Choke Chains: Not Actually for Strangling Your Dog

The choke chain, or check chain, is one of the most commonly used training collars, and one of the most abused. It is my least favorite training device because it is the only one I know of that causes harm when used both properly and improperly.

Photo by Erin Koski

How to Use a Choke Chain
A properly used choke chain is almost always loose. Unlike a prong collar, which should be adjusted to fit snugly, a choke chain should be several inches larger than the dog's neck.

The correct way to use a choke chain is to give a correction when the dog is not performing the desired action. A correction is given by giving the leash a sharp jerk, pulling the chain tight to hurt the dog's neck. Dr. Sophia Yin describes the proper technique here in more detail, it requires quite a bit of leverage and actually twisting the body to apply enough force. During a proper choke chain correction, some of the dog's feet may actually leave the ground. Once the dog has experienced this sort of pain, a light collar pop is often enough of a reminder.

Using a choke chain on a dog that pulls on the leash should look like this: dog walks to end of leash, handler gives almighty yank of doom, dog walks to end of leash, handler gives almighty yank of doom, dog becomes wary of hitting the end of the leash and learns to walk nicely OR ELSE. Next time dog becomes excited and hits the end of the leash, the handler can give them a light snap to see if they remember how to walk nicely, before resorting to the almighty yank of doom. Overall, the dog should experience a small number of hard yanks, and a lot of small pops while learning how to walk on leash.

Photo by Erin Koski

A thinner choke chain is more severe than one with big fat links, in general the thinner-is-more-severe rule holds true for everything but prong collars. A wider collar distributes pressure across a larger area, while a thinner collar concentrates and magnifies any force exerted. Thin choke chains are popular in the conformation show ring because they are subtle and don't draw attention away from the dog, and at the same time look a bit like elegant jewelry. Big fat chains are easier on the dog's neck, less severe when popped, and scream "THIS IS A CHAIN!" for those who like to accessorize.

The most effective way to use a choke chain is to keep it high on the dog's neck when tightened. This is where there is the least muscle, and the most sensitive nerves along with important things like arteries. It guarantees that the chain will hurt the most when yanked, and most effectively cuts off the dog's air supply when lifted up. I never use choke chains, I bought these at a thrift store specifically for this blog post.

How Not to Use a Choke Chain
One of the reasons people use choke chains is because this type of collar tightens up when pressure is applied, and prevents the dog from backing out. More importantly, the collar remains loose when no pressure is applied. A flat collar must be very tight indeed to prevent the dog from backing out, and some dogs can back out of anything that doesn't tighten. Martingale collars and harnesses also prevent dogs from escaping, but without causing the same type of damage to the neck as an ever-tightening noose.

Photo by Erin Koski

The average pet owner isn't using a choke chain to prevent escape, though. Most seem to be using it as a bandaid for pulling on leash. The choke chain is simultaneously the least effective and most damaging way to try to stop dogs from pulling on walks. No-pull harnesses and head collars are both fairly effective bandaid solutions for pulling. The Easy Walk front-clip harness is currently my favorite no-effort solution for dogs that pull. It causes little to no discomfort, minimal harm so long as it isn't being used for running or by canine athletes, and can be effectively used just by clipping it on and walking without training. It can be a great training aid too, but it makes a decent bandaid for people who just want to take a damned walk without getting dragged down the street.

The average dog owner seems to think choke chains work by causing discomfort when the dog pulls. The vast majority of the ones I see on dogs are either much too long or much too short. The chain is always resting around the base of the neck, and the wearer is pulling like a sled dog. Choke chains are terrible bandaids for pulling because they just aren't that aversive when used like this. Most dogs don't really mind, or even notice that they are being strangled. The sensation is of a slow, gradual squeeze rather than the sudden pinch from a prong collar, and many dogs are perfectly willing to pull through that feeling. There's nothing to help them connect between leash pressure and not being able to breathe because these don't happen at the same time.

Photo by Erin Koski

Why Not to Use a Choke Chain
When used correctly, a choke chain is used to inflict pain as a method of training. When used incorrectly, a choke chain is used as an ineffective deterrent to pulling on leash. Unlike most training tools out there, a choke chain also causes harm no matter how it is used. Those sharp collar corrections high on the neck damage tracheas and glands and other delicate structures. The chronic strangulation of the choke chain sitting low on the neck of a dog allowed to pull causes eye damage. Using a choke chain to deliberately strangle, drag or hang a dog like a certain TV dog trainer can cause brain damage severe enough that the only kind solution is euthanasia.

There just isn't any reason at all to be using a choke chain in 2014 when we have all sorts of other options for communicating with our dogs and solving behavior problems. Just about every other training tool on the market is safer, more effective, less aversive, and easier to use.

All About Prong Collars

A prong, or pinch, collar can be a useful training tool in certain situations. It can provide "power steering" for large and insensitive dogs, and allow powerful dogs to be walked safely. That said, there are some downsides to this device. Like most training tools, prong collars are often used incorrectly. Even those who know the basics are unaware of some of the different ways to alter the action of the prong collar to make it more or less severe. Even at their most severe, prong collars are less damaging and make far better training tools than choke chains.

I have used a prong collar on Brisbane in the past, when I was walking both of my dogs along with my roommates dog and often at least one foster dog. At the time, I needed something that would allow me to stop the entire pack when they spotted something chaseable, so Brisbane and the roommate dog got prong collars. In retrospect it wasn't the best choice because prong collars do cause pain or discomfort. Today I would not put a prong collar on a sensitive or reactive dog because I don't want to teach them that seeing a trigger makes their neck get pinched.

Size

Photo by Erin Koski

Prong links come in three different sizes. Bigger prongs are for bigger dogs, right? Wrong! Any size prongs can be used on any size dog, the difference in size just changes the level of severity.

The bigger the prong links, the more harsh the collar. It is perfectly acceptable, and actually preferred, to get a tiny prong collar and just add links until it fits the dog. This is ideal for dogs that are easy to handle on their own, but get difficult in groups. Walking multiple dogs is tough, they tend to feed off each others excitement.

If a small prong collar, properly fitted, isn't enough to control a large, insensitive, not-reactive dog, a medium or large collar is an option. I just hate to see giant prong collars on large, well-behaved dogs just because people think that the size of the prongs should be determined by the size of the dog.

Fit

This collar is too loose and sitting too low. Photo by Erin Koski

The fit of the prong collar dramatically alters the effectiveness. Unlike a choke chain, a prong collar should not hang loosely around the dog's neck before it is pulled tight. Prongs work like a martingale collar, with a small loop that pulls the big loop tight, but limits how tight. If the prong collar is loose enough to tighten all the way up, it's not going to be very effective.

That said, a loose prong collar with giant links is going to be less severe than a properly fitted one. I see a lot of labradors and golden retrievers wearing huge, floppy prong collars. Not very effective, but probably kinder to the dog.

This collar is properly fitted. Photo by Erin Koski.

A properly-fitted prong collar should in the middle of the neck, halfway between the shoulders and ears. It should be so tight that it stays up there, tight enough that it's slightly difficult to put on, but not tight enough to actively cause discomfort until leash pressure is applied.

The correct position is the one shown here, with the prongs around the back of the neck where the muscles are, and the leash attachment at the front or to the side. Again, the collar should be adjusted small enough that it remains in this position without sliding down or rotating.



Leash Attachment

Photo by Erin Koski.

The chain loop on a prong collar has two rings. Most people attach the leash to one of these rings, so that the collar tightens when leash pressure it applied. However, the collar can be made less severe by attaching the leash to both rings. This prevents the collar from tightening, so that the dog feels less of a correction. I always used Brisbane's prong collar like this, he is sensitive enough that he didn't need the collar to tighten.

The collar can also be made less severe by putting rubber tips on the prong. The kindest, gentlest prong collar is one with small links and rubber tips, with the leash clipped through both rings.

The most severe prong collar is one with large links and bare metal tips, with the leash clipped only to one ring. This collar would be the most effective on a strong, insensitive dog. I would not use it on a reactive dog, or one with behavior issues rooted in anxiety.

There are better training tools out there, and I don't really use prong collars anymore. Still, they probably have their place. I believe them to be most effective on big doofy gun dogs like labradors, golden retrievers, and weimeraners. Any handler using this type of collar needs to be aware that is an aversive tool that can make fear and anxiety issues worse, or even cause issues if the dog learns to associate the pain of the collar with certain stimulus. This should be a training tool that is eventually eliminated. I think that head halters work better as a safety measure for a small handler walking a large dog.

Safety!
Anyone who uses a prong collar needs to be aware that they can pop open suddenly for no reason. I always used a slip collar or martingale with the prong collar. The leash clips through the ring on each collar, so if the prong fails the martingale still safely contains the dog. It's a little bit bulky and a little bit inconvenient, but if will be worth it if it prevents my dog from getting away from me at the worst possible time.