I’m seeing prong collars used in the UK much more than I have ever seen before, along with a perpetuated idea that if we oppose putting them onto dogs, we must not know how they work.

Ironically though, it’s partly because I do know how they work that I oppose the use of them.

So let’s take a look at how they work.

Sometimes called pinch collars, the prong collar is designed with metal links and inward facing prongs that tighten around a dog’s neck when pressure is applied to the lead. The prongs press against the dog’s skin, distributing that pressure to discourage behaviours like pulling or lunging.

Proponents often claim this mimics how a mother dog corrects her pups, but this analogy doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny.

Mother dogs use subtle, social body language far more often than they use any physical correction, and certainly not prolonged discomfort.

Aversion means using something unpleasant to reduce or stop a behaviour. It works by applying discomfort either physical or emotional, immediately after a behaviour, with the aim that the dog will avoid repeating it.

Dogs learn through a three-part process every time they make a decision:

1. Antecedent (What happens before the behaviour)
   
   This is the trigger or cue that prompts the dog to act. Triggers can be external, internal or even cues.
   
   

2. Behaviour (The choice or action the dog makes)
   
   This is what the dog does in response to the antecedent. In the case of a prong collar it might be standing completely still to avoid the tightening.
   
   

3. Consequence (What happens after the behaviour)
   
   This is what follows the behaviour. If the consequence is rewarding such as relief from the pressure of the collar, the dog is more likely to repeat that behaviour.
   
   

For an aversive to be effective, it must feel uncomfortable or threatening to the dog.

Their repeated decisions create neural pathways which make their chosen behaviour more likely every time they practice it.

A prong collar is placed on the dog.

As dogs can’t talk. Let's look at this video of a trainer wearing the collar and how it felt for her:

A lead is attached to the collar.

The dog then might wonder what’s going on and try to move or pull away.

The prong tightens and causes discomfort, pain, or the anticipation of pain.

The dog becomes uncomfortable, fearful or anxious and steps back into a loose lead, because that alleviates the discomfort.

This is learning through aversion.

The thing about aversive training is that the dog has to be uncomfortable to work.

This is why a prong collar works so quickly and effectively, it affects how safe the dog feels, physically and emotionally.

The use of a prong collar is much more than a simple moment of discomfort then back to comfort.

An effect of aversion that might happen naturally in life is when the dog steps on a spiky surface on a walk and quickly removes their paw and avoids the surface in the future.

Positive punishment means adding something unpleasant immediately after a behaviour to reduce the likelihood of that behaviour happening again.

In the context of a prong collar:

When a dog pulls on the lead, the collar tightens and the prongs press into the dog’s neck. That discomfort is added after the pulling behaviour. The idea is that the dog finds the sensation unpleasant and will stop pulling in order to avoid it in the future.

Negative reinforcement means removing something unpleasant when the dog performs the desired behaviour, making it more likely to happen again.

In the context of a prong collar:

Pressure is applied through the lead and collar.

When the dog stops pulling or moves into the correct position (like walking beside the handler), the pressure stops. 

The relief from discomfort reinforces the dog’s decision to stay in that position.

Discomfort is a natural part of life, and it helps us to grow, this is true. Think of the child who grabs a thistle or how we feel when we eat something mouldy.

Being a teacher or speaker involves discomfort enough to get our understanding to where it needs to be. 

All discomfort isn’t bad, we need it to grow.

However adding discomfort to the experience of a living being on purpose, to get them to do something for you, that’s certainly not within the realms of ethical behaviour.

Using a prong collar doesn’t require the trainer to understand how to teach the dog a new behaviour, to read a dog’s response to their learning or much of their body language at all.

When safety and stress are involved, a dog will do what he needs to do in order to avoid the discomfort associated with danger. In fact, he barely has to think, his nervous system and amygdala will do it for him.

The prong collar simply teaches the dog to suppress the behaviour the trainer doesn’t want.

The dog doesn’t really get to show their feelings in this situation, imagine the dog who is fear barking, full of adrenaline, lunging. They will still be scared and now scared to show they are scared.

When the dog pulls, the collar tightens and causes discomfort. Over time, the dog may stop pulling to avoid that sensation. The behaviour reduces, but nothing new is taught.

This can make the tool seem like a quick fix because it doesn’t rely on the trainer knowing:

• How to understand anything beyond the most basic of dog behaviour.

• How to help dogs to feel safe.

• How to understand the motivations of different canine learning styles and abilities.

• How to break behaviour into manageable steps.

• How to reinforce desired behaviours.

• How to use timing, motivation, and consistency to build a reliable response.

• How to use the three-part learning process to gently change behaviour and responses.

• How to use perfect reinforcement timing to bridge the communication gap between dogs and people.

In contrast, positive reinforcement training does require skill.

The trainer needs to know how to observe the dog, identify what’s motivating them, shape behaviour step-by-step, and reward progress appropriately. It takes time, and an affinity with science to become an ethical and positive dog trainer. 

So, while prong collars can stop behaviour quickly through discomfort, they bypass the need for true teaching. 

This makes them appealing to those seeking fast results, but it also means the dog misses out on learning, confidence building, and trust.

Domestic dog mental health is worse than it's ever been, veterinary behaviourists are constantly seeing cases of fear, anxiety and reactivity. 

The following is a cross section of recent research on the responses and experience of dogs based on whether they were taught with aversive methods or not, references are available by clicking.

“Overall, the results showed that dogs trained using aversive methods displayed more stress-related behaviours, more frequent low and tense behavioural states, panted more during training, and exhibited higher post-training increases in cortisol levels than dogs trained using rewards. Moreover, if dogs were trained with high proportions of aversive methods, they were also in more negative mental states. These findings indicate that aversive based training methods, especially if used in high proportions, may compromise the welfare of companion dogs both within and outside the training context"

—Training methods do have an impact on dog welfare – latest research reveals

“The results show that using aversive training methods (e.g., positive punishment and negative reinforcement) can jeopardize both the physical and mental health of dogs. In addition, although positive punishment can be effective, there is no evidence that it is more effective than positive reinforcement–based training. In fact, there is some evidence that the opposite is true. A few methodological concerns arose from the reviewed studies. Among them are small sample sizes, missing data on effect size, possible bias when coding behavior in observational studies, and the need to publish case reports of bodily damage caused by aversive training methods. In conclusion, those working with or handling dogs should rely on positive reinforcement methods and avoid using positive punishment and negative reinforcement as much as possible.”

—The effects of using aversive training methods in dogs—A review

I just randomly chose three from the hundreds of available peer reviewed studies and articles which tell us the negative effects of aversion-based dog training. All to say there are many more available if you do the smallest amount of research.

“At Battersea we have seen a significant increase in the number of dogs coming to our centres with certain behavioural issues, such as separation anxiety, which can often be linked to the pandemic and the training challenges this unusual time presented. Without the right kind of positive training and support, a small behaviour problem in a puppy or dog can quickly escalate into a serious issue, so we are deeply concerned by this study’s findings that so many owners are using aversive training methods. This approach can often cause further behavioural problems in adulthood and lead to suppression of behaviour, not to mention significantly damage the relationship between pet and owner, which can be challenging to overcome in the future.”

 —The pawfect storm: study finds high levels of problem behaviours and use of aversive training methods in pandemic puppies 

Please, please consider the reliance that your dog places on you.

Please be aware that anyone who uses these tools would not be allowed to join science centric canine professional organisations.

There are ways to teach, settle and help your dog which help them to flex their optimism muscles, that build the trust between you, that don’t rely on creating discomfort. For example a good harness with a two point of contact lead can balance out the emotional and physiological experience of a dog, without making them feel uncomfortable.

We have seen how it works; we have seen the science that tells us how aversion affects the learner, we have seen that it has to upset the dog in some way to work, we can see that is it is used to prevent dog trainers needing to learn kinder skills, let’s be the safety that our dogs deserve.

Dogs deserve better than aversion reliance  training.

Dogs deserve better than prong collars. 

My highly discounted ebook bundle focuses on A variety of canine learners and how to support them without aversion. 

You will also learn more about the dog's nervous system, dog body language, empowerment through scentwork and the wonderful life we can have with our dogs when we have them to live their best life!