Prong collars have long been a controversial tool in the dog training world. I used them in the past and saw quick results, but over time, I’ve shifted my perspective.
Today, I believe there are more effective, compassionate ways to train a dog that don’t rely on pain or fear. This post explores the pros and cons, why I no longer recommend prong collars, and what I suggest instead.
I used to think walks were non-negotiable. Rain or shine, my dogs had to be walked daily. And if they pulled, we used what we thought worked, including prong collars.
Years ago, when we adopted Bear, he was a 95lb powerhouse with zero leash manners. I remember the stress of trying to walk him with my daughter on her bike and thinking, “How will we ever make this work?”
The prong collar seemed like the answer. It helped me gain quick control, and at the time, I believed it was the most humane option available.
But the more I learned, the more my thinking changed.
Are Prong Collars Cruel?
This is one of the most searched questions out there, and the answer isn’t black and white. Prong collars aren’t inherently cruel — when used properly, they’re designed to apply even pressure around the dog’s neck rather than causing trachea damage like flat collars can. But here’s the catch:
Most people don’t use them properly.
And even when they do, prong collars rely on discomfort to stop unwanted behavior. That’s just not how I want to communicate with my dogs anymore.
Why I Stopped Recommending Prong Collars
Over the years, I’ve fostered dozens of dogs and worked through all kinds of behavior issues — reactivity, fear, leash pulling, you name it. And yes, I used prong collars with some of them in the beginning. I don’t regret those moments, they were part of my learning journey.
But I’ve also seen how much more powerful it is to build a relationship based on trust, choice, and clear communication, not pressure or pain. It might take longer, and it’s not always easy, but the results last longer and feel better for everyone involved.
Instead of reaching for a prong collar these days, I do one of two things:
- I don’t go on a walk right away. I start by sitting in the yard, working on calmness, connection, and attention.
- I use reward-based training and tools like front-clip harnesses or long lines, depending on the dog’s needs.
Walks aren’t the only way to exercise a dog. Mental stimulation, sniffy time in the backyard, enrichment games, and play can meet a dog’s needs in a more relaxed, confidence-building way.
Pros and Cons of Prong Collars
Even though I don’t recommend them anymore, I think it’s important to give a full picture, especially for anyone feeling desperate for help.
The “Good” (why people use them):
- They can stop pulling quickly
- They’re often used by balanced trainers
- They can be a last resort for strong dogs when other methods haven’t worked
The “Bad and Ugly”:
- They rely on pain or discomfort to stop behavior
- Misuse is common, which can lead to physical and emotional damage
- They don’t teach the dog what to do instead
- They can erode trust between you and your dog
What to Use Instead
There are so many tools and methods that can help you teach your dog to walk nicely on a leash, without fear or pain:
- Front-clip harnesses (we use the Ruffwear Front Range Dog Harness)
- Relationship-based games that teach attention, impulse control, and focus
One of my favorite resources is the Loose Leash Walking online course by SpiritDog Training. It’s a gentle, step-by-step program that teaches your dog how to walk politely without pulling.
➡️ Check out the SpiritDog Loose Leash Walking Course here (affiliate link)
This is a great option if you want expert guidance, especially for dogs who are leash reactive or just overly excited on walks.
And if your dog is struggling with reactivity or fear? Training games that build confidence and help them feel safe are your best path forward.
I cover a lot of these ideas in my blog and inside my Rescue Dog Confidence Training Starter Pack.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t about shaming anyone. I’ve been there. I still see prong collars online or at the park and feel that moment of, “I get why they’re using it.”
But I also know we can do better.
If you’re here because you’re struggling with your dog pulling or being reactive, you’re not alone, and you’re not failing. There are kinder, more effective ways to help your dog, even if they take a little more time.
Want help figuring out where to start? Check out these resources:
You’ve got this. Your dog just needs your patience, not punishment.
I have used prong collars before with fantastic success. If you have a stubborn or strongly pulling dog, these collars can change a dog’s behavior in literally one short session. There is no need to be heavy handed using a prong collar. A quick, gentle tug is all that’s needed. My dogs immediately focused on me rather than being ramped up and anxious or hyper. These collars can save a dog’s life and make him the gentle fur baby the owner wants. The rescues and shelters are full of dogs that were not trained properly by their owners and so were abandoned. It is cruel to these dogs for them to be abandoned over and over again, adding to their unsuitability as pets, by people who believe themselves humane, when a gentle training session with a prong collar can turn those wonderful dogs into the kind of pet the owner dreams of. I have used one with a boxer, a half rottweiler/half lab, and a half boston terrier/half lab. Every time, with only a few sessions, the dogs became calm, happy and responsive. My latest furbaby – the half boston/half lab – was so smart that all the “positive” training methods only trained him to misbehave. The “positive” training methods consist of a verbal correction, which leads to a treat (definitely food motivated dog). This merely trained him to bite me, then sit back and wait for a treat when he quit. Offering him a toy when he attacks me, biting and scratching me, only taught him to attack me in order to get a toy. He was getting worse and worse – out of control. So, out comes my trusty prong collar. A smart, quick, and gentle tug as he came at me, playfully, but vigorously and painfully, biting and scratching, caused him to halt and look at my face, asking me what I need from him, wanting to interact and please. On our first walk, with a 20 minute session he was heeling, sitting, and responding to down and stay commands like never before. Before he never watched me. He didn’t need to or want to. Now he is eyes on me. Now he is licking me instead of biting, watching me and interacting with me. He’s the sweet dog I knew him to be. By using the prong collar, he is now interacting with me in positive and affectionate ways, instead of the aggressive and painful ways that came natural to him. He was on the road to becoming an uncontrollable pet who would be doomed to being kept outside when the grandkids come to visit, or visitors come into the home. Now he is under control and gentle. I just can’t say enough positive about the usefulness of a prong collar. It can save everyone’s sanity. Yours and the fur baby.
Thank you Patty for sharing your story! The prong collar has been a life-saver for so many dogs.
Hi Debi,
I have found your article online about using prong collars.. well, i am at my wits end with my darling Border Collie. Kodi will be 2 yrs old in September this year, originates from a rescue center and has been with me from 4 months of age.
Unfortunately, Kodi is one of those dogs that take you for a walk and not the other way around.. so i am wanting to try a prong collar, he gets so over stimulated when we go for a walk it’s almost unbearable.. pulling, barking, hyper over the top behaviour. this si my best buddy and my soul mutt and i am not going to give up on him, though both he and i need help!
Is there any advise other than your article on the prong collar you can help with – please know though that my intention is to use the collar correctly and for the right reasons, i have paid special attention on how NOT to use the collar..
I am emigrating to Germany next year and i do not want to be taking a dog with me that is going to drag me through the streets, barking and being hyper and scaring everyone by giving the impression he’s aggressive which he definitely is not..
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Follow SolidK9Training on Youtube, he offers plenty of training videos on prong collars.
You lost me at suggesting a prong collar for a reactive dog! This is the worst tool you can use for a reactive dog. I don’t see dog trainer in your credentials, but do see a link to a product which suggests you make money off of your recommendation. I’m not sure you have the experience to recommend this nor have the dog’s best interest in mind. Disappointed by the bias.
I actually have a ton of experience with the prong collar with my own dogs and other foster dogs I have trained. I may not have a certificate as a dog trainer, but I have attended more training sessions with dog trainers than I can count. This post is from the perspective of a dog owner (me) that has experience with all types of training techniques, and yes that includes reactive dogs, shy dogs, scared dogs, and happy go lucky dogs. And yes I do earn a small commission when someone purchases from one of the links on this page, this commission is tiny and doesn’t cost you anything. I spend more than 40 hours a week writing, researching and helping dog owners, I can not do it for free and still feed my family. The links and ads are a way for me to cover my expenses. In the end, I realize the prong collar is very controversial, but please do not bash it unless you’ve had experience with a dog that pulls so hard you can not walk him. Just read some of the success stories in the comments. The prong collar is a life saving tool for many dog owners.
Excellent post!! I am a 12 year veteran of professional canine training and hands-down a prong collar is absolutely the safest most efficient way to train your fur babies!! When I am conducting group training sessions I introduce the prong collar to each and every one of my classes and I properly fit it around my own bare leg and give it the correct pull as if I were training a dog to demonstrate to my groups how safe and non-damaging the prong collar is. Keep up the good work and don’t let the ignorant and uneducated bring you down! Cheers!
A large loving pit bull wondered it’s way up to the shop where I was working and we had decided to take care of it while it was there. No one ever claimed it so it became our shop dog and because I opened and closed the shop regularly I was the one in charge of walking him. Boy was he difficult to walk though. He would drag me all over. He would pull so hard that I wound up on the ground a time or two and injured just by walking him. We decided to try a prong collar and WOW what a difference it made! It was like I was walking a totally different dog altogether. It was life saving for me. The dog didn’t even attempt to pull, lunge or drag me anywhere anymore. It was so bad before that I actually would dread having to take him for his walks and I loved him so much because he was a beautiful loving dog but he literally hurt me on his walks but after we tried the pronged collar and he walked so calmly and correctly I couldn’t wait to take him on his walks. It was a lifesaver for me and he was a true angel to walk with it.
Is the prong collar training my dog not to pull and then when he no longer pulls then we’ll no longer need to use the collar? Or will we always have to use the prong collar? Do your dogs reach a point that you no longer have to use the prong collar?
Yes, the prong trains the dog not to pull and yes eventually your dog will no longer need the collar. But every dog is different. Some dogs only need it for 6 months, others will need it for years. Be patient and give your dog the ability to learn.
I was horrified the first time I saw these collars for sale and thought they were really cruel! But yesterday I had to take my dog, an 8 year old 84lb rottweiler, to the vet. This is always very stressful for me and I get there praying there won’t be another dog in the waiting room. She gets so over excited in this, and a few other, situations that I have real trouble holding her back – she has on occasions pulled me over! I asked the vet if she could give me some gentle tranquillisers to use on such occasions, just to calm her down, but the vet was very reluctant to do this.
However, she told me that she uses a prong collar with her two German shepherds for the same reason and offered to demonstrate on my dog while we were there. We put on the collar and took my dog out into the waiting room, where there was actually another dog waiting. Immediately the two dogs got ready to lunge at one another. With the gentlest reminder, and no indication that she had felt anything at all, my dog turned straight back to me, looking happy and ready to take notice of me. For the first time ever I relaxed and smiled while in a vet’s waiting room! I should say that my dog is quite highly trained and in a training environment excels at quite advanced exercises. But in some situations all that ‘goes out the window’. I am worried about how my dog owning friends will react to me getting one of these collars, but having seen how easy and gentle yet effective it can be I have decided that I would be silly not to get one, both for her safety and mine, in certain situations.
Susan, thank you for sharing your story and I have a feeling this is going to change you and your dogs lives for the better! We sometimes will put a bandana on our dogs to cover the prong collar.
Thank you, the bandana is a good idea. By the way, the vet also said to only use the Herm Sprenger brand.
Thank you for this article. I have a strong, 1.5 year old, hard headed, 60 pound English Springer Spaniel and he is all over the place on walks. He’ll jump at people and dogs who walk by because he wants to visit, he thinks everyone is his friend. I do actually have a prong collar, the trainers at his class suggested it. He is amazing on it, but I don’t always use it because I’m worried about what people might think.
I went into the city to give him some new experiences besides our boring suburb walks and didn’t use the prong collar. Huge mistake, he was so overwhelmed he was pulling nonstop on our hour walk around the park. I probably am going to get blisters all over my hands, I had to work so hard to keep him from pulling me. I felt like his regular collar was causing him pain because he was pulling against it so much. If he’s really excited treats have no value, even hot dogs. He’s actually spit them out when he he’s determined to get to something else.
Reading this article and the comments made me realize I have to get over what people might think. I know my dog and one day we’ll eventually work away from the prong collar but he’s not there yet. He’s pretty good on our boring suburb walks with a regular collar, but any new experience he is almost uncontrollable. After our outing I realized how overwhelmed he still gets with new scents and experiences. The prong collar helps keep his focus on me and makes it a positive experience for both of us.
Shelby, I love your story! Thank you so much for sharing. Your story along with all the others brave enough to share will helps others in your same situation. I’ve come to the conclusion that the people bashing the prong collar never had a dog like yours. Stay strong and be confident in knowing you are doing everything right!
If the prong is desingned “not ” to be uncomfortable or cause pain, how does it actually work? I will answer my own question for you……It works by causing pain and uncomfortableness for the dog, causing the dog to avoid the pain . If you want to advocate for using aversive tools, that’s fine, but lying and telling people that the prong doesn’t “hurt” , only makes you look ridiculous . You’re welcome !
It does not work by causing pain when used properly. It is like tapping the dog on the shoulder to get his attention. Sure someone could use it to hurt a dog if they want to pull tight and nag on the dogs neck. But that is true for a flat collar, letting the dog choke itself by pulling so hard the owner can’t control him. It’s all about communicating with the dog, not about pain at all.
I broke down and bought a prong collar for my girls (18 month old pitbulls) they’re the sweetest dogs but pull like crazy especially when they see a person or another dog they want to play with. We started using the collars and the pulling has gotten so much better. Thank you for the article it helped ease my mind in using this for our pups
Kilian you are very welcome. It’s been a life-safer for so many dogs!
I have a 15 lb, 1 year old shih-poo who, because he is overly excited, attempt to pull and lunge to meet other people and dogs. We have tried positive reinforcement with food items, turning to head a different direction when he pulls (hoping he will learn to follow the human), and have tried at least another half dozen other recommended methods. Our shih-poo is VERY smart and learns quick – so we know it isn’t an intelligence issue. I just ordered a Sprenger 2.25 mm 12″ inch prong collar and will let you know how it works out in training…it should arrive in 2 days.
Kelly, I think you will be pleasantly surprised on how quickly it will work. Good luck!