Apr 01 2008
My Favorite Collar
I just noticed that my dog’s collar is looking a little ragged. Since it’s time for a new one, I figured I’d share my favorite kind with you. As a proponent of mostly positive methods of training, I’m not a big fan of choke or prong collars. The flat buckle collars make me nervous because I’ve seen a number of dogs who can slip their heads out of these while on leash. This is a real problem for dogs with a long, thin shape to their heads like greyhounds. My personal choice for collars is the martingale collar. It looks a lot like a regular buckle collar, but it has an extra loop which the leash is attached to which causes it to tighten just enough to keep a dog from backing out of it.
For those of us who like cute as well as functional, I’ve found a couple of great places to shop for martingale collars. My dog is currently wearing a Lupine collar. It slips over her head and is adjustable. Lupine offers collars (they call them combo collars) in a number of cute designs, and best of all, they offer a lifetime guarantee on their collars. Another option I may try are the martingales sold through the Big Dog Boutique. They offer martingale collars that buckle on instead of slipping over the dog’s head. I love this idea as the one drawback I’ve found with the Lupine collars is that they can be tough to fit properly once they’re on the dog. Of course, the price is a bit prohibitive at the Big Dog Boutique ($28.50 vs. $10.99 at Lupine). I’ll keep you posted on which one I decide on.
