Regarding inexpensive reasoning: Cheaply priced products also tend to be cheaply made. The price differential between metal training collars is a matter of a couple of dollars to the consumer. Sadly those consumers will not find the recommended Herm Sprenger collars in most pet supply shops. What consumers will find are cheaply made metal collars from over seas. The store owners and/or employees are not going to know to tell consumers that these collars are more likely to break or snap. Also store owners and employees will most likely not understand the cleaner function of a Herm Sprenger collar so a dog is cleanly corrected and NOT choked or pulled around.
Quality prong collars have ends that are smooth and rounded. Cheap prong collars have rough sharped edged prongs, which is not how the collar is supposed to be used. Again, it's literally only a few dollars that seperate the retail price of the two. In my opinion, it's always well worth the extra dollars to have the best quality equipment for training my dog and my clients' dogs.
On leashes, the heavier brass hardware does not break like the cheap nickel hardware does. Equipment can be a lifesaver for a dog in training or an untrained dog, but not so much if it's cheaply made. Buying equipment that is a few bucks less, can be costly for you, your family, and your canine in the long run in veterinary costs or emotional costs.
Regarding other popular training methods: Many of the general public and trainers understand that the level of correction on a piece of equipment is totally in the hands of the handler. Additionally, some dogs are much stronger than their owners, and were allowed to grow up with little to no training guidance. For these and other reasons, there will always be a place for well made training equipment. There will always exist temperaments of dogs that will need a training period that requires control and guidance. Unfortunately, the dog training profession has for awhile come to believe that limiting the dogs' life and experiences is preferable to training them, so that they may enjoy all the life and experiences possible in life. An audience still exists,however,for real training regardless of what training equipment and methods are used. Real training means in the end that neither corrections or rewards are necessary for first command performance.
Also these training collars provide another very important function. Dogs, when sized right, can not slip their heads out of them if they want to get away or are in the middle of a panic attack.
Moving away from confinement or leash training: It may surprise you to know that most off leash training, by that I mean reliable in any distraction off leash training, starts with a leash. Many customers are fooled because young dogs and puppies will naturally follow you, at first. If you have never given them the idea that there is a range that they must not wander from you, then they have no way of knowing that is what you wanted when adolescence kicks in. While throwing the ball may catch some dogs attention during most things, loose that ball and you loose your dog if this is relied on as training. Quality leashes that make training easier by their sturdiness as well as comfort are always going to be necessary at least as training equipment. If you have not ever owned a quality leather leash, then you have no idea what you are missing. I go a step further and have a convertible, police, euro, or multi purpose leash.
Lack of knowledge in most pet stores: If my client happens to find a decent training collar in a pet store, most often they will come back with an ill fitting collar. Although I send them with instructions, the store owner or employee most often sells my clients the wrong size. Not only that, they will have no idea why a trainer may have selected a certain manufacturer or type. In this climate, you are also as likely to have the store owner tell your client why they should not buy the equipment.
Because of this, I have needed to come up with resources for my clients to get decent training equipment when I may not have it. Please feel free to use the below resources that are provided:
Leashes 6' Leather: First, things to look for in a quality leather leash 6' leash. 1) Not two pieces of material sewn together. They come part, and there is no need for this. 2) For training, I prefer a thick 3/4' width on the leash. 3) For training, do not buy any shorter than a 6' lead, this is a pretty ideal length for use in dog training. 4) I prefer rivets or stitched with rivets on my leads. 5) For training, heavy brass hardware is ideal for the snap and other metal hardware that may be on it.
Hogans Custom Leather **I personally buy leashes from this company
Pro-Mohs **guarantee products/be sure to look up their guarantee
JB Pet Supply ***variety and cheaper prices can be found here. be sure to compare their collars to the rules above, and do not be afraid to call and ask
Leashes 15' or more Longe Lines: **Unless this is for a very small dog, I prefer the heavy brass hardware on Longe Lines. I also prefer cotton although they tangle more, if you take care of them they tend to stay in shape more. The following vendor does not have my specifics, but this is as close as I could get. I have a distributor who does, but she only sells to wholesale clients. JB Pet Supply
Herm Sprenger Training Collars: JB Pet Supply
Muzzles-Basket: I have not found a distributor yet to supply myself with these, but here are some sites that I found. They appear to carry the plastic basket muzzle that I prefer. The closure clips are buckles rather than the plastic closures. The plastic closures have actually seperated before on dogs where a muzzle was required. You DO NOT want to have that happen
Morrco Pet Supply
Dog Muzzle
Muzzles-Soft Mesh Breathable: PetEdge
As always, please see a professional dog trainer before attempting to use a training collar yourself. Many times the training begins without the collar at first. Correct knowledge and use of training collars is very important to get the results that are expected.
Maine and New Hampshire Dog Trainer
Mannerly Mutts Dog Training Blog
E-Mail Mannerly Mutts
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