Pinch Collar or Choker Collar

If you have a dog then you know how difficult it can be to find the proper collar for your dog. When you walk into your local pet store you will several different types of collars and if the person at the store is not very knowledgeable then you might be in trouble finding the right collar. Here are two types of collars that I have used in the past and the results that I have had with each for my large breed English Mastiffs.

The first collar that I will go over is the choker chain. Now like the name says it will choke your dog if it is tightened around the neck. Unfortunately I do not recommend the choker chain for use on dogs anymore because I recently lost one of my dogs due to the choker chain getting wrapped around another one of my dogs mouths and strangling her to death. So you do have to be very cautious when using a choker chain. The choker does work well in getting your dog to heel when you want him to, but does not have a quick release feature at all.

The next type of collar that I have used quite a bit and had great success with is a pinch style of collar. Now the pinch style collar will tighten in a pinching manner on your dogs neck when you put pressure on it. With a pinch style collar you can also expand them by adding extra links in. Now fortunately some of the pinch style collars have a quick release feature that if the dog starts pulling on them to hard or if they get caught on something the collar will release. Now if you are walking your dog with this collar and afraid that he will pull on the collar I would have a cloth collar as a secondary securing measure for your dog that is what I have on mine. A real important point to remember about the pinch collar is you have to use slow and steady pressure on the leash otherwise you will not be teaching your dog anything other than a quick pinch.

These collars here are two that I have used in the past on my dogs and the pinch style I still use. Both collar styles have some pluses, but they also have some minuses that might outweigh the benefits. For training your dog though I would definitely recommend the pinch collar because when put on your dog properly will remind him of his mother grabbing the back of his neck to correct him.