong collars may be beneficial for:
🐾 Strong dogs whose owners struggle to safely control them
🐾 Dogs who have learned to pull through other equipment
🐾 Creating clearer leash communication
🐾 Teaching loose-leash walking alongside actual training
🐾 Giving some handlers safer, more manageable control of a large dog
🐾 Certain training situations where another tool hasn’t been a good fit
But and this is a BIG but a prong collar isn’t something I believe you should simply buy, throw on your dog, and start correcting them with.
Proper fit and handling matter tremendously.
The collar should be fitted specifically to the individual dog rather than hanging loosely around the bottom of the neck. Links should be added or removed to achieve the correct fit, and I strongly recommend having a knowledgeable trainer show you how to fit and use one.
A few important things to remember:
🐾 A prong collar should never be left on an unattended or kenneled dog
🐾 Don’t use it as a tie-out collar
🐾 Constant leash tension defeats the purpose of pressure and release
🐾 Consider a backup connection to a flat collar in case equipment fails
🐾 Dogs with certain neck, spinal, airway, or other medical concerns may need different equipment
🐾 It isn’t appropriate for every dog, especially dogs whose fear, stress, or behavior worsens with added pressure
🐾 The tool should be paired with actual teaching and reinforcement
And probably the biggest point I want to make:
A prong collar does NOT train your dog for you.
Putting one on a dog might give you more physical control, but control and training are two different things. The dog still needs to learn where you want them, what leash pressure means, what behaviors earn rewards, and how to make good choices.
I also don’t believe every dog needs one.
Some dogs do beautifully on a flat collar. Some need a harness. Some work well on a slip lead. Some dog-and-handler teams may benefit tremendously from a properly introduced prong collar.
The goal of this series isn’t to convince everyone to use the same equipment. It’s to understand our tools, use them responsibly, and choose what makes sense for the individual dog standing in front of us.
Because good training has never been about owning the “right” collar. It’s about knowing how to teach the dog on the other end of the leash. 💜
Have you always wondered how a prong collar actually works? 👇
