Maryellen wrote:prongs, chokers, haltis, harnesses, they are all training tools...
I disagree.
anything that you put on your dog and it behaves 'by magic' without you doing anything is NOT a training tool. It is a control tool.
Prongs don't work unless you use them correctly. If you let your dog drag you around by a prong collar it is basically just a less-comfortable flat collar. If you let your dog drag you around by a choke chain, you have a choking dog. These are tools that require the handler to use them correctly and consistantly so that the dog understands that a behavior is incorrect.
It's not all that different than the 'eat
our meals four times a day' diet plans. They work while you only eat their food, but if you don't change your
regular eating habits those pounds pack right back on the minute you go back to regular eating.
You have to
work to get the dog to understand a training collar. You need to learn to use it, the timing involved, the level of correction your dog needs to be effective, etc.
Put a head collar or harness on a dog and the dog changes its own behavior is not an example of training.