geonni banner Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 I've noticed that when I remove Sugarfoot's collar to brush her she doesn't feel comfortable without it. When I take it off, she follows it with her nose to wherever I lay it down, and tries to turn her head to keep it in view while I'm brushing her. She doesn't try to guard it, but will occasionally nuzzle it and look at me imploringly. It's one of those quick-release collars with the plastic closer. When I'm ready to put it back on I snap it closed and hold it out. She shoves her her nose into it and seems delighted with having it back. It's pretty snug going over her head - enough to give her slanted eyes as I push it past them. (I put it on that way because if I wrap it around her neck it's hard to snap it closed without catching hair in it. She'll give a good shake to settle it properly in her fur and prance around for a few seconds. When I got her at 6 mos. of age, she had never worn a collar, and did all the usual acrobatics to try and get rid of it. It took about three days for her to stop trying to run away from her tag, if it clanked against something. I had a brass disc dangly tag on her until her Boomerang collar-tag arrived. She greatly approved of the change! I never knew a dog to be so attached to its collar. Anyone else experience this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 My dogs don't really care one way or another if they wear them or not but if they're off they enjoy the rig-a-maroll of putting them back on. All but one really enjoy getting groomed so they know if I'm taking them off it's to groom them. So they like it when I take them off too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Maybe it's hokey but in "Lady and the Tramp" there is a line about a dog getting acollar and tag meaning that it is now part of a family. I always love that line. Your dog may not like being groomed and so having the collar off is indicative of something that she doesn't care for. Or, she associates having the collar on with walks or other good things. My dogs don't fuss at all over a removed collar but are always ready to get back into "uniform" when it's time to put one back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Maybe it's hokey but in "Lady and the Tramp" there is a line about a dog getting acollar and tag meaning that it is now part of a family. I always love that line. Your dog may not like being groomed and so having the collar off is indicative of something that she doesn't care for. Or, she associates having the collar on with walks or other good things. My dogs don't fuss at all over a removed collar but are always ready to get back into "uniform" when it's time to put one back on. Oh, yeah... When Trusty says, "Whhhyyy, Miss Lady, you have a coll-ah!" Sugarfoot loves being groomed, she moans and groans, wags, and generally blisses out, but always with one eye on her "coll-ah." And it's not just any collar. If I switch out her regular one, she tries her best to tuck in her chin far enough to give the impostor a disapproving glare, and grabs her collar from where it's lying. She'll pick it up and drop it on the floor until I put her proper collar back on. Dunno what'll happen when it wears out. Once when I still had Grace, I was in a hurry and switched their collars by mistake, and Sugar was pulling poor Grace around by the collar, trying to get it back... Is this just another one of those BC things where they don't like changes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Ladybug really gets separation anxiety when you take her collar off for any reason. I don't think its related to getting a bath because we don't bathe her that often but I will take the collar off now and then and rub her neck, or things like putting on her new her license or new rabies tag.. If you hold it out in any way, she's got her nose right in it, trying to get it back on. I though perhaps that it might have something to do with having her collar taken off when she went to the SPCA. She was very traumatized when we got her. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 My dog always seems a little put-off when I take his collar off. He is DEFINITELY delighted when I go to put it back on. I think he knows that he can't go out of the yard without a leash and, therefore, his collar. Collar = Fun. Also, no collar = bath... sometimes. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Mine don't wear collars in the house, so they are very used to having them taken off and put on. They seem to love both. When I take them off, they know that means it's home time. When I put them on, they know they are going somewhere. They do LOVE having their collars put on! But they don't seem to care when they are off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Mine don't wear collars either. It's so funny to watch them when I pick the collars up. They always seem to know when I'm just moving them to a different place and when I pick them to go some where. How do they do that? It's always a followed by a wiggly crying jag because we're going bye-bye I love the Lady and the Tramp! Good memory on the storyline. Maybe she's thinking the same thing. "I finally got a collar....please don't take it away" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisyandme Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 My dog use to carry the collar around in his mouth and follow us until someone would put it back on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Abby loves having her collar put on. she knows it means we're going out. Jin wears a harness under his Service Dog Vest. He knows the harness means going out but he also knows the vest means he's going out to work. There is a defninte difference in his behavior between harness and the harness/vest combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bordernannie Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Josie also doesn't like to have her collar off and is very happy when we puts hers back on. We tried to figure out why she was "attached" to her collar but couldn't come up with any reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleS. Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 My dogs don't wear collars when at home but certainly know they are going somewhere when I put the collars on. When we come home and I take the collars off, Gypsy takes her collar from my hands and walks around with it, takes it with her when she moves from place to place and lays with it...? She doesn't get mean but she really doesn't like Chase near her collar when she's carrying it around. When she gets interested in something else, she forgets about the collar. I used to have a hard time catching Chase to put his collar on so we made games out of the ritual of putting the collar on and now he actually leans towards me when I go to put it on. He's getting quite keen on knowing the collar means going someplace good. I've started using harnesses recently for their walks and neither seems to be bothered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 One time when we were "recycling" a collar from a previous dog to a new one, the new dog went bonkers trying to get off the collar. That dog never reacted like that to any other new or used-by-him collar. I think the scent of the previous dog made that collar "someone else's collar" and something that dog did not want to wear. Dogs can be funny - too bad they can't talk and tell us just what they are thinking or feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I've never had a dog who seemed to care much one way or the other. For a brief while, I took the collars off in the house, until one day when the Sheltie slipped out through the garage and I realized my shy, going deaf girl was now loose with no ID. Well, she's chipped but that wouldn't help a neighbor return her on the off chance someohe could get their hands on her. So we are back to collars 24/7 unless being groomed or bathed. Now, this is just me... but after years of dealing with neuroses in Shelties, I try to discourage too much in the way of quirks in my dogs. So if one of my dogs started becoming attached to his collar, I probably would go temporarily back to no collars on in the house. If this made the dog anxious, I'd make removing the collar fun -- special treat, quick game, or just happy voice and put it where the dog isn't going to stare. Similar to how Quinn's fetch toys have always been stored in the garage where he can't get to them and any moping by the door isn't going to be noticed so quickly becomes much more boring than being with the rest of us. Or when he decided he didn't want to play with one fetch toy because he preferred another so the special toy was put up for a few weeks. Or when I interrupted him the few times he started staring at dancing sunlight in the house when he was a pup. Again, dealing with the Shelties (I absolutely adore the breed but they can be odd at times) has made me value a certain "frame of mind" in my dogs. I have to admit the Lady and the Tramp reference did make me go "awww." I love that movie and love that our dogs are so valued and cared for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Dogs can be funny - too bad they can't talk and tell us just what they are thinking or feeling. Think of what the world would be like if dogs could talk. I'm amazed at the reactions dogs have about collars. It's never been a big thing with any dog I ever owned except they know it means we're going out. When we get home they come over and sit and wait for me to remove their gear (collars, harness, vest, pack). Aft5er I give them a treat and they do whatever. Usually sleep since we would have come back from outdoors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonni banner Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I've never had a dog who seemed to care much one way or the other. For a brief while, I took the collars off in the house, until one day when the Sheltie slipped out through the garage and I realized my shy, going deaf girl was now loose with no ID. Well, she's chipped but that wouldn't help a neighbor return her on the off chance someohe could get their hands on her. So we are back to collars 24/7 unless being groomed or bathed. Now, this is just me... but after years of dealing with neuroses in Shelties, I try to discourage too much in the way of quirks in my dogs. So if one of my dogs started becoming attached to his collar, I probably would go temporarily back to no collars on in the house. If this made the dog anxious, I'd make removing the collar fun -- special treat, quick game, or just happy voice and put it where the dog isn't going to stare. Similar to how Quinn's fetch toys have always been stored in the garage where he can't get to them and any moping by the door isn't going to be noticed so quickly becomes much more boring than being with the rest of us. Or when he decided he didn't want to play with one fetch toy because he preferred another so the special toy was put up for a few weeks. Or when I interrupted him the few times he started staring at dancing sunlight in the house when he was a pup. Again, dealing with the Shelties (I absolutely adore the breed but they can be odd at times) has made me value a certain "frame of mind" in my dogs. I have to admit the Lady and the Tramp reference did make me go "awww." I love that movie and love that our dogs are so valued and cared for. I too keep my dog's collar on at all times. I have heard so many stories about a dog getting out without one. Many of these stories date from pre-chip times, but as Shetlander pointed out, A dog has a better chance of being returned by someone nearby if it is wearing a collar with ID. Plus, if someone does get a chance at returning a dog, they have something to hold onto until they can improvise a leash. Most dogs don't mind if you hold onto them by the collar, but if you try to hang onto part of the dog they tend to skitter away. I live in earthquake country and things can get crazy really fast. Better safe than sorry. I was thinking about this whole collar separation thing and realized that it may be as simple as how I feel if I forget to put my wristwatch on - a sort of low-grade, nagging sensation that something just isn't quite right. I miss the weight of the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 I too keep my dog's collar on at all times. I have heard so many stories about a dog getting out without one. Many of these stories date from pre-chip times, but as Shetlander pointed out, A dog has a better chance of being returned by someone nearby if it is wearing a collar with ID. Plus, if someone does get a chance at returning a dog, they have something to hold onto until they can improvise a leash. Most dogs don't mind if you hold onto them by the collar, but if you try to hang onto part of the dog they tend to skitter away. I agree for all those reasons. None of mine try to get out of the house or garden normally now but I've had 2 escape artists in the past and the gate could still be left or blow open. One will still disappear after rabbits when we're out. I'm taking no chances, even though they're all chipped. Collars come off at night to sleep in their cages but that's all. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacks_Mom Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Jack does not mind either way, I have it on him always just incase he escapes only time it comes off is bath time. All you have to do is mention walk and he brings you his leash and goes to the front door and waits. Plus I like the advantage to know where he is at all times even if I can't see him I can hear his tags, sometimes he looks at me like how did you know what I was doing when you could not see me mom. Learned this lesson when the kids were younger with bells on the shoes, as long as I could hear the bells I knew where they were they figured it out tho...Would still love to have bells on their shoes now even at 17 and 14 LOL..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 OK, weird follow-up here. Buddy was acting very strangely this evening. He kept staring at me with that intense BC stare, which means he wants something. I tried playing with toys with him, giving him clean water, letting him out, etc.. I asked him to come lie up on the couch next to me like he usually does when I'm watching TV, but he wouldn't. He just kept staring at me. Finally, I realized that I had taken his collar off to scratch his neck. I picked up the collar, and Buddy started wagging and acting happy. As soon as I put the collar back on, he jumped straight up on the couch and fell asleep. So, for my dog, I'll amend my answer to a definite YES: his collar is his security blanket. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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