Why does my dog
Do prong collars hurt dogs?
Our trainers get asked this on most phone calls, often with an apology attached, and the honest answer is longer than yes or no. Here is what a prong collar is, how it is used in balanced training, which dogs it suits and which it does not.
Last reviewed September 11, 2026 · by the Best Dog University Team
The short version
The tool is neutral; the fit and the hand decide everything.
A prong collar is a chain of blunt links that distributes pressure evenly around the neck when the leash tightens and releases it instantly when the leash goes slack. Fitted high on the neck, just behind the ears, snug enough that it does not slide, it gives the dog a clear, even signal that it can switch off by moving with the handler, and because the signal is clear it takes far less force than a flat collar, which concentrates pressure on the throat when a dog pulls. Fitted low and loose, worn all day, hooked to a tie-out or used to yank, it bruises and frightens, and so does a flat collar used that way. The tool is not the problem; the fit and the hand are.
- Blunt links, even pressure, instant release
- Fitted high and snug, never low and loose
- Less force than hauling on a flat collar
- Never worn unsupervised or on a tie-out
- The fit and the hand decide everything
The reasoning
How balanced training uses it, and what it is not for.
In balanced training the walk is taught first, with food, a loose leash and a clear picture of where the dog should be; the collar comes after, for the dog that knows the picture and needs a clearer signal when the world gets loud. The pressure is a cue, not a correction: a small, brief tightening that says come back here, released the instant the dog does, and paired with the food and praise the dog already understands. Used that way the dog relaxes into the walk within a session or two because the information is finally clear. It is not a way to stop pulling in a dog that was never taught where to be, not a punishment for lunging, and not the right tool for a fearful dog, a puppy under six months or a dog with a neck or tracheal issue.
The e-collar is a different tool with a different page, and the two are often confused. Our team explains both on the phone, and which, if either, suits your dog.
- The walk is taught first, with food
- The pressure is a cue, released instantly
- Paired with the food and praise the dog knows
- Not for a dog that was never taught where to be
- Not for fearful dogs, young puppies or neck issues
What it means for your dog
Puppies, strong adults, fearful dogs and the dog with a bad collar history.
A puppy does not need a prong; it needs the walk taught at the knee with food in a yard before it has ever learned to pull. A strong adult that knows the walk and loses it when a dog appears is the dog the collar was designed for, and on that dog it reduces force and frustration for both ends of the leash. A fearful dog gets no prong from us, because pressure on a frightened dog confirms the fear. A dog that has been yanked on a prong by a previous handler has a bad association with the tool and is walked on something else while the walk is rebuilt. The decision is made dog by dog, in person, and never by default.
- Puppies: the walk with food, no prong
- Strong adults that know the walk: the dog it was built for
- Fearful dogs: no pressure tools
- A bad history with the tool: something else while the walk is rebuilt
- Decided dog by dog, in person
The Houston factor
Big dogs, hot necks and a neighborhood that will ask.
Houston owns big dogs, Labs, shepherds, doodles, Rottweilers, and a hundred-pound dog that pulls is a shoulder injury for its owner, which is why the question comes up. Heat matters for any collar: a snug collar on a panting dog in July needs checking for rubbing, and a dog is walked at dawn and dusk anyway. And someone in Bridgeland or the Heights will ask about the collar, so the owner should be able to say what it is, how it is fitted and why it is used, which is why our go-home sessions teach the fit and the hand before anyone takes the leash. A dog wearing a prong should look relaxed on a loose leash; if it does not, the tool is being used wrong.
Teach the walk first, with food, at the knee, in the yard and on quiet streets
Decide with a trainer, in person, whether the dog needs a clearer signal at all
Fit it high on the neck, behind the ears, snug enough not to slide, with the right number of links
Use brief, even pressure as a cue, released the instant the dog moves with you
Pair it with the food and praise the dog already understands
Take it off indoors, never on a tie-out, never unsupervised
Watch the dog: relaxed on a loose leash means it is working, anything else means stop
The program
Tools are chosen in a stay or a lesson, for the dog, and taught at the handover.
Every stay, Gold at $2,500 or Platinum at $3,750, teaches the walk first and chooses the equipment for the dog afterwards, and the go-home session teaches the family the fit and the hand on whatever the dog goes home wearing, which for many dogs is a flat collar or a slip lead. In-home lessons at $220 do the same in your driveway. The balanced training page and the leash pulling page explain the method, and the e-collar is described on the VIP program page, where it is used for off-leash reliability after the foundation is built.
The programs
Programs where the tool is chosen for the dog.
Gold and Platinum teach the walk first and choose the equipment after; lessons at home teach the fit and the hand.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this.
Are prong collars cruel?
Used as designed, fitted high and snug, as a brief cue released instantly on a dog that knows the walk, no, and they use less force than hauling on a flat collar. Used loose, low, unsupervised or yanked by a frustrated handler, yes, like any collar. The tool is neutral; the fit and the hand decide.
Do you use prong collars at Best Dog University?
On some dogs, after the walk is taught with food, and never by default. Puppies, fearful dogs and dogs with neck issues do not get one. Many dogs go home on a flat collar or a slip lead. The decision is made for each dog in person and explained to the family.
Is a prong collar better than a harness?
They do different jobs. A harness manages pulling without teaching anything and suits a small dog or a dog with a neck issue. A prong gives a clear cue to a strong dog that knows the walk. Neither replaces teaching the walk, which is where every dog starts.
Can I leave a prong collar on my dog?
No. It comes off indoors, it is never hooked to a tie-out or a crate, and it is never worn unsupervised, because the links can catch. It is a training tool worn for the walk and the session, fitted and removed each time.
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