Prong collar success!!

I doubt it. Choke collars have been shown to cause internal damage to the esophagus, but as far as I know the same is not true for flat collars (unless they're used improperly, put on too tight, etc).
 
I would just caution you to still train your dog to walk nicely on leash even though you're now using the prong collar. The prong should be used as a training aid, rather than a solution in itself, IMO.

Well Jones,
 choke collars and prong collars are two different things entirely. While I am against using either (cause my girl feels no pain) I have seen them work very well on dogs who relinquish at the first sign of tension instead of pulling and hurting themselves like we all fear. It just depends on the dog. Obviously if the dog pays no mind to the collar and keeps on a dragging then the things you mentioned are correct, especially with puppies (never use one on a puppy) but our neighbors have two labs and they give no resistance AT ALL because the tightness scares them, the collars have never reached a point of harming them, their esophagus or skin, you can feel it when you walk them. My girl on the other hand had a nsaty accidnet and I'll never put one on her again, she works well with the gentle lead.
Note: never leave the collar on your dog if you are not walking it. If the collar catches on something and starts to choke your dog they will not know to stop pulling they will fite back and strangle themselves, I've heard of it happening from our animal control shelter officer and it can happen in a blink of a eye regardless of how smart or calm your dog typically is! Good luck

ORIGINAL: sheprano
Well Jones,
choke collars and prong collars are two different things entirely.

 
I'm sorry if my post was confusing - I know that these are two different things. What I meant to say was, since the OP was asking whether flat collars or GLs can cause damage to the dog's neck, I believe the answer is no - however, choke collars are one type of collar that can cause damage.
 

While I am against using either (cause my girl feels no pain) I have seen them work very well on dogs who relinquish at the first sign of tension instead of pulling and hurting themselves like we all fear.

 
I have seen this too - however, I think in some cases (I won't pretend to know how many) this is the dog's initial reaction, but they may grow used to it and begin to pull again. Part of the problem may be that the scar tissue forms in the neck and renders the neck less sensitive over time.
 

the collars have never reached a point of harming them, their esophagus or skin, you can feel it when you walk them.

 
I don't think you can say this unless you've performed autopsies on these dogs, which of course you haven't because they're still alive. The point is, there's no way to know what kind of internal injuries the collars may cause or have caused because they're not visible and may be more cumulative than traumatic. They might not cause a lot of pain at the time, but if used for years can strain the neck in a way that could lead to diseases of the spine, discs, or nervous system. I personally don't like the use of choke chains anytime, ever.
[linkhttp://www.helpinganimals.com/animalsHome_dogs_collar.asp?pf=true]http://www.helpinganimals.com/animalsHome_dogs_collar.asp?pf=true[/link]
 
 Switching gears a little, I understand that prong collars work differently and are less likely to hurt the dog. However, you're still using an aversive as opposed to giving the dog new knowledge. You can't have one without the other. I don't particularly love aversives, but good trainers who do use them do NOT use them without also teaching the dog the right way to behave. It's not fair to the animal to constantly tell it what not to do but never help it understand what you do want it to do. In that way the animal can never really succeed or do right, only avoid punishment.
 

I see what your saying, I was surprised to see how easily the neighbors labs walked on the collars, my girl is a disaster. I always suggest trying the gentle lead first, which is what I use on my girl and its actually funny because a lot of people think its a muzzle, plus she's a pit and they get scared. The first time we encountered this it was with a police officer and he said "i'm glad to see your taking the right precautions" I replied "oh its not a muzzle, she can still bite".....oops that came out wrong, after I explained it to him and she licked his face all over he had a good laugh!!

    When someone else walks my adult dog:
Whether he is on a choke, prong, flat, or harness it doesn't matter he pulls when any of my friends or family walk him. His pulling is smart too, he always pulls almost to see how much he can get away with. Then the walker gets comfortable as he goes for a bit without pulling too bad, but they don't realize that he is still applying constant pressure and when he feels them adjust their grip or let up ZOOM he is gone. My dad is a really strong guy and he has trouble with him, had to run after him before. Honestly I believe he thinks it's a game or something, he eventually comes back to a tired Dad with his tail wagging almost laughing.
   
    When I walk him:
What's crazy is that when I walk him he NEVER pulls at all, walks even with me and always on my left. He stops when I do without any tension on the leash because he pays attention to what I am doing. When I say "over" he gets off of the road or sidewalk. When I say "stop" he stops. When I say "move it" he speeds up. When he is about to bark at a dog or person I say "hey" and he looks straight ahead paying no attention to the distraction. I'm bragging on him not me, I think I just lucked out with a dynamite listener. I claim little credit for this.
 
    It really is comforting knowing that he is that well behaved and I can rely on his behavior as much as possible. It sucks that he is a terror with everyone else though, it really makes me nervous as others walk him often because he has his own fan-club. My puppy has started to learn from his older brother on how to walk with me, it's so cool. Now if he would just be that well-behaved inside I would be set. That may be one prescription I can't fill though.