Collars, a very scary incident.

I don’t see the point in house collars. Unless you have dogs that have or you suspect may go toe to toe, in which case, sort it out, there is no need for them. I don’t leave headcollars on my horses either.
 
EllenJay said:
But they are supervised when out and about - so any incidents are quickly picked up
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I would rather not pick up the pieces.
I have dealt with dogs getting caught up resulting in one getting hurt and a fight being the result.
I like to make things as safe as possible whilst still allowing them to be dogs.
 
twiggy2 said:
I would rather not pick up the pieces.
I have dealt with dogs getting caught up resulting in one getting hurt and a fight being the result.
I like to make things as safe as possible whilst still allowing them to be dogs.
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One of my pet hates is watching dogs running loose with their harnesses still on.
 
Blazingsaddles said:
I don’t see the point in house collars. Unless you have dogs that have or you suspect may go toe to toe, in which case, sort it out, there is no need for them. I don’t leave headcollars on my horses either.
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I don’t leave headcollars on the horses either. Rightly, or as in our case wrongly, the dogs have just always had the collars on. A lesson learnt that thankfully didn’t end in tragedy. We do leave their harnesses on when we are out walking (only Aled is let off lead), but they are always taken off as soon we get home.
 
TheresaW said:
I don’t leave headcollars on the horses either. Rightly, or as in our case wrongly, the dogs have just always had the collars on. A lesson learnt that thankfully didn’t end in tragedy. We do leave their harnesses on when we are out walking (only Aled is let off lead), but they are always taken off as soon we get home.
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Sorry, TW, haven’t read all the posts & my posts weren’t in response to anything you had posted!! No offence intended.
 
twiggy2 said:
I would rather not pick up the pieces.
I have dealt with dogs getting caught up resulting in one getting hurt and a fight being the result.
I like to make things as safe as possible whilst still allowing them to be dogs.
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So how do you suggest I walk on lead them safely without a collar or harness?
 
No offence taken, don’t worry. I think we all learn from our mistakes, sadly sometimes we don’t necessarily get away with it. I know how lucky we were.
 
EllenJay said:
So how do you suggest I walk on lead them safely without a collar or harness?
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That comes across as a bit of a short reply, not sure if it is meant to or not but if you read my posts then it's says about the collar or harness coming off when the lead does.
My dogs have never been allowed to play with dogs on lead as the risk of lead entanglement can also results in pain/injuries and fights.
 
paddy555 said:
as a matter of interest do you all put collars on for travelling in the car etc.
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No, everything is removed. When you have four dogs in the car boot, moving around, laying down etc all it takes is a dew/foot claw to get caught in another’s collar for pandemonium to break out!!!
 
well I let my two run off lead in their harnesses -I am not about to let them off with neither collar nor harness (they have name tags on harnesses, I generally forget their collars these days). I take the point they could get caught on something but they don't wrestle each other when out (although do chase each other) and aren't allowed to play with each other while on leads. Its a risk assessment and I'll continue to do it. Its an unlucky day when I meet others when out!
 
My lurchers wear fish tail leather collars when out but nothing at home. I hold the collars close behind the ears when fastening them and make sure they are snug (without strangling them obviously). I would much rather have close fitting collars than loose ones. It seems logical that any slack would increase the risk of the collar getting snagged on something.

On a lighter note I had to laugh when a trainer's 'stooge' labrador which was supposedly helping cure a leash reactive dog backed out of his loose collar and came to bark in the reactive dog's face, she was not asked for a repeat performance. For me that was the equivalent of a professional rider forgetting to tighten his girth.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Nope. Like someone said I always have a slip lead somewhere to commute dogs between house/car/kennel etc.
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is travelling in a car without a collar more dangerous than with one? I don't know the answer to this. With a collar there is the danger of getting caught up. Without one (and an ID disk) there is the risk if the dog gets loose or alternatively in an accident if the dog gets let out and someone has to catch and identify them. In the case of a crash/accident or worse still a fire if someone got the dog out they would be stuck or he would run free (which for my GSD pup may not be a good idea ATM!) I have been pondering this for a while.
 
As said, I travel with slip leads. Not necessarily for my own.
Catching a dog depends on the dog. If I could get close enough to dog to be able to grab collar, I could grab scruff. I've caught dogs with jumpers/belts before now. My mum caught a horse with a jumper. Not all dogs are willing to be held in the collar by a stranger, particularly after a trauma.
If the dog is microchipped (which it should) it can be identified.
 
I don’t own collars, having seen my best friend’s dog killed in the very incident you describe OP, I never will. Things can escalate SO quickly.

I don’t really go out with them in public asides from the odd trip to the beach, when I do I have slip leads with their ID tags on. I don’t really care about the legality of that, in my opinion collars are an unnecessary danger to my dogs. I try to be a responsible dog owner but I’m not jumping through hoops where I feel my dogs’ safety may be compromised.
 
Someone at my training club had her young dog hang itself by the collar on a baby gate while she was at work, was dead by the time she got home :( so devastating, and my dogs now only wear collars when they are out. Very interested to hear about the safety collars though, might have to give them a try!
 
I have heard of a few incidents like the one you witnessed OP - and how frightening it must have been. I am glad to hear no one was worse for wear afterwards.

My dogs don't wear collars in the house or out, unless I am in an unknown area such as on holiday and then I will put a collar on when they are out and about.
 
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