# Dead ring vs. live ring on prong collars



## Woody Taylor

I would like some different opinions on hooking the dead versus the live rings on prong collars. I am new but I think the action is different, and I think the dead ring approach--where both the live and dead rings are hooked, resulting in no constrictive action--defeats the purpose of the pinch. I'm happy to be wrong on this, I'm just looking at what happens on my calf and my arm when I've tried to mimic a correction.

One of the tracking books I bought...Tracking from the Ground Up...is very explicit on this, saying basically that a dead-ring attachment is little more than a ring of spikes you're jacking into your dog's neck. They line up with any other informed thing I've read about how to put on a prong (high on neck, tight, etc.) but I tend to agree with them that the dead ring hook defeats the \"corrective and maternal\" action of the live-ring hookup.

Would appreciate some insights, disagreement's fine with me.


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## Greg Long

I use the prong to guide more than to correct.I was taught to ALWAYS hook it to both rings.It wont dig into the dog's neck if you dont jerk on it all the time.
The only time i hook it to one ring is with a super hard dog.

Others may have avery different opinion though.  

Greg


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## Tim Martens

i've never heard of anyone even referring to a prong collar having a live and dead ring. the one you're not supposed to use (i guess the dead ring), isn't as smooth in it's action of compressing and releasing. i couldn't see any reason to use it.

i've reversed my prong collar (with the prongs out) before when working my dog. in those cases, the dead ring is on top and i use that....


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## Woody Taylor

So guys...if it's fitted tight on the neck...doesn't the live/outer ring hook and pulling on that create a \"pinch\" (literally the prongs pulling up a nape of skin) by driving force around the neck, rather than against one particular part of it? That's always been my issued with hooking both and correcting (if you use it to correct...)...you're creating a great deal of force across a few prongs IN to the neck. Like spikes.


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## Mike Schoonbrood

I've always used it on both rings, as I was taught by various people, recently Scott Wigham told me it should be used on one ring (the \"live\" ring) --- various people have continued to tell me using it on both rings is the way to go (using both rings is called the dead ring, not just one ring vs. the other). I'll try it on the \"live\" ring one of these days, but lately I haven't had to correct my dog much, just a very slight jerk on the \"Dead Ring\" is sufficient.

Like Greg said, I like to use the prong to guide my dog, but if he's doing something totally AGGHH then he gets a solid correction.


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## Guest

I've used it both ways and still do. But I's dum. So doent lissin too me. I use it on both rings when there's the possibility of Caleb getting, uh, riled up. I feel like it's stronger, for some reason. The one small ring (live) just seems in adequate for a 100lb dog with a small handler (or wannabe handler). If I use both rings, it acts more as a guiding tool, and he doesn't really need to be corrected too much. Part of why I use both, honestly, is that I can't get it over his huge head if it fits how it should, and I can't open those big links w/my tiny paws. I finally got a Sprenger quick release, and I ended up still using both. It seems to act as a warning; if he doesn't act like a jerk, the thing just hangs there. But, for serious corrections, I use it like a choke; he's pretty hard and I've yet to be able to give him a correction that was too harsh.


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