Pick The Right Dog Collar}

Pick The Right Dog Collar

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Stephen DolanYou need to look at your best friend’s behavior before deciding which style of dog collar to buy. If you are taking your dog to a special event or to a special gathering and you want them to look really good try getting a dog hound collar and leash. For small dogs a simple flat collar will suffice. For larger dogs you might try a prong collar with a wide leather band.

If your dog loves water and water sports you should buy a nylon collar. Anything else will not hold up as well to constant immersion in water. Leather is ok but it will crack and age quickly unless it’s dried and polished after each dipping.

Some Dog Collar Types and their uses

Buckle collars are usually adjustable and do not tighten on your dog’s neck once fastened. Using a rolled leather collar avoids the chafing or hair breaking that can occur using flat collars.

Leather is an advantageous material for a dog collar. It is very strong, head wearing, weather proof and comfortable for your best friend. There are flat collars for dogs with shorter hair, and rounded collars for longer haired dogs. As mentioned above this is to stop breaking the hair around your dogs neck. Try and keep the dog collar as thin as you can while maintaining the strength for your dogs comfort.

Another type of collar that can also look fancy is called the Elizabethan fancy dog collar. This type of collar is for dogs recovering from surgery. Basically it is the funnel shaped and it goes over your best friend’s head keeps them from biting stitched wounds or surgery incisions. If your best friend does have to wear this type of collar there is no need to be embarrassed, you can make the best of it by painting it, or decorating it with colorful decorations, stick on synthetic gems or even ribbons!

Electronic collars are also called remote collars or shock collars by those that don’t like them. The idea behind these collars is to deliver an electric shock to the hound as a correction. A low-level shock is given at first but if the canine continues to disobey the intensity is increased.

It has been said that using an electric shock collar desensitizes the pet to the shock but they still prove to be effective training collars. Electronic collars should only be used for training and should never be used without a professional trainers guidance. Incorrectly used, these collars can ruin a hound’s self confidence, good will and any desire to work.

The head collar is similar to a figure of eight with a strap around the neck directly behind your dog’s ears and above his Adam’s apple. The second strap fits around his nose, close to the eyes and back of the lips. The straps are connected under your best friend’s chin.

The action of the leash when correcting your best friend is very different with a head collar verses any of the other training devices. So it’s important that you receive proper instruction on its use from a qualified trainer.

Most trainers use the pinch collar as a last resort and only for very short periods of time. As with the slip collar, attaching tags, tying your pet up and general unsupeervised use of pinch collars should be avoided.

If you take your dogs hunting dog Tracking systems are very helpful in finding dogs that are lost. Certain dog tracking systems also allow the dog handler or owner to determine what your canine is doing by using certain behavior systems that form part of the collar. You will be able to tell if a hound has stopped, is still moving, if a dog is barking, or if he has treed an animal.

One of the essentials of a dog collar is to make sure that it’s personalized and has your dogs name and your contact details on it. This will make it easy for someone to get in touch with you if your dog gets lost or strays.

It can also help keep your best friend calm in a distressing situation. Your dog is lost and while he may be amongst strangers, they will learn his name from his collar and he’ll feel less threatened if called by name.

Finally pick a canine collar that suits your dogs personality and size. A giant black leather collar with studs may not suit a toy poodle, or a pink ribbon style collar a British Bulldog. After all it is part of your dogs image so pick a hound collar that fits!

Steve Dolan is a dog lover and long time dog owner. For more information about dog collars and tags click

Dog Collars and Tags

, and for more about dog health and keeping your dog happy click

Dogs and Puppies Online

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