Today I learned just how much the average pet owner despises prong collars. Pet owners have gone so far as to call them "cruel" and "punishment".
Now, I must admit. I use a prong collar on Ellie. She likes to dart off toward another dog when she sees one, and the collar prevents her from doing this, reminding her to walk nicely by my side otherwise she'll get a little 'nip' by the collar. It makes a vast difference in our walks versus a normal soft collar.
I do have a Halti and it works, for the most part. What I don't like is that Ellie hates it. She stops every few feet to paw at her face or rub her face on my legs trying to remove the thing. Could I train her to get used to it? Sure.
However, that brings me to my second point. Most people are not familiar with face halters on dogs. Most assume that it is a muzzle because it's wrapped around her muzzle. Thus, the assumption leads to the expectation that she is an aggressive, mean dog. I do not get these kinds of reactions when Ellie is wearing her prong collar.
So that leaves me stuck. Do I please the dog-loving population and use the Halti? Or do I save mine (and Ellie's) reputations and please the general population by not using the Halti?
Any thoughts?
