5 Considerations When Choosing Training Dog Collars

A training collar is a useful tool for obedience training your dog. It goes by various names, some being a pinch collar, slip collar, choke collar or even a choke chain. Essentially it goes round the animals neck, and, when attached to a lead or leash, is an effective way for you to maintain control of the dog.

Of course a training collar and lead must be used correctly if it is going to be totally effective. This article will cover 5 things you should consider when using a dog training collar. It will aid you in understanding how to use the collar safetly and effectively.

1. Picking the correct size of training collar " You have to find a balance between a collar that is too tight for the animal and too loose for you to handle it. Obviously it may damage or hurt your dog if it is too tight and it will be a useless training tool if it is too loose. Try to find a collar that fits snugly around your pets neck.

Start by taking a measure of your dog's neck. Then, add around 5 centimeters (2-3 inches) to that measurement. This will give some play to the collar so that it can fit comfortably over the dogs head. Generally a dog training collar will come in 5 centimeter (2 inch) increments.

2. Putting the collar on your dog correctly " There will be detailed instructions with the collar that you purchase about placing it on your dog. Read these carefully as they will indicate what is too to tight for your dog and how you should go about putting the collar on. This could help to prevent hurting your dog if you were to fit the collar incorrectly.

3. Using the training collar properly " Above all use the collar in an informed and compassionate way. It is not a way to punish your dog but merely a way to communicate with him when he is doing wrong. You should never exert a continuous force on the lead or leash when it is attached to the collar as this could cut of air to the dog and lead to problems.

4. Take into account the link size and weight of the training collar. They should reflect the type of dog that will be wearing the collar. So if you had a Bull Mastiff then you would want a heavy collar with larger links. If you had a toy Poodle then the wight and link size would be considerably less. Normally, the chain documentation or packaging will indicate the range or size of dog suitable to the type of collar.

5. Get the positioning of the collar and leash right on your pets neck. The ideal position of the leash on the collar is at the top of the dogs neck. This means the any pressure that you put on the leash will be transferred to the collar and communicate with your dog effectively. It will also release the pressure quickly once you ease off on the leash preventing any harm coming to your pet unnecessarily.

A final point is to make sure the collar and leash are constructed from robust materials. The chances are that they will be used quite often and you don't want either of them to break at an unexpected moment. This could put you, your dog or people around you in a dangerous position.

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Learn more about dog health and training tips, including a review of popular dog training in home course sit stay fetch and dog health care information.

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