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Pinch Collars: Pinch Collars Are Not As Bad As They Appear
from: The Complete DogPinch collars are made up of a series of metal links that pop on and off from each other, allowing you to determine the length of the collar. Between these links is a small chain with a swivel ring to which you attach the leash. The pinch collar comes in three different link sizes: small, medium, and large.
Pinch collars are sometimes referred to as prong collars. Though either name is correct, I call them pinch collars because they work by pinching. When the trainer jerks and releases on this type of collar, the links close together, causing a pinch of the skin. Despite the pinch collar's somewhat shocking appearance, most never cause irritations or abrasions.
Even though the correction it gives is more intense, it will not cause injury as sometimes occurs with the training collar. Used incorrectly, a training collar could become a lethal device. A pinch collar is not designed to tighten like a noose around a dog's neck, and it cannot choke a dog. Interestingly, the correction this collar delivers is a more natural sensation to the dog than that of a training collar because it is bite-like.
There is a good reason that pinch collars are not more widely used. Dogs who are not highly pain-insensitive would react adversely to the correction of a pinch collar. They would cry out in pain and become frightened. Any training procedure that causes a dog to cry out in pain is improper. It indicates that the dog is being overcorrected. When this happens the dog loses emotional control and his ability to concentrate. Dogs cannot learn when they cannot concentrate.
The pinch collar should be used as a training tool on only the most stoic, pain-insensitive dogs. It is a very useful, humane training tool when used on the appropriate individual. The decision to use a pinch collar should be made with the approval of a professional trainer who has experience using this tool. If you do use a pinch collar on your dog, you will get many different reactions from people. People who see the collar for the first time often say, "Oh my God, a spiked collar!" The pinch collar is not a spiked collar. It does not stick into the dog's neck.
You will also hear, "Isn't that cruel to use?" The answer is no. It is much crueler to subject the pain-insensitive dog to repeated corrections on a collar that has no effect. The dog learns nothing and you risk injuring the dog with rough, ineffective corrections borne out of frustration.
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