The right collar or harness can help you and your dog enjoy safe and pain-free leash walks.
A collar is one of the first items most people get for their dog and rightly so. A collar is needed to clip an ID tag to and it might be necessary to hold onto it for a few moments should your dog get loose or move to bolt out the front door. You might use a collar for leash walking as well, and sometimes that can work out, but in most cases, a harness is a more effective and safer option for leash walking. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with options, we’ve provided some clarity on different collar choices to get and what to avoid.
Collars
There are a few types of collars available that could work for your dog, and there are also a few to avoid.
Flat collars
The ‘regular’ collar that most people get for their dogs is called a flat collar. It is simply a strip of nylon, leather or maybe plastic that has a buckle and a metal ring that you can attach an ID tag and leash to. Flat collars are inexpensive, easy to find, easy to adjust and fit for most, but not all, dogs.
While it is important to keep a flat collar on your dog for identification purposes, walking your dog on a flat collar can cause problems, especially if the dog pulls—and let’s face it, most dogs pull on the leash at first!. Even a dog who pulls lightly when wearing a flat collar can be at risk for neck injuries and other health issues, including:
- Hypothyroidism, which can be caused by trauma to the thyroid gland in the neck.
- Ear and eye issues as a result of extensive pressure on the neck.
- Behavior problems caused by pain or other physical injuries from the use of a collar. Prong and choke collars carry the highest likelihood of injury, but even a flat collar can be harmful if you yank the leash too hard.
Martingale/ limited-slip collars
Scared or panicked dogs can quite easily slip out of flat collars on a leash walk. Some breeds, such as greyhounds and other sight hounds, have necks that are bigger than their heads. For such dogs, a flat collar cannot be fastened snugly enough to prevent slipping off, which makes the a flat collar an unsafe option. A martingale, sometimes called a limited-slip collar, can be a better option for those dogs.
A martingale/limited-slip collar has two loops: one that goes around the dog’s neck and another smaller loop, attached to the larger loop, that tightens when pressure is applied to it. The mechanism works to shorten and tighten the collar around the dog’s neck but only to the point that the collar gets snug around the dog’s neck, and not to the point of choking the dog. This is an important point: the collar gets tighter only to a fixed point and the dog’s neck, breathing and throat should not be damaged or impaired. However, care should be taken when fixing a leash to this collar as well.
Harnesses and head collars
It is highly recommended that most dogs walk with a leash attached to a body harness instead of a collar. A good harness buckles onto the dog's body and has a leash clip on the chest, on the back or both. Harnesses are a fantastic tool for teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash, and do not put the pressure on your dog’s neck and spine that a traditional collar does. A chest-led harness such as the Positively No Pull Harness is one such harness. It has two clips located on a strap that lies across the dog’s chest and a clip attached on the back just behind the shoulders for added control.
A head collar fits around the dog’s muzzle and neck and works a bit like a horse halter or bridle. A head collar can be problematic as most dog hate wearing anything around their face and there is a threat of injury to the face and neck if a dog pulls too hard or lunges to the end of his leash. some people use headcollars for very strong dogs who are still learning to walk on a leash or highly leash reactive dogs. A dog must be acclimated to wearing a head collar and it should be used appropriately to avoid injury, but headcollars are no longer a preferred piece of equipment at Positively.
You may be overwhelmed with options when it comes to collars and harnesses for your dog. Check out the links below to figure out the best (and worst) options for you and your dog:
Collars to avoid: Choke chains, prong collars, shock collars and e-collars
There are a few types of collars you should never use on your dog: choke chains, prong collars, or shock collars/e-collars. A choke chain is a metal chain which is designed to continually tighten around a dog’s neck when the handler pulls or jerks back on the leash. This action can quickly lead to pain, injury or actually choking the dog. Prong collars function similarly to choke collars, except they contain metal spikes on the inside that dig into and "pinch" a dog’s neck if he pulls on the leash. Prong collar advocates believe that the "pinch" action mimics the teeth of a mother dog grabbing a puppy’s neck during a correction, but there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim.
Shock collars, sometimes branded as electric collars or e-collars, are devices placed around a dog's neck which connect to a handheld transmitter/remote. The handler can then deliver varying levels of electric shocks to the dog's neck. These collars rely on pain to get the dog to avoid a situation and can quickly be abused. In fact, several countries have already instituted bans on shock collars.
Why should you say NO to choke, prong, shock, and electric collars?
- These collars can all cause pain, intimidation or fear.
- Pain seeks to control a dog’s action without allowing that dog to make choices and solve problems. This can result in '"learned helplessness" – the dog effectively learns to give up.
- Pain forces a dog to "behave" with little concern for the root cause of the negative behavior.
- E-collar training essentially impairs an animal’s true learning ability.
- Using pain in training can actually exacerbate behavior issues and lead to more aggressive and fearful behaviors.
Remember to attach your dog’s ID tag
One of the most important functions of a collar is to help identify you as the dog’s guardian. Your dog should wear a collar and ID tags at all times. Even the most responsible pet guardians might have to face the devastating situation of a lost dog. Many dogs are microchipped these days and that is a useful development, but most people who find a dog don’t have a microchip scanner. Your four-legged friend is much more likely to get home to you quickly if he is wearing a collar.
