Find the Right Collar for Your Dog

You know your dog needs a collar. You’ve already been considering your options – and you’ve found that there are options aplenty. There are many different types of dog collars, some of which are better suited for particular types of dogs. Further, many collars vary in both material and the mechanisms they use to clasp. For both your sake and Fido’s, make sure you consider several important factors to ensure you find the right collar. Ultimately, choose a collar based on utility for everyday use and suitability for the size and behavior of your dog.

Steps

Finding a Collar for Everyday Use

1. Default to a standard flat collar. Flat collars are the most popular types of collars for several reasons. They are strong, safe, inexpensive, often fully adjustable, and easy to take on and off. Most flat collars have either a buckle or a plastic clip. Nylon is the most common material used, though you can also get leather flat collars.
   • Choose a flat width based on the size of your dog. Use a ½ inch collar for smalls dogs, a ¾ inch collar for most dogs, and a 1+ inch collar for large dogs. If in doubt, go with a collar with a slightly larger strap.
   • Get a nylon flat collar just to have for basic everyday use, such as walking. Nylon has the advantages of being machine-washable, and will hold up in water. They are the easiest to clean and maintain.
   • Nylon flat collars are the best choice for young puppies, as they are extremely safe and easy to adjust.
   • Go for a leather collar if your dog is especially rambunctious and needs a more resilient collar. Leather is durable and can last a very long time. It will soften naturally, and won’t damage the coat of long-haired dogs.
2. Fit a flat collar safely. Use a cloth or paper measuring strip to measure around your dog’s neck. Measure when your dog is standing with his head up. The collar should be snug, but loose enough to fit two fingers between your dog’s neck and the collar.
   • If you don’t have a cloth or paper measuring strip, find some string. Wind the string around your dog’s neck and mark the circumference. Then measure the string with a regular tape measure!
   • Add 2 inches to the circumference of your dog’s neck to find their flat collar size.
3. Make sure flat collars have a D-ring. D-rings are metal rings shaped like a half circle. They are often built into dog collars, and are vitally important. Hang your dog’s ID tag from the D-ring. Most importantly, always hook your dog’s leash or tie-out to the D-ring on their collar.
4. Use a head collar for dogs that jump and pull. Head collars will safely allow you to better control a strong or highly active dog. They feature a strap that goes around your dog’s neck, but sits high up, close to the ears. Another strap wraps around your dog’s muzzle, and is connected to the neck strap by strips on either side of your dog’s head.
   • If your dog is especially strong or frequently jumps or pulls on walks, get a head collar. Since these collars sit higher, the dog has less leverage to pull with all of their weight.
   • Fitting is especially important for head collars. Since specific models vary slightly, closely follow the fitting directions that will come with the collar you choose.
   • Only use head collars for short periods of time. Put it on your dog to take them for a walk, and take it off when you get back home.
   • Never yank on a leash that is attached to a head collar. This can lead to a neck injury for your dog.
5. Use a martingale collar with narrow-headed dogs. Dogs that have naturally narrow heads, such as Greyhounds and other sighthounds, need limited-slip collars. These are less likely to allow for the collar to slip off. Martingale collars are strips of material with a length of chain and a metal ring at each end. Another loop links the metal rings, and includes a ring for leash attachment. This assembly disallows your dog from backing out of their leash.
   • Sizing a martingale collar correctly is extremely important. When adjusted correctly, the collar will only tighten to the size of your dog’s neck to prevent choking.
   • Add 2 inches to the circumference of your dog’s neck to find the appropriate size of a martingale collar.

Selecting Special Collars

1. Weigh the benefits of an anti-bark collar. Bark-control collars will reduce excessive or unwanted barking by your dog. However, they do not address the reason your dog is barking, and will not help your dog understand that they do not need to bark. In other words, your dog will still feel the stress that leads to barking, whereas training to address fear or territorial behavior is a better way to reduce both your dog’s bark, as well as the discomfort they may be feelings.
   • Use spray or ultrasonic collars temporarily. If you need relative silence for a specific period of time, an anti-bark collar can reduce your dog’s barking.
   • Spray collars will expel a burst of citronella when you dog barks, interrupting them and deterring continued barking. Similarly, ultrasonic collars will emit a sound that only your dog can hear.
   • Do not use these collars with dogs that have high-pitched barks, nor around other dogs.
   • Never use shock collars to inhibit barking, as this is inhumane.
2. Use a vibrating collar for a deaf dog. It can be hard to get the attention of a dog that is old or does not have full hearing. Fortunately, you can get a collar that can be made to gently vibrate by remote control. This can be used to train, or simply get the attention of a dog that cannot hear or see.
   • It is not mandatory to get a vibrating collar is your dog is deaf, though it can greatly help with training and social interaction.
   • Options vary widely. Talk to a trainer about what type of collar and training are likely to work the best for your dog.
3. Use a GPS-enabled collar instead of a chip. While surgically implanted chips are an option to help ensure you never lose your dog, you can also get a collar with a chip in it. These collars use global positioning satellites to identify their position anywhere on the planet!
   • There a various products and brands you can choose from. Make sure to opt for a collar that employs "A-GPS" which includes updated technology to improve GPS readings.
   • Expect to pay somewhere between $40 and $80 dollars for this sort of collar, depending on attributes such as battery life of the device.
4. Use a reflective collar at night. If you often take your dog on walks at night, get them a reflective collar. This will increase both their safety and your own. These are usually made of nylon, with various types of light-reflecting accents. Definitely get your dog a reflective collar if you ever let them off leash at night or in low-light areas.

Tips

• Feel free to decorate or otherwise bedazzle your dog’s collar however you feel inclined to do so, as long as you keep in mind your dog’s safety. For instance, do not dangle anything off of the collar other than a small ID tag, to reduce the chances of the collar getting caught.
• Nylon collars in particular come in all sorts of colors and designs. Fortunately, your dog will likely not mind however you choose to express yourself with their collar’s appearance.
• Don't get a collar that is too big or too small for your dog.
• Make sure to keep their fur in mind; variances between dogs because some dogs have long hair and some very short hair. If you regularly groom your pet, make sure to measure for their neck size right after grooming. Then compare this measurement to one you take right before the dog got groomed.

Warnings

• Avoid using "aversive" collars like choke chains, prong collars, and shock collars. These are inhumane and should never be used.

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Quick Summary

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