Prong Collar or Head Halter?

I would seek the help of a professional trainer to decide what collar would be best for you and to show you the proper use of that collar.

I use a pinch collar I'm guessing that it's the same as a pronge collar for my big girl it's easier to control her and it doesn't hurt her just irritates her because it stops her from pulling. Also I reccomend a basket muzzle. They look really funny but they work better than other muzzles due to the fact that basket muzzles are strictly for aggression and destructive chewing where as other muzzles are "ok" for agression but not so great on chewing and also I've found them to be the strongest and the material basic muzzles can be broken and worn down over time to where eventually a dog can break them, mine did. lol

Marta J's answer is on target, but ultimately the decision is yours to make. A pinch or prong collar works best for me, but I know people that have been successful with gentle leaders or chokers.

The pinch collar mimics the mother's gentle bite on the neck to correct a puppy. Likewise, alpha wolves in the wild apply pressure to the necks of adolescent challengers and to keep peace in the pack.

I like maintaining the pinch collar a bit loose so the prongs don't pierce a dog's neck which has never happened in my experience, but with sensitive skin (Shar-peis, some boxers, and Greyhounds)it may hurt according to a very good trainer that I know. Your lab should be okay.

Within two weeks, all of my dogs have graduated to either a harness or regular collar. When your dog shows aggression (wearing a pinch collar), quickly pull on the collar and make your dog sit. Your dog might yelp the first few times, but eventually, he will hear the snap of the links on the pinch collar and stop this behavior. Also, stand between your dog and the stimulus and say nothing, but maintain a strong stance (your way of telling your dog that "I got this").

You also have to desensitize your dog to this minor issue and may need a trainer. I would go to the dog run with other dog owners that you know and let your dog mingle. Be ready to intervene if a fight erupts, but inevitably, another dog will provide the correction (a snap or bite) that your dog needs. Ultimately, with more and more trips to the run, your dog will calm down.

Lots of good suggestions. Here are a couple more (that you could try with training), martingale collars (aka limited choke) is two rings of material so it can only get to small. These are the kind of collars seen on sighthounds - and they can't slip out of them if sized right. Look at www.happytailcollar.com, they even make some that buckle. Also, halties can actually hurt the neck of an animal that really pulls on one, but they make heavy duty halters that have a front clip for the leash. I know a lab at daycare that uses one, and he's a totally different dog when it's on! Good luck!

I don't think there is one right answer to your question. I also believe a trainer or some classes would help. No matter how long you are around or work with animals, there's is always more to learn. You need to experiment with different collars and see what works for you. Harnesses are made for pulling and tracking dogs. Some have luck with the halters. I'm sorry but if used correctly prong collars are not inhumane. Actually they were used for training and then some dogs graduate to other collars. If used right they imitate what dogs do to each other to correct a behavior. I think it's worse to see someone walking a dog gagging and choking on a regular collar, or see the dog get loose or maybe the owner falling down and the dogs take off. I'm small (5'2") and not young anymore.I can safely walk four or five Pitbulls and no matter what we encounter, I have no problem controlling the dogs. Some of them have graduated to regular collars, and some need more time. So again you need to decide what is best for the safety of you and your dogs.