Pet Collars

I am very interested in how a Pet Collar is fitted and used properly.  In my research, I have found that a Pet Collar is worn, but once paired with dog leashes, the collar becomes a training tool.  FYI:  the terms "Dog Leashes" and "Dog Lead" are virtually the same.  "Lead" is more commonly used in Europe, while "Leashes" is preferred in the USA.
The next few blogs will be about types of Pet Collars, but I wanted to jump into the debate about prong collars.  Prong collars look cruel.  They have long, sharp metal prongs that are spaced on a metal chain.  They are designed to "correct" the poor behavior of a pet, and are used as an alternative to the "choke collar."  The choke collar is a long chain that is looped through to the leash and is designed to provide a way to be pulled tightly quickly to correct a bad behavior.
On the surface, it seemed to me that the choke collar would be better than the prong collar; however, in researching the issue, I found writings about research supposedly comparing the two that was done in Germany.  One warning, I was not able to find the original study, only discussions from people referencing the study.
The study followed 100 dogs:  50 trained with choke collars, and 50 trained with prong collars.  Results of autopsies showed that with the choke collar 48 of the 50 had injuries to the neck, trachea or back.  Two were from genetic issues, and the other 46 were caused by trauma.
Of the 50 who were trained with prong collars, two had neck injuries, of which one was genetic, and one was caused by trauma.
Two things have to be tested:  1.  is the study real, and 2.  does it make sense.  This writer could not find the original study, and for number 2, it makes sense that a choke collar could be used in such a way as to damage a dogs neck and trachea; while the prong collar (also called a pinch collar) would "stick" the dog before it would choke him/her.
As with any training device, proper use is the key.  Many trainers swear by the properly fitted and used choke collar.  The fitting seems to be the key--not with the size, necessarily, but by the way the end of the chain connected to the leash is done.  The next blog will be about properly using both collars.