# 4 mo. too young for prong collar?



## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

Bella started puppy classes last night. It went good but the trainer mentioned if your puppy constantly pulls you on walks and chokes themselves, that a prong collar might be helpful. I've read a lot of you say that you should wait until they are 6 months or so. Is there a reason to this? Bella pulls like crazy and I'm afraid that soon, she's going to be dragging me around (Im a relatively small woman). I've tried making it fun for her on walks.. She ignores toys and treats though and is determined to drag me back to the house! I've tried stopping each time she pulls. This makes it miserable and she still pulls the entire trip. It's not a long distance either.. And we go when the weather has cooled down. I'm wondering if maybe a prong collar would help us. Even at puppy class, she was staring at the car and trying to head in that direction! Thoughts? 

She's working line btw. 


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi, this exact question was recently asked. 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...sic/187614-help-w-heel-prong-collar-come.html


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

Thanks! I thought I searched but maybe my app was messing up because this one did not show up! 


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## jae (Jul 17, 2012)

My first idea is to take her elsewhere to walk around. My boy does the same thing out of the house, will absolutely insist on finding the nearest way back to the doorstep from down the block. I found that when I take him in the car, he does the same thing to return to the passengers side, but is more willing to set out to explore. 
What I did was, start out in the yard or house or even a field. Use the 3-step method, start with 3 steps and reward if she stays with you. If she runs off, or ahead, turn right around and call her name, and I use the "here" command. 
Once we got the 3-step method down, pulling seriously came less and less, but still. I was told once, be a tree. If you don't move, then she can't go anywhere, and that should catch on quick. 
Also, you will probably need to treat and treat when you first begin walks. Once my boy gets going on a walk, he gets going and loves it.

I don't think a prong is really necessary unless she is completely misbehaving and aggressive. I've used a martingale sparingly, harness which my boy responded much better to, and finally back to the flat buckle. I will mix it up to keep him on his toes.


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## m1953 (May 7, 2012)

Hi, I have read over and over on here wait till 6 months but never a reason why. I started Nala on a prong at five months and it really has helped a lot. I am very careful to use it as a quick correction only. She is a great walker right by my side untill she sees a car go buy.. I think she thinks it is a big ball. The prong collar really has helped a lot..


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I would work more on trying to figure out what it is that makes your dog want to go back inside so much. What is she so fearful of that she wants to go home? At that age I had trouble getting my boy to go back inside, and still to this day all he wants to do is walk around and be outside.


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

martemchik said:


> I would work more on trying to figure out what it is that makes your dog want to go back inside so much. What is she so fearful of that she wants to go home? At that age I had trouble getting my boy to go back inside, and still to this day all he wants to do is walk around and be outside.


I think it's because there is no A/C. Lol. Bella loves being inside where it's cool. I swear, shes a diva at times. There are dogs down our road which kind of freak her out BUT she's normally fine when we are walking away from the house.. It's the way back that she turns into a pull maniac! 


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## Bear GSD (Apr 12, 2012)

Are you feeding her when she gets back from her walks? Is she anticipating getting fed and wants to cut it short?
I personally liked using the Sensation Harness, it has the ring in the front and it definitely deters from pulling. I used that up until about 6 months and then went back to flat collar and sometime the prong. I definitely would not use the prong before 6 months. 
It's hard, I know, but you really need to stay consistent with the training but I think a harness (front ring) would definitely help.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I started Stosh on a prong collar at 5 mos and it worked really well. Naturally, I didn't yank the heck out of it, just quick light tugs to remind him not to pull.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

martemchik said:


> I would work more on trying to figure out what it is that makes your dog want to go back inside so much. What is she so fearful of that she wants to go home? At that age I had trouble getting my boy to go back inside, and still to this day all he wants to do is walk around and be outside.


This actually seems to be a common problem. I have the same issue with my pup, the moment we are heading toward the house, she's trying to drag me there.

She is not stressed or afraid, she just seems really excited to get home. Maybe she knows that's where her toys are? lol

I have been using a Gentle Leader for my headstrong pup. We both hate it, but it works. lol


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

Every dog is different depending on their pain sensitivity, handler sensitivity and reactions to environmental stimuli. 

I usually start my own puppies on a pinch around 5 months old, taking into consideration the above mentioned factors. 

I don't think there is any magic age "number" where someone should start using a pinch because it all depends on your dog and your needs as a handler. 

If you trust your trainer and you feel that he/she makes intelligent decisions and that they make "sense", then go ahead and try it under your trainer's supervision so that they can show you how to properly use it.

If you are apprehensive, use a sensation harness or a non-pull harness in the mean time to see if it has any effect...I don't like gentle leaders and don't recommend them to my training clients.


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## silverbear (Jun 11, 2012)

We started obedience training today and the instructor passed out pinch collars to everyone. First exercise was to hold the leash with two hands in front of your belly button and walk the dog on your left. As soon as the dog got his shoulders ahead of your hips you pivoted 180 to your right and walked the other direction and repeated the process every time the dog got ahead. My boy Rocco, just a week short of five months, took about 7 - 8 turns to figure it out. Interestingly the instructor suggested a small choke collar vs the medium or large, and said to just add links as needed.


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## dgray (Feb 24, 2012)

silverbear said:


> We started obedience training today and the instructor passed out pinch collars to everyone. First exercise was to hold the leash with two hands in front of your belly button and walk the dog on your left. As soon as the dog got his shoulders ahead of your hips you pivoted 180 to your right and walked the other direction and repeated the process every time the dog got ahead. My boy Rocco, just a week short of five months, took about 7 - 8 turns to figure it out. Interestingly the instructor suggested a small choke collar vs the medium or large, and said to just add links as needed.


I was told to use a medium because the "stakes" are duller. I went ahead and bought one but I'm going to wait I use it. I'm going to try to take her on super super short walks and increase the distance down the road over the next few weeks. I'll try the be a tree method again and see how she responds over time. Maybe once she's gone through a couple classes, she will respond better to me on walks, because we are learning to be more of a team in class. We will see! If no progress is made, I'll try out the prong collar after learning the proper way to use it. Thanks for all the advice guys! 


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## silverbear (Jun 11, 2012)

dgray said:


> I was told to use a medium because the "stakes" are duller. I went ahead and bought one but I'm going to wait I use it. I'm going to try to take her on super super short walks and increase the distance down the road over the next few weeks. I'll try the be a tree method again and see how she responds over time. Maybe once she's gone through a couple classes, she will respond better to me on walks, because we are learning to be more of a team in class. We will see! If no progress is made, I'll try out the prong collar after learning the proper way to use it. Thanks for all the advice guys!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


For now we are using the prong collar for training purposes only. In fact, our homework for the week is no walks, just short twenty minute or so prong collar walks and sit exercises. We've been using a flirt stick to burn off energy.


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