Is it cruel to use a prong collar or e-collar when training a
dog? And what are they exactly? First, what is a prong Collar? A
prong collar (also called pinch collar) is a series of chain
links with open ends turned towards the dog’s neck so that, when
the collar is tightened, it pinches the naturally loose skin
around the dog’s neck. When properly adjusted and used, it
startles the dog and gives a sharp correction, but it is very
difficult if not impossible to actually puncture the skin. And
while it looks painful, it’s actually less harmful to the dog
than a slip or choke collar. Opponents argue that pain is never
a good default way in which to train animals. Some dogs are
nearly oblivious to leash corrections of any kind, but the prong
collar might make such dogs pay more attention than milder
collar types. The advantage of the prong collar over the choke
collar is that the circumference is limited so that it is
impossible to compress the animal’s throat. Another advantage is
that any pressure on the dog’s