Periodically the distinction between management and restraint is lost. Using commands and hand gestures, with harnesses or food rewards, to stimulate wanted behavior is discipline. Using choke or shock collars, electronic boundaries and related devices is for control of unwanted behaviors.

Constraint and the use of control devices isn’t unavoidably a negative factor. Dogs naturally have and look for a community hierarchy in which someone is the boss and in any human-dog pair the person has to take that position. Sometimes control tools are called for to establish that hierarchy. If not established, the result will be property destruction, potentially unhealthy state of affairs for other animals and humans, human disappointment and an erratic dog.

Choke collars were conceived to help in getting control. Dogs are like humans in that each has their own character and traits. Some are, as a result, more assertive or slower to learn. For ones that don’t react positively to a conventional leather or nylon collar, a metal choke collar can supply additional deterrence to tugging and leaping.

The immediate negative is that when correcting collars are used inappropriately – as is all too possible – they can give you results you didn’t want and also be potentially unhealthy. Choke collars fit only one way and when correctly fitted should make allowance for a one to three fingers distance between the neck and the collar; three fingers for bigger dogs, one finger for smaller. By and large a collar two inches longer than the circumference of the neck will be ok.

If used poorly, correction collars can rub the skin – producing irritated areas that your dog will likely scratch and make worse. These collars can also accidentally depress the windpipe. An instantaneous pull-and-release does no harm, however. Its intention is to generate unpleasant pressure. But for dogs that aggressively challenge the lead this action is probably not enough. Generally, overuse of this type of collar is not approved of, notably for smaller dogs.

Prong collars are less menacing than they look, but – in this trainer’s view – have almost no positive properties. The only positive aspect of the construction is their restricted diameter – they can only choke down so far. Nevertheless, an animal with such a determined predisposition to pull that prongs don’t give him a second thought requires more than a quick fix consisting of choking and poking. That type of critter needs dedicated attention and behavior modification management.

Halter collars, which encircle the neck and the snout, but don’t hamper panting or impair drinking, can give further restraint. The downside is they don’t assuage biting if that’s a problem. If biting is not a concern an ordinary leash and collar, or perhaps a chest halter might be preferred.

For assistance with those dogs that carry on in barking long after the purpose of barking is gone, consider an electronic No-barking collar. Barking is an ordinary and natural response to possible menacing events and is also used to signal distress and gain attention when one becomes isolated from the communal pack. But, for reasons we don’t completely understand, some animals bark continuously or at the drop of a hat.

Behavior modification equipment that discourages barking comes in several varieties, most notable noise and shock. Noise collars create an abbreviated, displeasing sound that diverts attention and tends to deter constant barking.

Shock collars initiate a minor but startling electric shock that can be repetitive and persistent during prolonged or obsessive barking sessions. Fair and balanced investigations of their effect draw mixed conclusions, on the other hand. As with prong collars, any dog who is a candidate for one would also profit from an attentive, professional trainer.

Now and then quick fixes are appealing and worthwhile… until they become replacements for more constructive (both to trainer and dog) long-term management. Making the effort to understand how to access your dog’s focused attention and cooperativeness without disproportionate reliance on control equipment is better. The usual effect is happier trainers and more well adjusted dogs.

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