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Question:

personally I think someone comes around and reads my animals stories of how to get themselves in fixes to panic me – PLEASE don’t tell them any of the ones posted here! Nancy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> actually the scariest one I heard was the woman who came home and could > not > find her dog – it got stuck under the couch going after a toy and got > strangled by its collar on a spring > When I had outdoor cats (now all are indoors only) I put breakaway ID > collars on them – never had one last more than a day or so before being > gone > off the cat while it was out > microchips and tattoos – gotta love them > Nancy > My DH likes to tell his gruesome story of how his childhood GSD hanged > himself on a basement ceiling beam. Something about a nail and jumping up to > the low ceiling. > And just the other day, Orson was laying in front of the front door to our > house. I told him to get up because I was going outside for the mail. He > didn’t move, which was unusual for him. I told him again, and knew something > was wrong when he grunted, trying to get up. The s-hook on his ID tag was > caught on the heating grate on the floor. It broke off easily, so there was > little danger of injury. But it got me to thinking… > Cate

Response:

> actually the scariest one I heard was the woman who came home and could not > find her dog – it got stuck under the couch going after a toy and got > strangled by its collar on a spring > When I had outdoor cats (now all are indoors only) I put breakaway ID > collars on them – never had one last more than a day or so before being gone > off the cat while it was out > microchips and tattoos – gotta love them > Nancy

My DH likes to tell his gruesome story of how his childhood GSD hanged himself on a basement ceiling beam. Something about a nail and jumping up to the low ceiling. And just the other day, Orson was laying in front of the front door to our house. I told him to get up because I was going outside for the mail. He didn’t move, which was unusual for him. I told him again, and knew something was wrong when he grunted, trying to get up. The s-hook on his ID tag was caught on the heating grate on the floor. It broke off easily, so there was little danger of injury. But it got me to thinking… Cate

Response:

actually the scariest one I heard was the woman who came home and could not find her dog – it got stuck under the couch going after a toy and got strangled by its collar on a spring When I had outdoor cats (now all are indoors only) I put breakaway ID collars on them – never had one last more than a day or so before being gone off the cat while it was out microchips and tattoos – gotta love them Nancy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> As I said in my previous post, –> I’m not as worried about the collars > getting caught because my dogs are only > outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for at > most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get caught > without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each other, > or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s > collar. > I cannot think of a single thing lying around the house that they could catch > on that would hold long enough for them to strangle. I do loosen my Golden’s > collar usually when at home, only because she is more comfortable that way. > -Lizzi > : dogs get caught indoors too and strangle right in their own homes > : dogs get their teeth stuck in their playmate’s collars and break teeth or > : strangle the other dog or have a rip roaring fight > : most of my dogs do not wear collars unless we are going somewhere > : Nancy > : > One other point… I’m more worried about losing the dogs than about them > : > getting stuck on things for a few reasons. I’m worried about losing them > : > because > : > They were both found as > : > strays, and I have found so many collarless dogs whose owners were never > : found. > : > Plus, I think people are more likely to try to catch a dog if it has a > : collar > : > on. They assume it is escaped and not ‘homeless.’ > : > I’m not as worried about the collars getting caught because my dogs are > : only > : > outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for > : at > : > most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get > : caught > : > without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each > : other, > : > or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s > : > collar. > : > When out on leash, the dogs are collared and the collars are tight enough > : to > : > not slip off. I don’t understand why you would want one loose enough to > : slip > : > off on a walk. With you on the other end of the leash and paying > : attention, > : > what situation would make it necessary for the dog to slip out? With a > : loose > : > collar, there is always the possibility of the collar coming off in a bad > : > situation- the dog might get scared of something and back out of it, it > : might > : > slip out to chase something, etc etc etc…  If something did happen where > : you > : > had to let the dog go, for the dog’s safety or whatever, you could always > : > unclip the leash or let go of it. > : > > : > -Lk > : > — > : > "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I > : want to > : > begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) > : > > : > "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" > : > — MY evil twin > — > "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I want to > begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) > "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" > — MY evil twin

Response:

As I said in my previous post, –> I’m not as worried about the collars getting caught because my dogs are only outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for at most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get caught without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each other, or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s collar. I cannot think of a single thing lying around the house that they could catch on that would hold long enough for them to strangle. I do loosen my Golden’s collar usually when at home, only because she is more comfortable that way. -Lizzi : dogs get caught indoors too and strangle right in their own homes : dogs get their teeth stuck in their playmate’s collars and break teeth or : strangle the other dog or have a rip roaring fight : most of my dogs do not wear collars unless we are going somewhere : Nancy : > One other point… I’m more worried about losing the dogs than about them : > getting stuck on things for a few reasons. I’m worried about losing them : > because : > They were both found as : > strays, and I have found so many collarless dogs whose owners were never : found. : > Plus, I think people are more likely to try to catch a dog if it has a : collar : > on. They assume it is escaped and not ‘homeless.’ : > I’m not as worried about the collars getting caught because my dogs are : only : > outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for : at : > most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get : caught : > without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each : other, : > or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s : > collar. : > When out on leash, the dogs are collared and the collars are tight enough : to : > not slip off. I don’t understand why you would want one loose enough to : slip : > off on a walk. With you on the other end of the leash and paying : attention, : > what situation would make it necessary for the dog to slip out? With a : loose : > collar, there is always the possibility of the collar coming off in a bad : > situation- the dog might get scared of something and back out of it, it : might : > slip out to chase something, etc etc etc…  If something did happen where : you : > had to let the dog go, for the dog’s safety or whatever, you could always : > unclip the leash or let go of it. : > : > -Lk : > — : > "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I : want to : > begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) : > : > "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" : > — MY evil twin — "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I want to begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" — MY evil twin

Response:

dogs get caught indoors too and strangle right in their own homes dogs get their teeth stuck in their playmate’s collars and break teeth or strangle the other dog or have a rip roaring fight most of my dogs do not wear collars unless we are going somewhere Nancy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> One other point… I’m more worried about losing the dogs than about them > getting stuck on things for a few reasons. I’m worried about losing them > because > They were both found as > strays, and I have found so many collarless dogs whose owners were never found. > Plus, I think people are more likely to try to catch a dog if it has a collar > on. They assume it is escaped and not ‘homeless.’ > I’m not as worried about the collars getting caught because my dogs are only > outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for at > most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get caught > without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each other, > or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s > collar. > When out on leash, the dogs are collared and the collars are tight enough to > not slip off. I don’t understand why you would want one loose enough to slip > off on a walk. With you on the other end of the leash and paying attention, > what situation would make it necessary for the dog to slip out? With a loose > collar, there is always the possibility of the collar coming off in a bad > situation- the dog might get scared of something and back out of it, it might > slip out to chase something, etc etc etc…  If something did happen where you > had to let the dog go, for the dog’s safety or whatever, you could always > unclip the leash or let go of it. > -Lk > — > "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I want to > begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) > "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" > — MY evil twin

Response:

One other point… I’m more worried about losing the dogs than about them getting stuck on things for a few reasons. I’m worried about losing them because They were both found as strays, and I have found so many collarless dogs whose owners were never found. Plus, I think people are more likely to try to catch a dog if it has a collar on. They assume it is escaped and not ‘homeless.’ I’m not as worried about the collars getting caught because my dogs are only outside unsupervised for a few minutes as a time, and only home alone for at most few hours at a time, meaning there is less chance they would get caught without anyone there to help them. They don’t play-fight, jump on each other, or do anything similar which might cause one to get stuck on the other’s collar. When out on leash, the dogs are collared and the collars are tight enough to not slip off. I don’t understand why you would want one loose enough to slip off on a walk. With you on the other end of the leash and paying attention, what situation would make it necessary for the dog to slip out? With a loose collar, there is always the possibility of the collar coming off in a bad situation- the dog might get scared of something and back out of it, it might slip out to chase something, etc etc etc…  If something did happen where you had to let the dog go, for the dog’s safety or whatever, you could always unclip the leash or let go of it. -Lk — "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I want to begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" — MY evil twin

Response:

I personally do not take the collars off my dog except sometimes for part of the night. I don’t trust that someone who finds my dog would know about microchips, or take the dog to the vet. If the dog doesn’t have a collar, they might easily think it doesn’t belong to anyone and keep it. If you’re worried about the hooks on the collar getting stuck on something, you can use a flat plate ID instead of tags, and a breakaway collar which will detach if it gets stuck on something. I use a leather collar for my Golden, with small keychain-type rings to attach tags, and a Premier/martingale collar for my terrier, with the same type of rings, and have never had a problem. I did have a problem when I tried to use a bigger keychain ring- I found the ring bend into a U shape, on the floor. It must’ve gotten stuck on something… One other good thing about the keychain-type rings is that they are more bendable than the S-hooks, so if one did get caught on something, it would be easier for the dog to break free. -LK — "My evil twin… bad weather friend… He always wants to start when I want to begin…"      –They Might Be Giants ("My Evil Twin", from Apollo 18) "Don’t you hate it when people put quotes at the end of their email?" — MY evil twin

Response:

Hello Deirdre, This is confusing me… Why do you say the collar should ride high up on his neck? That’s very unusual, isn’t it? Could you explain? Jerry.

> I like the look of my dogs "naked",too!  I recently got Clay a green rolled > leather collar that fits so much better than his old flat one–it stays up > around his jaw like it should, so he’s almost as handsome with it on as he is > with it off.  I don’t like to leave him without a collar for all of the reasons > stated by others.  Given his breed, I would face enough

difficulties in getting – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> him back from the shelter.  If he came in without ID, it would be even harder, > especially now that he’s sporting some lovely scars on his face from the fence > and a cat. > –Deirdre and Clay (aka "Scarface") > <One of the advantages of apartment living is that the dog is extremely > unlikely to get out of the apartment and the building by himself. THerefore > my dog seldom wears a collar when inside; I just leave the collar attached > to the lead.  On the other paw, if we come in and I know we’ll be leaving > again within an hour or so, I very well may just unsnap the lead and leave > the collar on. > Why no collar indoors?  Alas, not for practical purposes, but just because I > like looking at the smooth line from neck to withers. > avrama

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I like the look of my dogs "naked",too!  I recently got Clay a green rolled leather collar that fits so much better than his old flat one–it stays up around his jaw like it should, so he’s almost as handsome with it on as he is with it off.  I don’t like to leave him without a collar for all of the reasons stated by others.  Given his breed, I would face enough difficulties in getting him back from the shelter.  If he came in without ID, it would be even harder, especially now that he’s sporting some lovely scars on his face from the fence and a cat. –Deirdre and Clay (aka "Scarface") – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > <One of the advantages of apartment living is that the dog is extremely > unlikely to get out of the apartment and the building by himself.  THerefore > my dog seldom wears a collar when inside; I just leave the collar attached > to the lead.  On the other paw, if we come in and I know we’ll be leaving > again within an hour or so, I very well may just unsnap the lead and leave > the collar on. > Why no collar indoors?  Alas, not for practical purposes, but just because I > like looking at the smooth line from neck to withers. > avrama

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> So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious > about when they’re wearing them? > Cate

    The only time my dogs have their collars on is if we’re leaving the home. Even for just a car ride.     Ceilidh and Zack LOVE to play bitey face, especially in the back yard. And they grab each other on the neck. I don’t want them choking. The collars will slip over their heads very easily, but that still doesn’t preclude them getting tangled up. They don’t have them on in the house or out back.    JME MaryBeth

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<One of the advantages of apartment living is that the dog is extremely unlikely to get out of the apartment and the building by himself.  THerefore my dog seldom wears a collar when inside; I just leave the collar attached to the lead.  On the other paw, if we come in and I know we’ll be leaving again within an hour or so, I very well may just unsnap the lead and leave the collar on. Why no collar indoors?  Alas, not for practical purposes, but just because I like looking at the smooth line from neck to withers. avrama

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My dogs wouldn’t think of "getting out" and if they were THROWN out, they’d fight like hell to get back in…. Dogs run away from home ON PURPOSE, not because they’re STUPID. Bye! j;~}

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > : A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female, 10 > : mos.) had nearly [inadvertently] play-fought to the death. > : They both wear flat collars with the plastic [not buckles but fastener > : clip-type thingies], and the female was as usual whooping the male’s butt, > : even though she’s half his size. Apparently her teeth got caught on his > : collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I > : didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so > : much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the > : time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from > : lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove > : it from the female’s mouth. > : So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended > : to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, > : not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash > : outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is > : collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the > : first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in > : his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. > : So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious > : about when they’re wearing them? > Both wearing a collar and failing to wear a collar can cause or > contribute to the death of a dog.  You make a decision about which risks > to take in your circumstances and hope the odds work in your favor. I > lost a dog and blame the lack of a collar because I got back the dog that > did have a collar (they were together when they left).  I could make up a > dozen scenarios about what different things could have happened where a > collar would have made the difference.  More dogs get out accidentally > than catch their collars on things – for the most part.  And dogs without > collars have a lower turn in rate (people figure if the owner didn’t care > enough to ID the dog they don’t deserve the dog back) and a shorter > "keep" period (dogs with ID have different notification requirements than > dogs without) at some (most?) shelters.  Of my three dogs two wear > collars all the time, one is often without.  Why?  Because Tanith tends > to catch her collar on things and the other two do not.  And because > Tsuki likes to grab non-metal collars and yank on them.  Tanith is > allergic to metal so can’t wear a metal collar.  The risk seems to be > that Tanith is at higher risk of catching her collar on something. While > I don’t expect my dogs to ever end up lost, I didn’t with the one I did > lose, so I want the collars ON unless I’m convinced the risks of leaving > them on are high (as with Tanith). > Diane Blackman > –     –     –     –     –     –     –     – > "Whether we choose ot use positive, negative, or a mix of reinforcements, > we must be sure that our buddy on the other end of the leash can identify > the specific behavior for which he is being rewarded or corrected." > "Smart Trainers — Brilliant Dogs" by Janet Lewis

Response:

My dogs only wear a collar when on lead… and it’s always loose enough to slip out of, if necessary… Freaky frantik fraud die keeps his shock collar ALWAYS ON, so he can give a fast BURN any time he feels like hurting his dogs. Bye! j;~}

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female, 10 > mos.) had nearly [inadvertently] play-fought to the death. > They both wear flat collars with the plastic [not buckles but fastener > clip-type thingies], and the female was as usual whooping the male’s butt, > even though she’s half his size. Apparently her teeth got caught on his > collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I > didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so > much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the > time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from > lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove > it from the female’s mouth. > So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended > to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, > not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash > outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is > collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the > first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in > his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. > So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious > about when they’re wearing them? > Cate

Response:

Gee, I wonder WHY your dog would chew off his pals collar…. Any ideas??? your pal, Jerry… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Had this happen twice (but was able to get collars off before strangulation >thanks to those quick clips!) with my two now-departed dogs. Switched to >elastic belts for collars after that.  It was pretty scary. > I’ve had this happen with choke chains, but not with flats (should > probably note that it was the oversize choke my neighbor used on his > dog despite my comments; and he subsequently went to a flat collar for > the tag collar after that incident).  However, since one of my dogs > eats the other dogs’ collars when I’m not at home, they’re all naked > when I’m gone.  I don’t like it that much, but I don’t want her > getting a blockage from eating these things either. > –Cindy > — >     I recommend that Jerry Howe be ignored as a crank and a waste of time. > Raging female jealousy, like penis envy, is a male myth.

http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/ ***** – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->        *** Southern California Lab Rescue: http://www.sclrr.org/ ***

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> Both wearing a collar and failing to wear a collar can cause or > contribute to the death of a dog.  You make a decision about which risks > to take in your circumstances and hope the odds work in your favor.

That’s pretty much where I am with this too. Orson spends an hour or two alone in the fenced back yard every day. I check on him a couple of times during that period, but it’s never been with the question of ‘is his collar caught on something’ but rather ‘did he dig out/break the fence/jump over.’  More dogs get out accidentally > than catch their collars on things – for the most part.  And dogs without > collars have a lower turn in rate (people figure if the owner didn’t care > enough to ID the dog they don’t deserve the dog back)

Yep. The only reason we have Orson is because he was a turn-in with no collar. There was a waiting period of a week before we could adopt him, but the first thing on my mind was ‘if they didn’t care enough to make sure he had ID, they don’t get to have him back.’ (Helps that no one claimed him.) OTOH, DH’s childhood dog hung himself by the collar on a basement rafter. DH, 9 years old, found him. So there’s a particular safety sensitivity there. Cate

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Sure, can’t choke on an elastic belt… j;~}

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Apparently her teeth got caught on his >collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I >didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so >much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the >time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from >lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove >it from the female’s mouth. >So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended >to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, >not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash >outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is >collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the >first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in >his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. >So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious >about when they’re wearing them? >Cate > Had this happen twice (but was able to get collars off before strangulation > thanks to those quick clips!) with my two now-departed dogs. Switched to > elastic belts for collars after that.  It was pretty scary. > Janet Boss > Best Friends Dog Obedience > "Nice Manners for the Family Pet" > "Second-hand dogs AREN’T second-rate" > see Lucy at:   http://www.flyball.com/nsl/

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I never keep collars on my pets unless we are going someplace.  They are micro-chipped, tattooed, and we have a chainlink fence around the yard. They do wear their harnesses when we go someplace.  I always had a fear of one of them trying to jump the fence and getting caught up on it.  Then looking out the window of the house and seeing them hanging. Sue E. & Desi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female,

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: A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female, 10 : mos.) had nearly [inadvertently] play-fought to the death. : They both wear flat collars with the plastic [not buckles but fastener : clip-type thingies], and the female was as usual whooping the male’s butt, : even though she’s half his size. Apparently her teeth got caught on his : collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I : didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so : much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the : time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from : lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove : it from the female’s mouth. : So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended : to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, : not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash : outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is : collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the : first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in : his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. : So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious : about when they’re wearing them? Both wearing a collar and failing to wear a collar can cause or contribute to the death of a dog.  You make a decision about which risks to take in your circumstances and hope the odds work in your favor.  I lost a dog and blame the lack of a collar because I got back the dog that did have a collar (they were together when they left).  I could make up a dozen scenarios about what different things could have happened where a collar would have made the difference.  More dogs get out accidentally than catch their collars on things – for the most part.  And dogs without collars have a lower turn in rate (people figure if the owner didn’t care enough to ID the dog they don’t deserve the dog back) and a shorter "keep" period (dogs with ID have different notification requirements than dogs without) at some (most?) shelters.  Of my three dogs two wear collars all the time, one is often without.  Why?  Because Tanith tends to catch her collar on things and the other two do not.  And because Tsuki likes to grab non-metal collars and yank on them.  Tanith is allergic to metal so can’t wear a metal collar.  The risk seems to be that Tanith is at higher risk of catching her collar on something.  While I don’t expect my dogs to ever end up lost, I didn’t with the one I did lose, so I want the collars ON unless I’m convinced the risks of leaving them on are high (as with Tanith). Diane Blackman –     –     –     –     –     –     –     – "Whether we choose ot use positive, negative, or a mix of reinforcements, we must be sure that our buddy on the other end of the leash can identify the specific behavior for which he is being rewarded or corrected." "Smart Trainers — Brilliant Dogs" by Janet Lewis

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no collars (microchips and tattoos and good fencing etc) except on the two big dogs – and they have on rolled leather collars that can slip over their heads OR be bitten through if caught on teeth nylon collars can catch teeth and break them as well as sticking and twisting and my dogs just bit those plastic clips and unfastened them all the time anyway! Nancy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female, 10 > mos.) had nearly [inadvertently] play-fought to the death. > They both wear flat collars with the plastic [not buckles but fastener > clip-type thingies], and the female was as usual whooping the male’s butt, > even though she’s half his size. Apparently her teeth got caught on his > collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I > didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so > much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the > time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from > lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove > it from the female’s mouth. > So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended > to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, > not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash > outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is > collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the > first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in > his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. > So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious > about when they’re wearing them? > Cate

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It’s interesting this keeps coming up.  I have always left my dog’s flat collar on 24-7.  But I keep the collar loose enough it can easily be pulled off over the dog’s head.  On another news group I kept asking about safety collars for dogs, like a cat’s collar.  You know, with an elastic insert. Most people can’t understand why I would want one.  As far as I know there isn’t anything like this on  the market yet.  I love the idea of using elastic belts as collars.!  jdoee – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Apparently her teeth got caught on his >collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I >didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so >much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the >time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from >lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove >it from the female’s mouth. >So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended >to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, >not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash >outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is >collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the >first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in >his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. >So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious >about when they’re wearing them? >Cate > Had this happen twice (but was able to get collars off before strangulation > thanks to those quick clips!) with my two now-departed dogs.  Switched to > elastic belts for collars after that.  It was pretty scary. > Janet Boss > Best Friends Dog Obedience > "Nice Manners for the Family Pet" > "Second-hand dogs AREN’T second-rate" > see Lucy at:   http://www.flyball.com/nsl/

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Apparently her teeth got caught on his >collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I >didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so >much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the >time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from >lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove >it from the female’s mouth. >So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended >to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, >not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash >outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is >collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the >first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in >his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. >So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious >about when they’re wearing them? >Cate

Had this happen twice (but was able to get collars off before strangulation thanks to those quick clips!) with my two now-departed dogs.  Switched to elastic belts for collars after that.  It was pretty scary. Janet Boss Best Friends Dog Obedience "Nice Manners for the Family Pet" "Second-hand dogs AREN’T second-rate" see Lucy at:   http://www.flyball.com/nsl/

Response:

A friend told me last night her two littermate corgis (1 male, 1 female, 10 mos.) had nearly [inadvertently] play-fought to the death. They both wear flat collars with the plastic [not buckles but fastener clip-type thingies], and the female was as usual whooping the male’s butt, even though she’s half his size. Apparently her teeth got caught on his collar, or her mouth was so far around his neck she couldn’t let go. I didn’t understand the exact details. Anyway, they both thrashed around so much that his collar was twisted into a figure 8, making it tighter. By the time my friend found them, his eyes were fairly bulging out of his head from lack of oxygen. They had to cut his collar off with scissors and then remove it from the female’s mouth. So the point of her phone call was to warn me. The emergency vet recommended to her not putting collars on the dogs unless supervised. Not in the house, not in the crate, not in the yard, basically only while walking or offleash outside the house. I thought this sounded extreme. The only time Orson is collar-free is when he’s in his crate. And I only thought of that when, the first week we had him, the s-hook on his collar got stuck in the blanket in his crate. He couldn’t lift his head because he was laying on the blanket. So, what do y’all do? Leave them on all the time? Or be rather conscientious about when they’re wearing them? Cate

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