Dog Collar Safety

Since I have owned Ginger, she has never worn a collar.  She seemed to be very uncomfortable with it and it wasn’t until 2009 that she had to have decompression surgery due to a Chiari malformation which is common in Cavaliers.  Chiari malformation can lead to a more serious problem called Syringomyelia.  You can learn more about Syringomyelia (SM) and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel by clicking here

Since then she has always worn a harness with her tags attached during walks.  There is a lot of debate as to what’s better but again, these are personal preferences and one should use what is best for them and their dog.

If you do decide to use a collar, be aware that collars can lead to serious injuries and sadly even death.  Many people are surprised when they hear this, but below are some examples.

Just last year I remember reading about a Five-month-old Cockapoo that was discovered dead after her collar got caught on a kitchen cabinet.  The owners said they were only gone for about 15 minutes.  Another owner also found his Great Pyrenees puppy hanging by his collar in his crate after he tried to escape.    Although this may sound like a freak accident, strangulation’s happen more and more and there are even PSA announcement being created to warn owners about the dangers.   If you crate your dog when you leave the house, please remove their collar even if you are going to be out for a short period of time, strangulation can happen in minutes.  I’ve boarded many dogs and luckily, many owners have not wanted their dogs crated but for those that do, their collars always come off.

Another caution one must take is when walking your dog.  Constant pulling and tugging can lead to a neck injury.  In a study of 400 dogs by Anders Hallgren published in “Animal Behavior Consultants Newsletter” in 1992, he found that “Pulling and jerking on the leash affect especially the neck and throat in the dog.  As expected, there was no correlation between leash handling and thoracic/lumbar defects.  However, one of the clearest correlations in the whole study was between cervical (neck) damages and ‘jerk and pull’. 91% of the dogs who had neck injuries had also been exposed to jerking on the leash by the owner or been allowed to pull hard on the leash for long periods of time.”  www.andershallgren.se/en/    if you have a dog that is a puller, consider using a harness.  It’s safer and you will have better control over the dog during walks.

If your dog wears a collar make sure it’s snug, not to loose and not too tight.  The general rule is you should be able to fit 2 fingers, no more and no less.    It’s easy for a pet to scratch their ears and then have their back leg stuck in the collar if too loose.  This could lead to many injuries.   You can also try using a breakaway type collar.  These collars are designed to open safely when pressure is applied.

Lastly, wearing a tight collar can cause skin issues.  If there is a lot of friction on the dogs neck, this can lead to skin irritation.  A collar that is too tight can dig into their necks causing a lot of pain so make sure that the collar is not to stiff.  There are a lot of soft nylon collars on the market.

The bottom line is that dogs should be supervised, but if you plan on leaving them alone it might be a good idea to remove the collar for safety’s sake.  Remember that even though they serve a purpose of holding ID’s and other pertinent information, your dog should be microchipped as well.

Someone with malicious intent can easily remove the collar so microchipping your pet is  very important.