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The collar around the pitt bull is called a Pinch Collar. It works by the blunt "barbs" pinching the skin around a dog's kneck between them.
These collars work well to handle and train a problem dog. They are not cruel. 99.99% of dog owners are not qualified to use them with their dog. Dogs can in fact be hurt by these collars. The Barbs, if pulled too hard, have been known to dig in and cause piercing wounds to the dog's neck. There is very rarely a NEED to use this collar.
While once a prefered training method, it's no longer a popular one. Dogs that need to be controled can be handeld with a bridle around the nose. This pulls the dog's nose down, like it would a horse. A dog can not fight against it and it will stop even the largest dog in it's tracks. Most Veternarians trained today do NOT reccomend using pinch collars. 3 out of 3 I know personally, including my sister, would not suggest this to be the best training method. At least one diagrees with their use all together.
Another problem with Pinch Collars is they are negative re-inforcment collars. The dog behaves because it does not want to be corrected. Once off the collar, often a dog's mindset will change. They know the collar is not there and they can not be corrected. Positive reinforcment is by far the more popular and humane method. A dog that is trained by being rewarded for his actions, will always be anxious to repeat said actions. Regardless if a collar is being worn or not.
I started using pinch collars with my Rottweilers before my sister showed me the light. I can handle 230 pounds of Rottweilers, with one hand and no Pinch Collars.
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