Choke collars are very popular when it comes to training dogs. Most people recommend choke collars for training purposes. There are some things that you need to understand about choke collars before you use one to train.

Choke collar have some big drawbacks and they are difficult to use properly. As a professional dog trainer, I am not a big fan of the choke collar, but a lot of people seem to believe that they are the required training collar for dogs. It is important to understand that if you are going to use a choke collar, you need to know how to put it on correctly and how it is used.

The choke collar works by giving your dog a quick pull and release. The pressure from the collar should only be for a split second. The choke collar does not work when there is constant pressure in the collar. In order for the collar to work properly, you need to make sure that your dog stays on the same side every time.

If your dog is going to walk on your left side, you need to make sure that you put the collar on in a way that it will loosen when you release pressure. As you're looking at your dog, hold the collar in front of your dog and make a letter "P" with the collar.

Slide the collar over your dog's head and attach the leash. Now, with your dog on the left side, the collar is on correctly. If your dog goes to your right side, you need to bring him back to your left side.

The choke collar is used by giving your dog a quick, sharp correction. A snap and release. If the collar is on correctly you'll see the collar tighten and then release. If it is not on correctly it will tighten and stay tight. If this happens, you need to take the collar off and turn it around.

Choke collars are very difficult to use correctly. When you constantly give your dog a correction with a choke collar you dog develops a tolerance to the collar. This requires you to give harder and harder corrections. Over time the corrections can lead to damaging your dog's neck and trachea.

Choke collars should never be used on a dog under six months old. You do not need a choke collar to train your dog. There are much better collars available for training. Buckle collars, gentle leaders, haltis even prong collars make a better choice than choke collars.

Training can start as young as eight weeks old. At that age only positive training methods should be used. For years dog owners were advised to start training after six months old. This was because the dogs had to physically develop to the point where they could withstand the corrections from the choke collars. It's a myth that you need a choke collar to train. Learn how to train your dog using positive methods and you won't need choke collars.