Dog Collar Types

I will be training a puppy in the upcoming months and I was curious about what types of dog collars are being used today and for what purposes. I see lots of people walking their dogs with pronged or pinch collars on. The dogs do not look that big or hard to handle so it was odd that people would use these while walking. Here are the collars I found being sold and what special purposes they are designed to be used for.


Metal Pronged dog collar or Pinch Collar is a collar for use as a training aid ONLY. There are metal prongs that pinch into the neck of the dog as a correction is applied. A correction is a quick snap of the lead in order to get the dog's attention. Of course people use these collars for walking and a dog that pulls will activate the collar constantly. Any training collar should be demonstrated by a professional or at least a sales person that understands how and when to use this type of collar.

The next type of training collar is the "chain slip collar" or "Woodhouse" or the "choke collar". It is a single chain with o-rings at both ends. The chain is threaded through one o-ring and pulled through to form a loop that slips over the dogs head. When a correction is applied the loop closes onto the dogs neck. For walks the collar can be draped over the dogs neck and a lead can be hooked into both o-rings. The collar does not close on the dog's neck when a correction is made. Again the collar is only for training.

Then there is halter or head collar which is a loop that goes around the dog's nose and the back of the head behind the ears. These are specifically for dogs that pull and dogs that have longer noses. The loop around the nose pulls the head to the side when the dog pulls which is an unnatural motion for the dog.

The martingale collar sometimes called a greyhound collar is made of nylon and is double looped with the inner loop closing when a correction is made to get the dog's attention. There is a mechanism that does not allow the loop to completely close on the neck. Usually the collar is used for sighthounds but can be used for any dog.

Everyday collars are collars that can be worn most of the time. Take collars off when in crates. These are usually made of leather or nylon and can be stiff when purchase they will soon soften as worn.

Break away collars is an everyday collar with a special buckle that breaks apart if the collar gets caught on something. Some have two o-rings on the buckle so a lead can hook in on the walk protecting the buckle from breaking apart while on the walk.

Harnesses are made from nylon and fits around the chest and abdomen. The lead hooks into a ring on the back side of the dog. These work very well for dogs that have respiratory or back problems.

Designer dog collars can come in every size, shape and price you can imagine. Some are spiked, some personalized and some have gemstones.

Show dog collars are nylon or leather leads that are similar in design to the chain slip collar only longer. The loop is made by threading the lead through a ring. Veterinarians use these in their offices or at least ours does.

An electronic dog collar has a transmitter for the trainer and the receiver is on the collar for the dog. The trainer pushes a trigger which delivers an electronic pulse to the receiver unit. Hunters and trainers use these collars. Hidden fence systems use the receiver for the dog while the hidden fence line triggers the pulse as the dog gets close or crosses. Some electronic collars are called tracking collars that send gps signals for search and rescue hounds. Hunting collars may also give different signals according to what the dog is doing as in running one signal, on point a different signal. Especially with these collars get trained by a professional before using.

There are dog collars for training and collars for everyday use. I hope that this info will help you decide to make the right decision on a collar and possible avoid making the wrong decision if a training aid is needed. Again always consult a professional trainer or ask your veterinarian.