A prong collar sits high on the neck, right behind the ears and under the jawline, snug enough that two fingers slide between the prongs and the skin but not so loose it rotates or sags. Get there by measuring the neck at that high point, adding an inch or two of slack for the clasp, and fine-tuning the length by adding or removing links until the two-finger check holds once the collar has settled. Fit decides almost everything about whether a prong works the way it was designed to, more than the brand, the metal, or the price tag ever will.
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By the time you finish this, you will know four things: where a prong collar belongs on your dog’s neck, how to measure a starting size, how to run the two-finger check, and the one placement mistake that turns a communication tool into a choke point. This is written for the reader who has already decided to use a prong, often on a trainer’s recommendation, and wants the mechanics done right the first time.
The concern people raise about prong collars is fair, and worth stating before anything else. AVSAB’s 2021 Position Statement on Humane Dog Training names prong collars, choke chains, and electronic shock collars specifically as tools “that involve pain” that an appropriate trainer should avoid. That concern is not manufactured. A prong that sits too low or was never conditioned to a dog can genuinely be uncomfortable.
Here is the part that gets lost in that debate: a correctly fitted, correctly introduced prong distributes brief, low-force pressure evenly through the center plate. Our full prong collar physics breakdown covers why that typically adds up to less total force than the sustained pulling a flat collar or harness produces over the same walk. The welfare risk almost always traces back to fit, not the tool itself: a collar sitting at the base of the neck instead of high behind the ears, or strapped on without teaching the dog what it means. Fix the fit and the introduction, and you fix the actual source of the complaint.
A prong collar rides high, immediately behind the ears and under the jawline, in the same spot a show lead or slip lead sits, not down at the base of the neck where a flat buckle collar normally hangs. That high position matters mechanically. Up near the skull, the neck is narrower and the muscle covering thinner, so the same leash tension produces a clearer, more even signal through the center plate. Lower on the neck, where the muscle runs thicker and the trachea sits closer to the surface, that same tension behaves more like sustained pressure on soft tissue.
A prong opens by unhooking a single link, or releasing a quick-release clasp on newer designs. It is never stretched over a dog’s skull the way a slip collar goes on, which keeps the fit consistent and avoids startling a head-shy dog who has learned to flinch from anything pulled over the ears.
Skip any chart promising an exact inch-to-link formula. Neck shape and coat thickness vary too much for a fixed conversion. Use this method instead:
Link gauge, the thickness of the metal, should scale with your dog’s size and coat rather than follow a fixed breed chart. The Chrome Plated Prong Collar we coach in class ships in a 2.25mm and a 3mm gauge for exactly this reason, and trying it on beats guessing from a breed name. If you have not settled on chrome, stainless, or Curogan yet, the material breakdown covers that tradeoff separately; this guide is only about the fit.
With the collar on and settled high on the neck, you should be able to slide two fingers between a prong and your dog’s skin, snug enough that the collar cannot rotate or sag but not so tight it pinches at rest. Check it with the leash slack, not mid-pull, because fit is a resting-state measurement. If two fingers slide in with room to spare, the collar is too loose and will migrate down the neck the first time your dog leans into it. If you cannot fit one finger under it, size up or remove a link before the first walk, not after.
Recheck the fit after the first week. Coat grows out, dogs lose winter undercoat, and a collar that fit correctly in January can sit differently by March. A thirty-second recheck costs nothing and catches drift before it becomes a habit.
Once a starting collar is on your dog and the two-finger check says it is off by a size, links do the fine-tuning. Unhook one to shorten the loop by roughly a quarter inch, or add one back to lengthen it, and recheck until the fit holds without rotating. Matching extra links in the same gauge let you extend a collar as a puppy grows or replace a worn one, instead of buying a whole new collar.
If the look of metal is the real sticking point rather than the fit, a fabric cover with a built-in martingale loop pairs a prong for even contact with a soft outer layer and a backup loop that will not slip past a set point. It is still a prong underneath, just softened for a sensitive coat or an owner who wants a less clinical look.
Get the right starting size
Shop the same chrome, stainless, and Curogan prong collars and matching links we fit in class.
The single most common fit mistake is a prong that slides down to the base of the neck, where it stops distributing even, momentary pressure and starts behaving like a choke point instead. That slide usually means the collar was fitted too loose to begin with, or was never adjusted as a dog’s coat or neck changed. Either way, the fix is the same: recheck the fit at the high point behind the ears, not wherever the collar has settled after a walk.
A prong that has slid low is doing a different job than the one it was fitted for, and it is where most legitimate discomfort complaints come from.
Families who train with us hear this same walkthrough in person, not just read it. Kimberly B., whose puppy Buddy went through his first group class in Cave Creek, put it plainly:
"Last night our 1st class - just for pet parents and Hannah gave us pointers about leash and training collars - we used this morning and a big difference !"
Kimberly B., Cave Creek
Annette C., also a Cave Creek client, described the same handoff:
"Great, efficient setup and collar training. Trainers were great, and kind to my dog and me! They thoroughly explained everything."
Annette C., Cave Creek
Neither review is about a prong specifically, both are about the same in-person collar coaching this guide is trying to put into words, and they sit alongside 2,000+ reviews averaging 4.8 stars from families who train with us; you can read the rest on our reviews page. Reading the steps here gets you close. Having a trainer check the fit on your actual dog, in a private lesson at the Scottsdale campus near the Pinnacle Peak trailhead, closes the gap between close and correct.
No. A small or thin-necked dog, a dog with a vet-flagged neck issue, or one that already walks politely with no pulling on leash does not need one. A well-fitted flat collar, sized the same careful way, covers that dog completely.
A prong earns its place with the dog who leans hard enough into a flat collar or harness that a walk becomes a tug match, especially one working through leash reactivity whose handler needs a fast way to redirect attention before a lunge launches, whether that lunge happens on a quiet neighborhood block or the busier trail traffic out at Brown’s Ranch. That is the dog this guide is written for, and the one who benefits most from having the fit checked by someone who does this daily.
Key takeaways
High on the neck, right behind the ears and under the jawline, the same spot a slip lead or show lead sits. It should never sit down at the base of the neck where a flat buckle collar normally rides; a prong that migrates that low loses its even pressure and starts acting like a choke point instead.
Run the two-finger check with the leash slack: slide two fingers between a prong and your dog’s skin. If two fingers slide in with room to spare, size down or remove a link. If you cannot fit one finger under it, size up before the first walk.
Unhook a link to shorten the loop by roughly a quarter inch, or add one back to lengthen it, then recheck the two-finger fit. Extra links in the same gauge let you extend the fit as a puppy grows or replace a worn link without buying a new collar.
Yes, and this is exactly why fit gets so much attention in this guide. Most of the legitimate discomfort complaints about prong collars trace back to poor fit, wrong placement, or a dog that was never taught what the collar means. A correctly sized, correctly placed, correctly introduced prong is a very different experience for a dog than one strapped on cold and left to slide.
No. A small or thin-necked dog, a dog with a vet-flagged neck or spine issue, or a dog that already walks politely with no pulling or reactivity does not need one. A well-fitted flat collar handles that dog completely; a prong earns its place with a dog whose pulling or reactivity makes a flat collar or harness a losing fight on every walk.
Partners Dogs runs prong and e-collar fitting and conditioning in person at the Scottsdale campus, serving families throughout Scottsdale, North Scottsdale, and the 85255 and 85266 zip codes. Bring your dog and collar to a private lesson and a trainer checks placement, size, and introduces the tool correctly the first time.
The fit, checked in person
Bring your dog and the collar to a private lesson and we will check placement, size, and introduce it the right way, in person.