what are your opinions on "pinch chains"?

Prong collars are a little less cruel. I have a black Labrador/Rottweiler mix dog who is 6 years old and still hyper as hell. lol. We use that and she barely ever pulls. It doesn't really pinch her neck. Just tightens a bit to make it uncomfortable. Not enough to make her yelp or anything like that. Works well.

i love my pinch collar!! I have a Doberman Pinscher!! I use mine for training only, though. If you take your dog out in public with one on, it gives a bad statement for the breed of dog...it says you NEED it to control it. If you prefer a choke, the slide it up just behind the dog's ears and hold the leash upright keeping the dog beside you. (like you see at dog shows), make sure you use it properly, too. Hold the chain at eye level, run it through the loop as if you were about to put it on your dog, you should be able to make the letter "P", then put it on with the dog facing you. The further the other loop is under their chin, the more control you have. Any GOOD trainer would know this....I was warned of trainers that told you to "yank" the choke chain if the dog pulls...it can cause spinal injuries. I think....get a new trainer.

But, like i said, the pinch collar is an excellent training tool, I have one with rubber on the tips so it doesnt puncture the dogs skin. Put the collar on your arm and jerk on it, if you dont want that for your dog, then dont use it.

if they are not fitted right they can do major damage or not work at all. I've only used them once and didn't really like them. As your dog grows you have to add to them and its not the easiest thing to do. On top of everything the dog didn't work well with it, she did better with a normal choke or a normal collar as she go older.

I think Prongs are a tool and you use the right tool for the job.

My labs were all trained using a prong collar. They never pull or strain when walking. Most of that is training but even if they get excited or see another dog, they won't pull because they don't like the pinch. I don't have to apply it - they know it's there.

For every adoptive family that gets a dog from us we recommend different collars for the dogs. Some have been trained with Gentle leaders, some with regular collars and some with a prong. We demonstrate how to use each tool properly. We send most of our large dogs home with prong collars.

In addition, we always demonstrate the collar on ourselves. I've put them on my leg hundreds of times and let people "correct" me. I've shown them I don't have bleeding wounds and that my skin is fine.

BTW, my dogs go nuts when they hear their collars. They know it's time to work.

Properly used they are great.

I often have my clients use them for their dogs.

Keep in mind this is a training tool and once you gain the control you want you should work towards using a regular collar.

For dogs who pull they do far less trachea damage than regular collars.

It is a self correcting thing. You put the collar on and if the dog chooses to pull it will get pinched. The very instant the dog eases up with the pulling he is rewarded with a release of pressure. If he pulls pressure if not no pressure.

They learn really quickly about how to give to pressure.

They use similar methods to train horses about giving to pressure so the rider can control the horse.

ive owned a labrador, rott, minidacshund and a rott mix

and have found it really depends on the dog's attitude and size, for example, my lab loved to pull so i used a choke chain while teaching her to heel, it discouraged her from pulling on the leash. i used a choke chain on my rotts regurally, one because he was snappish and the other because he pulled even after training. the mini never needed it. Most big or sturdy dogs can handle a choke chain as long as they don't have any special conditions that apply to the neck area. small dogs though have much weaker necks and can be damaged by to much force on the collar. If you use the chokechain responsibly and consult your vet or trainer when in doubt youll be fine. In my opinion though you will be fine with the bulldog and a choke.

I love them and have used them at least once with most dogs Ive trained. I dont use them on every dog since not every dog needs them but I would pick that over a choke any day. As long as you use it properly and dont over correct they are safe if you feel like you may be harsh you can get "caps" that are rubber and cover the prongs, Ive never used those but other people have.

I always used choker collars for my larger dogs too. With my German Shepperd it did not seem to be working with her. I changed to a pinch collar. She is my only dog that I have used this type of collar. It works very well with her. I think if you use it correctly you will find you will like it better than a choker collar because it actually does not choke them at all. I do not think it ever hurt her either. It tends to put pressure on the neck without the actual choking. I know the look of it looks painful but again if used right I do not think it hurts them at all.

I have absolutely no problem with prong collars, as long as they are properly fitted and the handler understands the correct way to use them.

With a strong dog like an AmBulldog, a prong collar is definitely a good choice, especially if it is what the trainer reccomends.

I recommend the pinch collar as well. If the trainer recommends it and with their guidance on proper fit, location on the neck and use you will have no problems. I too used a choker for many years with success. It wasn't until a trainer suggested I go to the pinch that I tried and loved it. My GSD actually looks forward to wearing it since the only time he has it on is for training, which he loves. And it does't pull the hair as much.