Collars for very thin skinned whippet

[Annette4]

Little miss doesn't pull (unless she spots of squirrel nutkin or peter rabbit...which isn't often as she's normally off lead in places we're likely to spot them) and walks well to heal but over the last couple of months seems to have lost what was left of the fur on her neck and as such goes bright red whenever she wears a collar.

I'm not a massive fan of walking them on a harness so I've been swapping between a harness and collar but does anyone else with a whippet have the same issues? What collars do you use?

I've got one soft leather sighthound collar and a wide, silky lined martingale collar but both seem to have the same effect. It's purely a preference thing with her being so good but I just don't like the harness as if she does spot a small fluffy she can throw her weight and pull me where as with a collar I feel like I have a lot more control.

 

[Alec Swan]

Does she wear a collar 24/7? It would be strange were a collar to have that effect if it's only worn when on a walk.

'Harnesses' are (or were) made to assist any animal to 'pull'. Just how they aid the control of a dog or prevent it from pulling, is a mystery to me!

Alec.

 

[Annette4]

She only wears her collar on walks which is why I'm not sure why it's happening. I assumed it was from my mum letting her pull but it happens when I walk her and she doesn't move from my side. The leather collar is only tight enough to not slide off and martingale is loose by nature.

Totally with you re: harnesses, I only bought it for in the car as she gets car sick in the boot otherwise I wouldn't have one for her. I'm lucky that she doesn't pull, she'd be on a head collar if it was more than once in a blue moon.

 

[webble]

These people are fab http://www.silverpeacock.co.uk/

 

[Zero00000]

How about a ComforFlex collar?

 

[cremedemonthe]

She only wears her collar on walks which is why I'm not sure why it's happening. I assumed it was from my mum letting her pull but it happens when I walk her and she doesn't move from my side. The leather collar is only tight enough to not slide off and martingale is loose by nature.

Totally with you re: harnesses, I only bought it for in the car as she gets car sick in the boot otherwise I wouldn't have one for her. I'm lucky that she doesn't pull, she'd be on a head collar if it was more than once in a blue moon.

What colour is the leather collar, is it English leather?

 

[Annette4]

It's a really light pink, I can't remember tbh but I will double check with my friend (I got it from her pet shop but I'm 99% sure she only stocks UK products).

I did wonder about colour transfer so stopped using the leather collar for 3 weeks and bathed her her it still happens with the (leopard print with black silky lining) martingale collar.

 

[3Beasties]

Have a look at canine collars and cuffs on fb - they are handmade using cord so may be softer than leather.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Some leather is coated in a finish to keep it nice and make it more durable such as Tan-kote and Bag-kote which is banned in some countries-http://www.fiebing.com/catalogue/top-finishes/?product=198 the chemicals could react with your dog's sensitive skin. Fabric too can be coated with products to keep the dirt and wet from getting a hold. English leather is preferable over foreign, Indian leather smells different (like pigskin) and the aniline dyes can leach out onto the skin which then transfers in to the blood stream and can be carcinogenic.
There are a lot of chemicals and finishing products involved in the leather and fabric trade these days, some harmless and some not so nice but any could cause a reaction in sensitive individuals, human or animal.
My Mum just bought a new headboard for her bed, first night we had to remove it and banish it to the spare room as the smell (finishing and coating products in/on the fabric) was so strong it made her dizzy and feel sick, she ended up with a headache.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

You may be able to find a pure silk scarf in a charity shop, use this to wrap round the collar, almost certainly it is chemical, even if collar made in UK it is likely a chemical processing, rather than veg tan.

 

[satinbaze]

Jewlnick leather do fur lined whippet collars they do bespoke collars too. Maybe worth checking out their website.

 

[Peter7917]

I have a lurcher with the same problem. She now wears a fleece lined martingale.

 

[LD&S]

Does she wear a collar 24/7? It would be strange were a collar to have that effect if it's only worn when on a walk.

'Harnesses' are (or were) made to assist any animal to 'pull'. Just how they aid the control of a dog or prevent it from pulling, is a mystery to me!

Alec.

I don't use a harness for my dogs, but I fostered a dog who walked like a normal nosey dog in a collar but struggled to put one foot in front of the other in a harness also a friend has a dog who tries to choke himself in a collar but walks like a dream in a harness.


One of my dogs has a bald throat and no matter what the collar is made of the effect is the same if he wears a collar 24/7.

 

[planete]

There are harnesses and harnesses. I attach training lines to a Ruffwear webmaster which has an extra strap behind the ribcage and a handle on the back. The dog wears a short lead for walking and is trained not to pull. The harness is a safety measure to save the dog' s neck in case of an 'incident' like the one a few weeks ago when a lose dog ran at us and I was not quick enough to recall the bitch. She hit the end of the line at nearly thirty miles an hour dislocating one of my knuckles and putting me on the floor. I dread to think what would have happened to her neck in a collar. She is reactive and a work in progress but this was, I hope, a one-off. The handle on the back is also very useful for grounding an over-excited dog (lifting the rear-end slightly off the floor= no traction!). I do not use a harness in the belief it will stop a dog pulling, only training does that, but the harness is a useful tool for me when training some rescue dogs.