Do Your Dogs Always Wear Collars?

No. He only wears it when we're out front - or on a walk, something like that. In the backyard - or house - he's naked. Casey is not a flight risk....and even if he was to get away, no one could catch him anyways except for me.

The cats always have theirs on... they try to sneak out of the house - so I don't take chances with them.

All of my pets are chipped.

No, the min pins get bald spots on their necks from collars rubbing, loose collars, tight collars, leather, nylon, thick, thin - it doesn't matter so they don't wear collars except when they leave the house. Rupert hasn't worn a collar in about 3 months because I realised that's what causes the matts behind his ears, no rubbing collar no mats. So no one wears a collar in the house anymore. When they leave yes, of course. Getting microchipped is next on my list for everybody, but I want to wait until they're sedated for something else such as spay/dental cleaning so they don't have to go through more than they have to, hopefully that'll be done this year.

Pretty much all the time.  For Honor and Eli, it's because I'm paranoid that they will figure out a way to circumvent the fence and get lost (they are ridiculously inventive and devious together!).  For Nike, his stays on mostly because I know I would forget to put it back on if I took it off.

Willow wears her harness most of the day.  But, when I get home at night and we are in for awhile I take it off for the night.  Then for just the quick outs during the evening I just leave a collar at the door.  But, no collars are ever left on unless I forget which has happened because you cannot see them on her.

 Tootsie never, even when we go for car rides or to my parents. Shes chipped, but also very velcro.  Walks yes.

 I try to keep the collars on.  I don't want to risk them running out the front door, without their collars and i.d. tags.  The only time the collars come off is for bath time, or when Madison wants to play "hide the dog's necklace".  I will soak them in warm, soapy water while I bathe the dogs.  Can't have the clean puppers wearing dirty collars! 

 Always, except for bath time.  As soon as they're dry, the collars go back on.  I looked into micro-chipping but, microchips are not uniform throughout the country or sometimes even the state.  I have a friend that manages a Humane Society in Iowa and she frequently finds dogs and cats that have microchips that her equipment can't read.  She probably has 15 different readers and STILL she has animals whose chips can't be read.  My cell phone # is on their collars.  Can't get much simpler than that.  The collars are a little large so they can slip them if they get hung up in the house.  They are well trained and don't really need collars and leashes for walks, but they have them anyway.  We have LOTS & LOTS of bunnies in our town and well, they are Bassets.  Bunnies are about the only thing that will make them run away from me.  Normally I can call them back but better safe than sorry.

I am also a Steph.  ( We seem to have a lot of Steph's on this forum.)

I do let him sleep nakey at night.

shadowsgin

My boys always wear a collar.   They wear a Jingle bell collar have done that since Shadow was a puppy.   Since we are out in the country it helps me hear what direction they are in.  Problem is I cant find these collars anymore.  I have searched the web, the last place I got them doesnt carry them anymore.

Check this link.  You have to scroll down a little.  I've been putting the one on the right on the my dogs for probably 15 years now.

http://www.vetvax.com/bells.html

Luke -- Almost never.  He wore a collar 24/7 for the first few years and I always detested the awful ring around his neck.  Even after I took the collar off, it still took a few months for that ring to go away.  He isn't on leash at home or work, so we have no need for a collar unless going out in public.  He usually wears one to an agility trial in the mornings, but it comes off as soon as he's to the crate.  He wears a martingale slip lead into the ring and I find it's easiest to make a slip collar out of the flexi-leash for the short amount of time we generally have to go outside for potty breaks.  I don't feel like dinking around with a collar most of the time.

Kaiser -- His is off at home, but on everywhere else.  He goes potty on leash at work, so it is most convenient to have a collar on him.  It comes off at home because i don't want him to get a hair dent (he'll be showing soon).  He expects it now and if I forget to take it off when we get home from work he'll come stand next to me on the couch as if to remind me.

Both dogs are microchipped.  Kaiser's collar did have a small name tag, but it was lost this week and I haven't located it yet -- will have to get a new one.  I don't put his rabies, license or microchip tags on his collar because they're all huge and would look stupid on him.

Bear wears his during the day.  He is chipped, but I like to have his tags on, too.  If he got lost, I'm not sure everybody would think "check for a chip".   At night it is off so I can sleep better.

 Sadie - (she's the beagle) - 24/7. If she were to get out, she would be pretty likely to go on an adventure, and she isn't chipped. When I walk her, she has an additional harness.

 Timmy - (he's the rottie) - He never wears one in the house, it messes up his neck fur. If he were to accidentally get out, he would just stand there and wait for us. When we go out I put the collar on him, for walks, to stores, wherever.

Ernie's Mom

I am also a Steph.  ( We seem to have a lot of Steph's on this forum.)

I know- I love it!