Safety Collars

    • Bronze

    Safety Collars

    Lately I've gotten a bunch of information on safety collars.  They either slip off or come apart if the dog gets hung up on something.  The literature also explains that when two dogs are playing together one dog can get it's jaw under the other dogs collar and either strangle the dog, of break it's jaw.  I've never hear of this.  What is everyones' thoughts on safety collars?  Should I be using them? 

     

     

    • Gold Top Dog

     I never, ever leave a collar on an unattended dog. One of my dogs got his tags caught in a wire crate and was saved just in time. Another one got her tags tangled in her littermate's tags, and they were both turning blue in very short order. Their collars had to be cut off.

     

    Also, collars break the dogs' coats. We just use collars for walking. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    I don't know what a safety collar is exactly. Is it like a break away collar?

    I've never had a problem with a regular flat buckel collar on Apollo since I got him. His collar is on 24/7. And he plays all the time without problems.

    • Bronze

    Don't you worry about the dog getting out and not having a collar with identification tags on?  Our dogs are outside when we are at work.  It would only take some jerk to open a gate and they would be gone.  Two years ago I had a landscaper forget to close a gate, even though I reminded him twice.  Dogs were inside, but I let them out as soon as I got home, luckily I saw them run by a window, or else it would have been bad.

     I've seen a couple different types of safety collars.  Some break apart with pressure, one type has elastic that stretches and allows the dog to release if the collar gets caught.  I've never heard or seen of a dog having an issue with a collar, I was wondering if anyone else has.

    • Gold Top Dog

     No, because my dogs are never outside unsuprivised. They don't "get out". Both dogs could easily leap over the fence, without even touching it.

     

    You can have them microchipped, if you can't leave them indoors.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Yea you can microchip, but honestly if someone finds your dogs and they don't see visible ID then you may never get a call.  Some vets even charge to scan found pets for microchips.

    Maggie wears a safety collar (a breakaway made by Premier) because Z chews on her neck a lot.  My parents' dog got his jaw stuck in Maggie's collar before we used the safety collars and we had to cut him loose.  I bought a safety collar the next day.

    We're currently waiting on our Knot-a-collar which is another safety collar so that Maggie has something spiffy to wear other than her boring breakaway. :)

    • Gold Top Dog

    Coke and Nikon both wear rolled leather collars, properly fitted.  They have tags.  Because of their coat, the collars and tags have never gotten in the way, never caught.  Coke already has a history of getting loose (mostly from people who are taking care of him) and Nikon is so young I can't assume he'll never sneak out of my grasp.  For them, the risk of getting away is much more real.  ALL of my animals are microchipped, but the average person on the street looks for a phone number on a tag.  Most people I know that aren't "dog people" don't even know what a chip is, let alone that they should drive a found animal all the way out to the shelter to have it scanned for one.

    Kenya is usually naked.  She has a short coat.  She has got her collar caught on her crate.  She has been offlead in our unfenced yard from day 1 and would rather die than try to run away from me.  However when I have people stay with her or we are travelling, even she wears a flat collar with visible ID.

    So none of my dog collars are break aways but if my cats wear a collar it's a Safe Cat.  I know they work b/c the cats think it's funny to take them off. (my cats are indoor only)