There are some dog training tools that retain a controversial reputation among dog people. The electric collar, retractable leashes and the prong collar are among them. I never thought I would ever end up using one of them (and I can for sure promise you won’t catch me with a retractable leash).

But the thing is, Karma comes around. That’s my dog, Karma, an 85% pure American bulldog (the rest is boxer, pit bull and miscellaneous mutt … she was part of an accidental litter). American bulldogs were originally bred to be working farm dogs and I’m pretty sure Karma’s ancestors, in particular, were bred to pull the plows when the mules needed a break. Because she pulls. Good lord, does Karma pull.

I get it — she’s an excitable young lady, the world is full of interesting smells and every new person she sees is her new best friend. Like a lot of bulldoggy breeds, she’s got a stubborn streak as wide as her jaw and doesn’t respond to verbal command and correction as well as other dogs do.

Like my other dog, Janey. All she needs is one sharp “no!” and she stops what she’s doing. Karma takes about four or five of the same “no” for it to sink in through her thick skull. (Not an insult. It really is notably thick.)

I tried everything before I tried a prong collar. I tried positive reinforcement for good walking. Feeding her treats when she walked next to me with a slack leash didn’t work. I tried the Gentle Leader — didn’t work and it rubbed raw spots on Karma’s muzzle. (She is not a fluffy or well- padded dog.)

I tried the Weiss Walkie, which was designed by summer Mainer and animal behaviorist Emily Weiss, which worked a little, but not enough. (I would definitely recommend it for smaller or more moderate pullers.) And then I got pregnant and realized that pretty soon, my center of gravity will be thrown off balance, and while I’m fully capable of restraining Karma, it does take some effort on my part; once I have a baby hanging off my front, I’ll be a lot more vulnerable to being suddenly yanked off my feet. Plus, when the baby comes, I want to be able to take them on walks with the dogs safely.

I started looking at Instagram videos by professional dog trainers who pointed to the prong collar as an option. I was always intimidated by them — they do LOOK scary, like some sort of medieval torture device. But looks can be deceiving. Karma looks scary, too, but she’s a big ol’ lovebug. (Janey, on the other hand …)

I read about how prong collars were designed to imitate the corrective nip of a mother dog to a puppy. And the lightbulb went on for me. Karma is so-so at taking correction from humans, but she is very responsive to correction by other dogs. Janey only has to tell Karma something once! I’m not one of those dog people who feel the need to dominate their dog, or “be the alpha” or whatever, and I don’t follow trainers who subscribe to that viewpoint. But I do need to be able to communicate with my dog.

Part of Karma’s discipline issues are absolutely my own fault. I got her at 5 months old; she was my first puppy, and I knew very little about her breed requirements (of course I also didn’t know her breed for awhile). I basically did the same things with her that I had done with Janey, and it absolutely didn’t work. I’m glad I learned this lesson before having human children.

So, I bought the number one recommend collar, a stainless steel model made in Germany by Herm Sprenger, a 150-year-old German company. I don’t want to go into national stereotypes, but Germans do have that reputation for efficiency and obedience and, boy, does this hardware live up to it. The first time I put it on her, it worked immediately. Don’t worry, I went over every prong individually to make sure the tips were entirely round and smooth, and tried it on my own neck to make sure it wasn’t painful (it wasn’t, and my neck has a lot less insulating fur than Karma’s).

All the dog trainers recommended a slow acclimation process to getting a dog used to the collar — feed them treats while you’re putting it on them, let them wear it for a few minutes at a time, slowly build them up to it.

This is where Karma’s wonderful temperament really shone, because as soon as I put it on her (which took several minutes — stainless steel fresh from the factory is stiff) she just immediately accepted it, like, “Well, I guess this is happening now.” She didn’t fight, wiggle away from me, or even whine, and she usually has no problems whining to let her opinions be known.

The prong collar stopped the pulling pretty much instantaneously. And it is safe to use. Unlike a regular flat collar, which puts pressure on a dog’s trachea when they pull forward, the prong collar is designed to apply pressure evenly around the entire neck. Additionally, I always make sure to put it exactly where the trainers say to — under the jaw and behind the ears, away from the trachea and esophagus and various other neck tubes (even if we have to stop a few times during the walk to make sure it doesn’t slip).

And it’s worked like a charm. In addition, it also gives Karma more control over her experience. The pronging of the collar only happens when she pulls too hard — I don’t really have to do anything. She’s able to make the connection between her actions and a consequence. (I think. That does involve a lot of brain neurons to work out. It’s possible she just thinks its magic.) As soon as she stops pulling, the collar loosens.

I certainly wouldn’t use this collar on every dog; if Karma were smaller, or responded to the other methods I tried, or if she were reactive or aggressive in any way, it would probably do more harm than good. I understand the controversy behind the collars. Like any tool, it could be abused and used to harm a dog. If I thought for one moment it was negatively affecting her, I’d throw it in the recycling immediately. But the proof, as they say, is in the pupper.