A pronged collar may look cruel or frightening at first glance, but the reality is that they are both effective and humane. Pronged collars are designed to pinch the loose skin around the neck of the dog when pulled tight, or “snapped”. This sensation, while painful, does not injure or harm the dog in any way. In fact, it may even resemble the pinching and nipping that the leaders of packs in the wild naturally use to promote their dominant role. This is a sensation that dogs instinctively expect, and is a far cry from the strange, frightening and stressful sensation created by alternative training tools, such as an electric shock collar.

When using a pronged collar, it is important that guidelines be followed in order to prevent injury to the dog, or breaking of the collar. Firstly, a pronged collar is intended only to be used during training sessions, and should always be removed at the end of a session. Unlike slip collars, or flat collars, a pronged collar should be bought by the required size and strength of the pronged links rather than by length. Pronged collars are intended to be shortened or lengthened to fit snugly around the neck of the dog by adding or removing links. To place a pronged collar on a dog, unhook one of the links and wrap the collar around the neck of the dog. Make sure the collar is placed high on the neck, just behind the ears and under the jaw. Close the collar by reattaching the previously detached link, ensuring a snug fit. If the collar does not stay in place, or falls low on the neck, it is too loose! Rotate the collar so that the rings to attach the leash are on the right side of the neck. To detach the collar, simply unhook one of the links by squeezing together the prongs and gently pulling the links apart.

Many pronged collars come with two rings with which to attach a leash. By using only the outer-most ring, you provide a degree of slack and lessen the impact of the snap. You can remove the slack for a more immediate response by using both rings. In the case of a pronged collar breaking or opening during training, many handlers use a flat collar, or slip collar as a backup to the pronged collar. However, you should ensure that the backup collar does not interfere with the mechanic of the pronged collar.

First Responders of 31 local Armstrong County Fire Departments are now best-equipped to save pets lives during a fire thanks to two local Invisible Fence Brand dealers.

This donation is just a small part of Invisible Fence Brands Project Breathe program, which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks. The Invisible Fence Company of Pittsburgh, located in Greensburg and the Invisible Fence Company of Western PA have both been very active in their efforts to gain awareness and fulfill the program for this part of Pennsylvania. To date, through these two dealers, over 200 masks have been donated and nationally, over 10,000 are now on first responder vehicles ready for use.

When a family suffers the tragedy of a fire, lives are turned upside down, said Albert Lee, Director of Invisible Fence Brand. Pets are valued family members, so we want families to know that their pet can be cared for if tragedy strikes.

These masks truly are blessings for the Armstrong County area, said Lt. Luke Linnon Weve seen residents run back into burning homes to save a pet. Its understandable, but extremely dangerous. These masks will give residents comfort in knowing that we can save their pets if they are suffering from smoke inhalation.

The donation event was held at the Manor Township Volunteer Fire Department and included instruction on how to recover a frightened pet, first aid and pet CPR demonstration and Pet Oxygen Mask training. We are honored to be working with pet professionals like CART, Pet Emergency Training and Learning to Lead to fully equip and train first responders. said Carolyn Mento co-owner of Invisible Fence of Pittsburgh. It is not easy to find, rescue and treat a pet during the randomness of a fire. But this training gives first responders the tools to make a difference when they are out there. A reported 120+ pets have been saved by the nationally donated masks so far, including a number of dogs and cats in our area.

Armstrong County is now joining the ranks of cities like Pittsburgh, Denver, Chicago and Memphis, who have all received donated pet oxygen masks from Project Breathe program.

We still have a long way to go, says Mento of the efforts to succeed in the programs mission, But every donation takes us a step further.

Invisible Fence Brand has set up a website, http://www.invisiblefence.com/O2 where people or companies can assist with contributions.

About Invisible Fence Brand Invisible Fence Brand is the original electronic pet containment system and offers a comprehensive family of containment, avoidance, and access products to keep pets out of harm’s way and prevent unwanted behaviors throughout both the home and yard. Owned by Radio Systems Corporation in Knoxville, Tenn., Invisible Fence Brand solutions are sold nationwide by professional, authorized dealers who provide Perfect Start Pet training and custom installation that have safely contained over 2 million pets. Invisible Fence Brand has taken pet care beyond the home and started the Project Breathe program, which has donated more than 10,000 pet oxygen masks to fire departments and first responders. For more information on Invisible Fence Brand or to find a local dealer, visit http://www.invisiblefence.com.