Types of dog collars
- Buckle Collars
- Martingale Collar
- Breakaway Collar
- Harness
- Choke Chain
- Snake Chain
- Prong Collar
- Gentle Leader
This post is not advocating for or against the use of any of these dog collar choices. Plain and simple we want to talk about safety when using any dog collar. We know you have opinions about one type over another and we would love to hear your experience with any of these collars about how they worked the way they were supposed to or how they failed.
Our current collar or choice are fabric martingales. Martingales are most often seen on sight hounds like Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Whippets, and Salukis and they generally wear much thicker ones then Davinia and Indiana wear. We even have a favorite company that makes them in hundreds of different designs to choose from so when one set wears out I can choose a different design for our next order. I know a lot of people that order from the same company and are so addicted that they have drawers full in different fabrics to put on their dogs each day. I love the martingale because if put on properly and kept in good condition it cannot choke your dog or hurt their trachea if they pull. It gives then a gentle reminder not to pull and then the fabric releases and you can go on your way. Because they are made of fabric they do tend to need to be replaced more then a plastic collar but do not get ruined if exposed to rain or water like a leather collar.
When Davinia was younger she wore a harness. The only thing the harness did was teach her to pull and helped strengthen her front legs. Completely the opposite of what I wanted it to do. It is a great option for some breeds especially dogs with trachea issues or those who will not tolerate a collar. We have tried multiple different types of collars since Davinia and Indiana were puppies some worked for us some didn’t and some were only for use during certain specific occasions.
Here are some dog collar safety tips to follow:
- If your dog uses a prong collar or choke chain collar you should remove it after each use. Leaving these on your dog or using them in an inappropriate manner can cause sever issues for your dog.
- Check all of your dog dog collar on a daily basis for tears, rips, rust, or any other damage that could result in the collar failing.
- When your dogs are in a safe enclosed area of your home and there are two or more of them and they like to play and grab at each other’s collars simply remove them so they don’t accidentally choke each other while playing. This will also help keep the collars is working condition.
- If your dog wears a snap buckle collar make sure the snapping feature was strength tested to your dogs weight especially if this collar is used to walk your dog and even more so if they tend to pull. Some of the cheaper snap collars are not meant for your dog to pull on and will fail.
- Collars should be adjusted to properly fit your dog. If like me you choose to have your dog wear their collar at all times you will want to check it regularly that it has not gotten too loose or become too tight.
- If you are going to put a collar on your cat it should only be a breakaway collar. Even in the home any collar your cat wears should have the ability to break apart if they climb on something or try to get into a space that is too tight and they get stuck. You do not want your cat to be choked by the collar when the situation is something they could have otherwise easily gotten themselves out of.
What can happen when dog collars are used inappropriately
- When dog collars are used in a manner that they are too tight on your dog they can cause breathing issues, problems to their trachea, or sores around their neck.
- All collars should be checked regularly to ensure proper fit and condition of the collar. This is especially important when your dog is a puppy and growing very quickly. What was loose and properly adjusted one day could cause breathing problems by the next. If left for a week it could cause sores on their neck or begin to embed itself into their skin.
- Depending on the material of the collar you are using it could cause an allergic reaction in your dog. When using a new collar and a new brand of collar check around their neck after several hours and again throughout the week to ensure that your dog is not becoming red around the collar area. Some dogs are sensitive to the metal in the D-rings or the Nylon Mesh used inside of fabric collars to ensure their sturdiness.
Thank you for this great post! I’m working on a post for next week that has to do with collars and the stigma around certain types of collars. I was excited to read this when I saw it. My first dog bit me when I put on her buckle collar without paying much attention and buckled it onto her ear. It was hard for both of us. ;0(
I switched her to the martingale collar after that and it worked well. Kayo is super strong and used to pull like the dickens! We started with a martingale, used a harness, gentle leader, then halti AND a special training collar. When we started our most recent training program we were switched to a prong collar, which I’d always been afraid of, and it works wonders. With trainers to teach me how to use it safely and effectively it’s perfect for us!
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Every dog owner must know this information. Lately we’ve seen many dogs (we think) in the park wearing the wrong type of collar. It is just so wrong that many owners have no idea. It seems that many go for the style and need to understand what works best for their dog. We were thinking to do a post about it … but you covered it well. Golden Thanks. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar
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Good info and interesting
Snorts,
Benny & Lily
These are great tips. I need to check my dog’s collar more often to make sure there are no tears.
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I had no idea there were that many kinds of pet collars. Thanks for the safety tips!
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Good information. So many people have no clue what collar to put on their dog and it makes us nuts. Nothing worse that a big scary prong collar on the wrong dog or the wrong size collar.
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great information! We just got a new dog and need to pick up some new things for her like a collar tags and more!
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These are great tips. One of my close friends just got a dog and is totally in love with it. I sent her this link!
My friend’s dog had an S-ring that attached her rabies tag to her collar from our job at a vet clinic. She came home one day to find her dog stuck to the carpet by the S-ring and she was being choked. Probably just a freak accident, but she was always very cautious after that happened.
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Great post outlining the use of different collars. Ours wear cotton collars now because one of them has a specific sensitivity to nylon. I used to let them “go naked” in the house, only wearing their collars on walks and/or when we go in the car. Not anymore. All of the recent disasters here have scared me enough to want to make certain that they always have ID on them. Microchips aren’t always found, and therefore can’t be 100% relied-upon for identification. If I remember right, I think you even wrote a post about that a while back.
We use harnesses for walking. Yes, the harnesses almost make the pulling more intense, but with collars alone, it’s just too hard on their tracheas. Plus, as dachshunds, walking with harnesses is safer for their spines than just collars.
Martingale-style collars have always made me nervous due to the way they work, but at the same time, I know that people who use them seem to love them – so I guess they don’t choke the way it seems like they would. I guess they tighten all the way around, not just in the front where the trachea is, so that’s what helps not to choke them.
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Great information! Have a great day.
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Wow and I thought any collar would do!v Wrong!!!
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Thank you so much for linking up at mommy needs a time out Thursdays. This is such great information. We have pugs and both are kept in harnesses instead of collar.
I train service dogs for Freedom Service Dogs in Denver. We use a wonderful harness – the Easy Walk harness made by Premier pet products. Unlike the typical harness the Easy Walk is attached to the leash on the chest rather than the back. It isn’t magic when it comes to pulling but it makes a big difference! We train lots of young labs/lab mixes rescued from shelters, so I have lots of experience with pulling :). Thanks for the nice article!
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