Why I Switched From A Flat Collar To A Prong Collar

Here’s the quick recap of the last 3 months with Arya and why I’m finally making the switch. When I got Arya she was 3 months old and she was a itty bitty thing. Small, petite, weighed hardly anything. And when I get a puppy I typically use a flat collar. Nothing special, any simple traditional flat collar. Reason being, she’s a puppy. I want her to explore and run around, not totally unrestricted but enough. So to me the only reason for the collar is to connect to the leash. That’s it. Connect me to the leash, leash to collar, collar to pup. I did not use the collar for any training purposes, only for a ‘Leave It’ if I needed to protect her from doing something stupid. I didn’t use for healing or nothing.

3-4 Months: Flat Collar and Slip Chain

The flat collar It served its purpose. As she slowly grew I did swap for a chain link slip collar. My philosophy for the chain collar was to start helping Arya understand leash pressure. For instance, when the collar got tighter it meant she was pulling too much. If it got tighter on one particular side the only way to get out of it was to go the opposite way.

The corrections were milder than a pinch collar. But more substantial than a flat collar. The only reason I switched out of the chain collar was because she outgrew the collar. As small as she was I didn’t expect her to quickly gain in size.

Month 5: Martingale

The next collar I got for Arya was the standard Martingale collar. By this time, Arya was at 5 months old. And truth be told she got strong. She’s a strong dog - sorry couldn’t resist. Yes she physically got a lot stronger in month five. And the martingale served its purpose. Again it’s to help her understand leash pressure. The harder she pulled the tighter the collar got. Now here’s the thing. With some high drive dogs, that pressure can be a blessing and burden. She can understand it as she needs to stop and relax or she could fight it and want to push through it. So a tool that theoretically should help keep her calm can illicit a flight or fight response.

The cool thing about this martingale collar and it was a total accident. Was that it’s in a slip lead fashion. No click no nothing. And it is a bit wider so the pressure was better utilized than a thinner. But again she got stronger and the malinois really started coming out. The fighter in her plus her hormones have been raging so you can only imagine she became a bull. That collar wasn’t enough. When she did something stupid the corrections weren’t effective. And that’s what it really came down to. I needed her to have immediate feedback when being corrected. It served me and especially her no good if I popped her but she didn’t feel it.

Month 6: Prong Collar

By month six, it was obvious — Arya had outgrown the martingale just like she outgrew the slip. She wasn’t the tiny little pup anymore. She was powerful, full of drive, and honestly, I felt like the collar wasn’t keeping up with her. When I corrected her, half the time she didn’t even register it. That’s a problem. Because when a correction doesn’t land, it’s not really communication anymore — it’s just noise.

That’s when I knew it was time to make the switch to the prong collar.

Now listen — prong collars get a bad rap. People hear “prong” and think spikes, pain, punishment. That’s not it at all. A prong is actually one of the fairest training tools out there. It spreads pressure evenly around the neck, it prevents choking, and most importantly — it gives clarity. And clarity is kindness in dog training.

The first time I put the prong on Arya, the difference was immediate. I didn’t need big corrections, I didn’t need to muscle her, I didn’t need to repeat myself. A small pop, a little guidance, and she instantly understood. No fight, no confusion, no dragging me around like a freight train.

That’s the thing — the prong isn’t about control, it’s about communication. Remember all collars are communication apparatuses. The right tool at the right time can turn frustration into progress, both for you and your dog. For Arya, this was the moment the leash started to feel like a conversation instead of a tug-of-war.

Final Thought
At the end of the day, there’s no one “perfect” collar. Flat, slip, martingale, prong and eventually an E Collar — they all have their place. The key is knowing when your dog has outgrown one stage and needs something different to keep learning fairly. For Arya, the prong collar was the next step. And honestly? It’s not a step up in harshness — it’s a step up in fairness. I still reward when she does good and correct when she doesn’t.