I’ve written about this before, but I’ve seen a lot of fear and hate towards certain training tools. The problem with it is misinformation. People fear things they either know nothing about or that they have been giving wrong information about.
Nylon buckle collars:
These are the regular flat collars you would put your dogs tags on. Very good for ID use and looking cute, not good for training. If you have a dog that pulls a lot don’t even think of trying to use this for training as it could crush your dogs trachea and cause it to collapse.
Martingale Collars:
Similar to the buckle collar, this is partial nylon connected by a chain loop. This allows for a correction, or check, to show your dog they made a mistake. I see many of these used improperly, the two loops at each end of the nylon should never be able to touch. If it does you cannot give a correction.
Harness: 
I will be completely honest, I can’t stand harnesses. They say “pull deterrent” but really they encourage pulling by making it more comfortable. Some people argue that you should use front clip harnesses instead, but all harnesses put pressure on the shoulder that can cause damage to the joints.
Head Halti: 
Much like the harness I hate head halti’s. The argument with these is that they turn your dogs head and keep them from pulling, but when they hit the end of the leash and their head whips quickly to the side it can and will cause damage to their vertebrae.
Toggle Chain: 
This is a training collar, or choke chain, designed to give you a way to correct your dog. These should never be used on a dog who pulls as just like the buckle collar over time it can hurt the trachea. However if your dog knows not to pull it’s a great training tool. However you can easily use this the wrong way. The toggle(wale tail as we call it) should always be over the head at the side and the ring should always go under the head. If its the wrong way it will not release after giving a correction and will remain tight.
Pinch collar: 
A lot of people don’t like pinch collars. Generally they will say they are harmful to the dogs neck, when in reality they are the least harmful thing on this list so far. The pinch collar actually simulates a check they would get by their mom as puppies. Originally it was created as a collar for italian greyhounds because their necks were so weak they would break if they hit the end of a buckle collar. It’s designed to not put pressure all the way around the neck as to avoid trachea damage.
E-Collar: 
E-Collars, or electronic shock collars, are pretty self explanatory. Some people say its inhumane, but I’ve shocked myself with one and it didn’t hurt. Some also come with a vibrate mode which for a lot of dogs is all they need. I would only recommend these for really stubborn dogs who will blow straight through a pinch collar or if you need to teach off leash obedience.
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