Dog training collars come in a variety of types and sizes. When you want to train your dog, you'll want a strong collar that goes well with a sturdy leash, so you can keep your pet under control without hurting him too much. Therefore, it must also be one that fits around your dog's neck comfortably. Taking down the measurements of your dog, especially the area of his neck and head, with a measuring tape before going off to buy, would be wise.

Traditional dog training collars, or choke collars, are now classified by how they are fitted around the dog's neck. There are three popular kinds of choke collars: the limited choke collar, the choke chain, and the snap-around. All of these serve unique purposes, and some are only advisable to use for dogs who require special training.

The limited choke collar, for example, is used to train sled dogs and service dogs. The limited choke collar only fits snugly around the dog's neck. When you pull on it with a leash, it doesn't get any smaller than the size of the dog's head, so there's no pain involved for the dog, but it affords the user a great deal of force when used.

The choke chain collar is not at all very popular these days. It's made of an adjustable chain of heavy steel links, which contracts when pulled on with a leash. It used to be a popular training collar for large guard dogs. This is sort of a shock collar in that it chokes the dog severely if he tries to make a sharp, sudden movement; the more the dog struggles, the more the chain tightens. The chain only falls back into place once the dog relaxes.

The snap around choke collar is considered the healthiest overall, as it doesn't contract like the choke chain, and rides high on the dog's neck so it won't push against the windpipe even if the leash is pulled. You only need a minimum of force to guide the dog using this collar, and it keeps the dog's neck from snapping backward even in case of an accidentally strong pull.

The more high-tech dog training collars are remote-controlled, but you won't always need those if you're mostly after restraint. The difference between traditional and high-tech training collars is that with the latter, you can inflict corrective measures upon your dog at the push of a button - as with shock collars, tone collars and vibration collars. Shock collars are not recommended for use by a truly caring dog owner - these are considered inhumane and unhealthy for the dog's training progress.