What To Wear-Collars

This is not an attempt to discuss training methods or debate which type of collar your dog trainer recommends. It is to advise pet owners on how collars and harnesses work and to put to rest some myths.

The most important collar is the flat collar. This is the collar that has a buckle or snap lock that your pet should wear on a daily basis. It should contain your pet's identification tag with current phone numbers, the rabies tag if your vet provides one, and your city license tag. It should be placed loosely around the neck. It should either have a quick release-especially for cats- or loose enough that it will slide over your pet's  head if caught on something such as branches or fences. This collar is not used for walking your pet!And definitely not used for training. When used to walk your pet and it pulls, it is the mostly to initiate a coughing response.Working in a veterinary emergency clinic for many years, contrary to owner's beliefs, no collar can do actual harm to a dogs trachea but if your dog already suffers from trachea irritation, pulling against a flat collar can be irritating and cause coughing.

To walk your pet a martingale style is recommended.It is a flat collar with either a chain or cloth pull that will tighten-not too tight- when pulled on by the leash and can not slip off your pet allowing it to escape. These collars are becoming more and more popular for dog walkers as pets frequently slip out of flat collars allowing them to become free from the owner and possibly being hit by a car or attacked by another dog. They also are very attractive and some of the Greyhound Organizations sell some made out of beautiful fabrics. These are my favorite for general dog walking that does not involve serious training   If your dog pulls, this collar can still push against the trachea and coughing can result, but less than the traditional flat collar as it does release to a looser fit when relaxed.

The next collar to use for training and walking would be the choke chain. These chain collars have gotten a bad rap by owners that have not been able to develop the proper technique and some trainers who want to promote their own training collar choices and sell you the collar. The problem with the choke chain is they have to be put on correctly and used correctly. If put on the pet correctly the collar should only be tight when jerked and should automatically release when pressure is released. The trick to this collar is to do a quick jerk and release to get your pets attention. The choke chain, contrary to popular myth, is less pressure on the trachea than a flat or martingale collar even when used incorrectly tightly choking around your pets neck. Again, the choke is less damage to the pets neck unless your pet has a predisposed neck/spinal issue or is actually hanging from a leash or chain attached to it with your pets feet dangling off the ground or floor. If your pet pulls with the choke chain and you have not mastered the jerk and release technique than the next collar may be a better option.

Although this collar looks totally scary, and I have to admit that until recently working with animal trainers and researching with veterinary specialist, I would never have considered this collar. And I have never had a had a problem with my choke chain technique. If I had, the metal prong collar would be the next in line. What seems like a device of torture is actually the less likely to cause harm to the trachea and unlikely to initiate a cough response when the dog is pulling. Because of it's design, when the collar is pulled or jerked by the owner, the prongs distribute even pressure around the pet's entire neck rather than just at the front of the neck. It also will release as soon as the owner releases without fail. I have to admit I was totally amazed when I saw this collar used by an owner of a small miniature pincher very successfully with minimal instruction from the trainer. The prongs are not sharp or spiky so there is no risk of it puncturing your pet's neck unless purposely misused. Even improper use does not make this collar harmful but actually the least to cause harm or irritation of all the collars mentioned, especially in comparison to the flat collar or martingale. This collar is the least likely to choke your pet as it is not able to put direct pressure on the tracheal area of the neck.

Now the harness. The harness was a stable one design product that fastened around the body so no pressure was put on the neck by either the dog pulling or the owner pulling. Now there are many designs. None really better for the pet than others. The differences in design are nothing more than ease of putting on and taking off for the owner, and marketing skills of the people selling them. The benefit is that it is virtually escape proof once fitted and put on your pet. It also has benefit to dogs that do have neck or spinal disorders diagnosed by a veterinarian. No collar, even if used incorrectly, can cause neck or spinal issues unless it is used in extreme situations such as of hanging. But some pets do have either genetically predisposed spinal issues involving the neck that makes using a harness necessary. The other use of the harness is in situation of a pet needing to pull such as cart animals, sled dogs,or often search and rescue dogs who can be distracted by the control of a collar and follow the handler's lead rather than the natural instinct to follow the scent. Harnesses give little control of the dog to the owner other than they can only go as far as the leash allows. You can not train your dog to walk next to you with a harness. Not to say a dog can't and won't learn to walk next to you while using a harness, it just isn't trained to do this with the use of a harness but with using other tricks or techniques while the harness is on. Harnesses by nature encourage a pulling effect. So if your dog does not have a neck condition and you don't want your dog to pull you down the street, choose a different collar with more control.

Now as far as the Halti, or other over the nose devices used to keep your dog under control that are on the market. These are special devices used by instruction of a licensed certified dog trainer and hopefully are not a permanent device and should only be used during training sessions.There is not enough proof or study to prove such accusations, but it is the opinion of some veterinarians that these collars actually cause more trauma to the neck than any other collar as it forces the dog to hold the head and neck in an unnatural position. Again only speculation and do these affected pets have a predisposition for neck issues and these specialty collars are just hastening the occurrence? Is it the collar or the way it is misused by untrained owners? Too many unanswered questions and I do not have enough experience with these collars because I have always been able to train my pet with a choke chain or martingale collar.


I can not stress enough that if your dog coughs or gags when pulling at the end of a leash, it is not the collar that is causing the initial problem but choosing a different collar may lessen the severity of a condition your dog may already have.

I also can't stress enough, as I have learned, that the most frightening of collars and techniques usually can not do actual physical harm, although I will not comment on the mental harm some unskilled trainers have inflicted on pets no matter what type of collar they use or recommend.


So the metal prong collar is most effective with least amount of trauma or irritation despite it's appearance. The choke chain is second in initiating the least amount of trachea irritation, and the martingale is a great collar for walking and some light training but can still initiate a tracheal response if your pet pulls and is predisposed to coughing due to bronchitis or tracheal irritation. The traditional flat collar is not recommended for walking and never should be used for training but as a decoration that will also maintain identification tags.

As a final thought, pets are very intelligent and if pulling on the collar was really causing difficulty breathing or large amounts of pain, they would stop or pass out. Neither rarely happens on a walk or in a training session.