Nowadays there are so many alternatives to the "choker' style collars, that you shouldn't ever need anything like that anymore.

Check out the no-pull harnesses.

I agree with some of the replies above. I don't think it is necessary and even if it does produce the desired result, there are too many other side effects that does not make it worthwhile.

There are plenty of other training techniques and tools that you can use to train your dog.

Just in case it helps, I have a brand new golden retriever puppy that pulled a lot and I used a Embark pets no pull dog harness and it worked like a charm.

So definitely there are ways to prevent your dog from pulling that doesn't involve hurting him.

A little tale that might lighten the mood.
Our dog gets flea drops once a month. That needs his collar to come off.

When we walk him, we take a lead/leash just in case it might be needed.
Because I've been unwell, my dear wife has been doing the early morning stroll in the parks. It's a good hour round trip from our front gate. Just tell Max, our dog, "left" or "right".

As per usual, my dear wife took the lead/leash. All was well and they came back, safe and sound with no incidents. It was only then that we noticed his collar was still hanging on my office door............!

No collar, no lead. I suppose it's a testament to his behaviour that we can trust him, expect him, to be...........well, be just Max.
No choke chain desired or required.

They are not choke chains but in fact called "Check Chains"

Ok why this common mistake? Usually it is because people don't know the correct way to fit them around a dogs neck.

Easy way as dogs should be walked on ones left , then the left wrist should imitate the dogs neck.

The loop should be hanging down on the wrist and when pulled it should temporary tighten and go loose again when slackened off.

Put on with the loop on the top when the chain is pulled and let loose it stays tight around the dogs neck (left wrist)

The problem is in what they are called. All the time dog owners say choke chains it gives the wrong idea about them.

Used properly they do no harm to a dog and quite acceptable in a quick control method


This should be basic knowledge for any and every dog owner . They are designed to check not choke

Semantics. Choke chain doesn't sit well with those using or manufacturing them so the name changed.

Harm? Maybe not. Pain and discomfort? YES. That is what they were designed to do

In my opinion, they are old fashioned and unnecessary. The general public can't be trusted with them, and those who train their dogs don't need them. I have no objection to a correctly fitted half check or martingale collar, especially when used on a show dog where you need a sleek neck into shoulder line.

How many of the general public train their dogs??? not that many. How often do you see people in the street with the dog pulling ahead of them???. how many actually go to training classes?? very few.

You could ask the same question about common sense.

If people used them appropriately it might not be a bad thing, but the problem is people don't know how to use them.

I used them once as a "back up collar" along with a harness.
I had an easy walk harness, but the front clip hung down too low, and my dog sometimes was able to slip out of it. So I bought a nylon choke collar that was purposefully too big for him, then attached both the collar and the front harness clip together. So it never "choked" him. It just hung around his neck and was attached incase he were to slip out of his harness.

Now I have a freedom harness which has shoulder straps so it holds the front clip up and I don't have that problem any more. But the slip collar was nice to have as a back up because it could be clipped to the harness without pulling on his neck.