# Snap-on prong collar?



## Tobias Wilkie (Jun 21, 2009)

Last weekend, I decided to get a new prong collar at Petsmart, and bought one of the newer, 'snap-on' prongs, rather than the older one.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754856&lmdn=Product+Type

After I bought it, I was told that I should have stuck with the original type, as the 'snap' as a chance of coming undone if bumped wrong, and I'll be SOL. So now when I'm walking Kavik, I'm rather paranoid... 

Would it be better to go back to the older type or keep this one? Anyone have any problems with it?


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Not counting the times one dog unsnapped another dog's collar... I've had regular prong colars come apart twice, once when biking with a dog, and one on a walk. Both times may have been my fault from not snapping the links together all the way. I started using a thin chokechain on the dog and clipping the leash to both, that way I still have the dog attached if anything happens.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Not with a dog collar but that sort of snap is subject to comming open with just about any side pressure unless it's big enought to have a heavy spring in it.


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

Yeh, take that thing and throw it in the weeds! Too many chances for it to come undone. it took me a couple of training sesions to HATE it!

Learn how to take a regular one on/off and be done with it!


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## Tilly Smith (May 6, 2009)

I have a prong collar with scissor style catch for our full on 60kg GSD ... and never had a problem with the collar coming off.

Not sure the clip on that collar looks like it is good quality but I have found having a catch is a brilliant idea for me as I find the heavy duty prongs too hard to open and clip together.


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Get a good Herm Springer without the clip. It is SUCH a better collar and they round off the ends of the prongs. It is very easy to put on the standard HS because it has a metal plate to insert the prongs. Funny thing is you wont pay much more the the better collar. Petsmart has horrible dog collars, leads, etc.

But yes, a backup collar is a good thing regardless.


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## Angie Stark (Jul 10, 2009)

I too had one of those snap collars from Petsmart and it took me about a week to swap it for a Sprenger. I didn't even keep it for a backup, I gave it away.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

Get a snap bolt one. These will work much better and aren't as prone to come apart

http://cgi.ebay.com/Herm-Sprenger-P...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Yep, Kyle said...throw that thing out. "Newer" isn't always better!


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## Lacey Vessell (Nov 18, 2006)

Tobias Wilkie said:


> Last weekend, I decided to get a new prong collar at Petsmart, and bought one of the newer, 'snap-on' prongs, rather than the older one.
> 
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754856&lmdn=Product+Type
> 
> ...


 
The "newer snap-on" is called a quick release collar and Herm Springer has had them for several years. I* had* a HS quick release prong.....it "released" one time during protection training - I think the long line got caught up in the quick release...and I never used it again.


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## Sharon Adams (Nov 6, 2007)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Get a good Herm Springer without the clip. It is SUCH a better collar and they round off the ends of the prongs. It is very easy to put on the standard HS because it has a metal plate to insert the prongs. Funny thing is you wont pay much more the the better collar. Petsmart has horrible dog collars, leads, etc.
> 
> But yes, a backup collar is a good thing regardless.


Nancy about covered everything I was going to mention.
I bought one of those snap on/quick release prongs , used it three times, it came off two of the three times and went into the dumpster at the event I was attending (after I secured my loose dog)
I now use a HS, and use a back up collar as well (the HS was the same price as the junk prong that Petsmart sells actually) 
I buy those Y- couplers for smaller dogs, attach one snap to the prong, the other snap to the flat collar. No more loose dogs for me once I started using the coupler like that.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I'm a fan of a backup collar/line also, especially on young dogs who don't have solid voice control yet, although I have to admit I don't always use them myself.

I've had almost every type of equipment fail at one point or another, choke chains break, leashes get twisted up some weird way (wasn't real sure what happened) and the clip just came right off, harnesses dogs backed out of, etc. Heck tonight Mac walked into my bedroom, scratched, and his pinch fell right off. I'm not sure if this would be any worse or any better, but the concept of a "quick release" always concerns me, whether it's on a collar, leash, muzzle, etc.


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## Skip Morgart (Dec 19, 2008)

I use the original style sprenger. I do alter it just a little though...I take one of the prongs and bend the points inward a bit (permanently)...then I mark that prong with some paint. That one is always a little easier to connect and remove, and easy to pick out.


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## Dillon bend (Aug 7, 2009)

Id say use it it will spice up you training day if your helper gets bit in the ass. add some excitement to your life. I would think that a bolt snap might not be as bad as a scissors type snap. Ive had a regular pinch come apart just because it was a cheap one and wore out.


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## Steve Burger (Jan 2, 2009)

I don't trust the stock quick release pinch collars, even the ones by Sprenger. What I do is take a bolt cutter to an original Sprenger pinch, and cut the chain part off. I then get two screw on type links (forget exactly what they are called) and then attach a ring and a snap that you would typically find on a high quality leash, and custom make a release. If you continually take apart pinches the way they were originally designed they wear out pretty quick. I have been using the same Sprenger pinch that I customized for the past 4 years with no problems, that with a dog I have to crank on at times. With young untrained dogs I also attach the leash to the dead link of a fur-saver collar as back-up.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

I have one, or actually my husband does as I refuse to use it and wont let him borrow mine:-\"

Anyway I think someone gave it to us? Not sure how I have it to be honest.

Forget about it coming off.............trying to get it on is a PIA. Esp if you have an excited dog who wont stand still. Tryign to grab that thin chain string it through and then clasp it......PIA.

Dont like it...... thumbs down for me.

t


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