Types of Dog Collars

Buckle Collars

Buckle collars are by far the most common style collars used by dog owners.

Their use might be common, but certainly wouldn’t be my first choice in a collar. Physically they can be  harsh on a dogs body and they can create a pulling problem.

When a dog wearing a buckle collar pulls on the leash a majority of the pressure of the collar is against his trachea. If you look at a buckle collar on a dog that is straining forward you will see the collar isn’t even touching the back of the dog’s neck.

This causes the second problem of enacting a dog’s push reflex. As you will read in the section “Walking on a Loose Leash” this is a major factor

Training Collars

The training collar is also know as a choke collar or choke chain, however we are not using training collars to “choke the dog into obedience”. In reality a training collar can be less harsh on a dog then a regular buckle collar. If your dog is pulling and he is wearing a buckle collar, then all pressure created is pressing on the trachea. A training collar applies the pressure more equally around the dog’s neck. The value we have in the training collar is the communication it offers to the dog /owner team. When the dog moves away the collar closes and tightens link by link. If the dog begins to return to the owner’s side the collar opens up. Training collars give both of you a sense of the others every move.

Halter Style Collars

This type of collar is my preference. Halter style collars are  physically easy on the dog and yet even the most difficult dogs can be easily managed while wearing one. It's amazing that you can ride a being as massive and powerful as a horse. These collars work much in the same way. Where the nose goes the body will follow.

The collar also enacts your dog's push reflex considerably less then a buckle collar and where it does enact it's at the back of the dog's neck instead of the front. A push reflex to the front can create a pulling problem were at the back you can argue that it will actively stop a pulling problem by enacting the reflex to direct the dog in the opposite  way he is  pulling.

When fitted properly your dog still has full use of his mouth to play, fetch, drink, eat bark and can even  bite bad guys (my one client says her dog Skipper looks like bat girl with it on). However pulling on the leash will close your dog's mouth. The down side to these collars is that your dog will, to some people, appear to be wearing a muzzle. And the pulling the mouth shut part bothers most dogs. The pressure that comes from a nose loop simulates the pressure another dog would use to gain control over another dog.

Although this might bother your dog this can go aways towards your gain over all control as well. I have to mention (a commercial site or not) that I do have a favorite make of halter style collars. Hands down Gentle Leader Collars made by Premier are without much in the way of competition.