To collar or not to collar

[arf2184]

My dogs only wear collars when we go somewhere. When out walking off leash, I like to have noisy dangling tags on them so I can hear them. They stay close, but I like being able to hear Bear behind me. He's old and sometime falls behind.

 

At home, they're naked. They don't charge out the door or take off and both have a good recall.

 

I stopped leaving collars on when one of my young dogs hung herself on the fence...fortunately I found her in time.

 

Also, Bear can't stand to wear a collar any longer than necessary and will scratch at it until he hurts himself, even a light weight collar. When we're out and about he has distractions and I'm with him so its not much of an issue (though I do have to tell him to stop scratching from time to time). When camping his collar has to come off at night. Fortunately he has no desire to run off. He doesn't like to be too far from me.

 

Meg could probably wear a collar all the time, but she likes to jump and I worry about her getting caught on the fence.

[Tommy Coyote]

I like the sound of the tags jangling, too. I can hear my dogs coming in from out in the dark yard so I know where they are. Kind of like a bell on a sheep.

[Liz P]

I'll be honest. Many years ago, I found a painfully thin puppy, about 3 months old, on the side of a well traveled country road on a cold February day. He had a collar with no ID that had a heavy bolt with a frayed bit of rope snapped to it. My first intention was to try to find his owner. He also had four types of worms and I ended up deciding maybe his owner wasn't quite up to providing the care he needed. The vet never blinked when I described how I found him or when I told him I had decided I'd be keeping the pup or looking for someone else to adopt him. And I never felt I did him wrong by not trying to find his owner.

 

How do you know the pup didn't get lost weeks previously?

 

Did you see what Bev Lambert had to do to get her pup back when she got lost? She was judged unfairly as an unfit owner, assumptions were made before she could tell her side of the story.

 

All my dogs have collars on at all times. They are more likely to get lost than to choke.

[Shetlander]

How do you know the pup didn't get lost weeks previously?

 

Did you see what Bev Lambert had to do to get her pup back when she got lost? She was judged unfairly as an unfit owner, assumptions were made before she could tell her side of the story.

 

This was back when I was doing case management in a rural, impoverished area and seeing so many dogs and cats in deplorable conditions. When I learned not to ask where’s the puppy (it ran out into the street while they were walking it without a leash and was run over in front of the children) or the kitten (it scratched the baby and was thrown out a second story window) or the dog that always lunged and snarled at me from the end of its heavy chain (frozen to death one especially frigid night). When I had clients stare at me in amazement that my current dog had reached the unheard of, advanced age of 7 years.

 

So maybe I did do someone wrong in not returning their sick, malnourished puppy. That was over 20 years ago. Maybe I’d respond differently today. At the time, I was just really tired of turning my head the other way, not looking at the animals, never asking what happened to them and just doing what I could so the babies and kids were healthy and safe (my job).

 

But you know, if the pup had ID on him, I would have driven him home while he threw up a huge mass of writhing round worms in my back seat, just one more animal that wasn't my problem, trouble or expense. It was only the more I thought about his condition that made me decide to just keep him. Reuniting him with his owner was my first thought when I pulled over to get him off the side of the road. Which takes me back to why I keep collars and ID on my dogs, because it increases the chances of people returning your lost animal (if the collars and tags are still on).

[Urban Borders]

Fascinating. I never would have expected so many folks to collar. Makes me think, as my older dog only ever wears a Preventic collar (and then only from March thru October). The puppy wears a collar, but it has no tags. Neither are chipped or tattoed. Maybe I am asking for trouble. They are almost always on lead (on a tracking harness or martingale actually, as these are the most secure options I have found, and we live in a busy city). Those times that they are off lead, which does happen (for only short periods for the younger one, darn this city) on a daily basis, they are in either an isolated or fenced area while actively engaged in play with myself. The older one ignores critters, other dogs, people, et cetera, when off lead; there is a reason the younger one is allowed off lead only either in the middle of nowhere or in a fenced area, as she tries to greet other dogs (which is poor etiquette in the city).

[simba]

How do you know the pup didn't get lost weeks previously?

 

Did you see what Bev Lambert had to do to get her pup back when she got lost? She was judged unfairly as an unfit owner, assumptions were made before she could tell her side of the story.

 

All my dogs have collars on at all times. They are more likely to get lost than to choke.

What happened with Bev Lambert? Can't seem to find the story.

[Liz P]

Dog bolted in a rural area while she was traveling to trials. She couldn't find her. Turns out she was at a shelter. Shelter never read her collar, checked for a chip or called Bev. Rescue pulled her from the shelter and eventually called her after seeing the collar. They wanted to spay her before giving her back (and if memory serves correct, were unsure if they wanted to give her back). Finally did give her back after Bev agreed to donate money to them.

[simba]

Thank you!

[denice]

I am surprised by the number of owners here who assume the dog will stay home, in the yard, whatever and doesnt need a collar. Oh how quickly that can change. "He has never left the yard" until he does, "he always comes" until he doesn't one day.

I also work at a vet clinic, help a local rescue and groom dogs. There are so many dogs "found" without a collar and ID. Mine ALWAYS have a collar and ID ON 24 /7 365 days a year. The collar is snug and fit so nearly nothing will get under it, the ID is riveted or slips onto the collar, no dangly stuff ever. The collars are checked regularly. It isn't like somesone says my dog is going to get loose today I better put his collar on. My dogs are also chipped and the chip is registered, I also check and make sure it is readable when they have vet visits.

Older dogs often become senile and begin to wonder, they dont hear as well so cant hear you call them.

I hope no one ever looses a dog. I also do all I can to ensure mine have id on and will be returned IF...

[Oko]

Feist wears a snug fitted collar with ID (phone number and 'reward' on it) unless she's in her crate for the night. I check it often to make sure it's correctly fitted because she's a growing puppy. The idea of her getting lost is a higher concern than catching her collar.

[Patches03]

I have Boomerang on collar tags on my dogs collars. They only wear them if they leave my house with me. Otherwise the collars are off.

Those of you that use the GDS collars with the name collar rivet what do you do about the rabies tag?

Edited November 6, 2013 by Patches03

[G. Festerling]

Mine don't wear the rabies tags. Here it has to be backed up by paperwork anyway and the tags fall off. I do have two sets of additional tags who are a rabiestag, a micro chip tag and a St Francis tag I do clip on my collars I addition if I travel.

[Sue R]

My dogs do not wear dangling tags for several reasons. First is that the tags are too easily lost. Second is that they can become snagged on something and cause the dog to be snared. Third is that when working livestock, dangling tags are at best a distraction and at worst can spook the stock if it is flighty or nervous enough to begin with.

 

I think this topic shows that there is not one answer for everyone, and that everyone will choose the alternative that fits their perceived needs and goals.

[Jescano]

Naked puppies in the house, collared/harnessed outside. Collar has a dangly tag with my number on it. When he grows into his big boy collar it will have a boomerang tag on it. Right now he's using an adjustable nylon collar and it fits snug

[5Bordercollies]

Sorry if I'm an idiot, but what is a boomerang tag?

[simba]

It's a brand- they sell tags and collars with a focus on their on-collar tags, which I would assume are theo nes people are talking about. http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags

[Falon's Mom]

If only the rabies and county tags where like those!

[Patches03]

It's a brand- they sell tags and collars with a focus on their on-collar tags, which I would assume are theo nes people are talking about. http://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags

Yes those are what I have.

[5Bordercollies]

Oh OK, the guy I order my tags from also has some of those, he calls them sliders.

http://www.fourpaws.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=88

I'm just scared that they might not go over Zorro's collar. It's quite thick leather. But he also makes what is called military style tags with holes on both sides so they will easily be riveted to the collars. http://www.fourpaws.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=97.

Thanks for all the replies, it's very interesting to hear other peoples thoughts on whether or not to collar your dogs. I'm going to miss the sound of their tags against their food dishes at feeding time in the evenings.

[medic09]

We've always kept our dogs collared pretty much all the time. My Lab used to wear a collar with a bell when he was working or in the woods so I could locate him (provided he didn't go too far ). They all wore leather or nylon collars with tags otherwise, though the tags often got lost pretty quickly. The leather collars had a brass tag attached to the leather, and the dogs were all chipped.

 

Our present puppies (7 and 6 mos.) wear nylon collars with tags. The light jangling lets me know where they are, especially in the bedroom at night. When one gets up and heads for the door, I can hear him/her and let them out. Soon enough they'll lose the tags, and we'll just rely on the microchips and the embroidered number on the nylon collar.

[D'Elle]

My dogs have their collars on all the time unless they are getting bathed. Boomerang tags are my favorite.

 

I would never, ever use an adjustable collar again after Jester nearly died when a foster puppy caught her jaw in Jester's collar and twisted it. It was so tight I could not get the release to function, could not get scissors or a knife under it to cut it. A regular leather buckle collar is too snug, even though worn comfortably, to allow that to happen.

 

My cats wear collars as well, also with ID tags. Mind you, they do not go outside.

As others have said, stuff happens. I never want my animals (all of whom are also microchipped) to be without ID.

All the ID tags say "If I'm loose, I'm lost" on them. Even if they are just down the road, I want someone to call me.

 

One of my dogs came from a rescue who pulled him from the local pound. He'd been in the pound for two weeks when they pulled him. He'd been found with a brand new expensive collar on, but no ID.

 

A close friend of mine picked up a little dog recently running in the road. Recently groomed, and wearing a collar, but no tag or other ID, no response to attempts to find an owner.

 

It is always possible that you just won't check the same places that someone finding the dog will post (if they post at all). If these two dogs I just mentioned had had microchips or tags they would have gone home. They have excellent homes now, but just saying don't see much sense in a collar without a tag.

[Maja]

And our collars are the best the phone number is on the collar:

 

 

[dogrsqr]

I am surprised by the number of owners here who assume the dog will stay home, in the yard, whatever and doesnt need a collar. Oh how quickly that can change. "He has never left the yard" until he does, "he always comes" until he doesn't one day.

I also work at a vet clinic, help a local rescue and groom dogs. There are so many dogs "found" without a collar and ID. Mine ALWAYS have a collar and ID ON 24 /7 365 days a year. The collar is snug and fit so nearly nothing will get under it, the ID is riveted or slips onto the collar, no dangly stuff ever. The collars are checked regularly. It isn't like somesone says my dog is going to get loose today I better put his collar on. My dogs are also chipped and the chip is registered, I also check and make sure it is readable when they have vet visits.

Older dogs often become senile and begin to wonder, they dont hear as well so cant hear you call them.

I hope no one ever looses a dog. I also do all I can to ensure mine have id on and will be returned IF...

 

Our dogs almost never wear collars, but they are not left outside unattended and we have a fenced yard. They are also microchipped and the chip is checked yearly at the vet's office.

 

I also foster for BC rescue, fosters wear their collars with tags, and volunteered at my local shelter for 9 years. I'd be willing to bet that most of the lost dogs in the shelter were there because no one cared about them anyway, didn't want to put in the effort to even go to AC or the shelter to look for their dog.

 

I'm sure my friends never thought their dog was going to die in front of their eyes, choked to death by their other dog during play either.

 

We all have to make our own decisions. They are not right or wrong, only the best decision we can make based on our own experiences.

[Liz P]

I have a 6 year old Border Collie who just this year decided to escape from the fenced back yard while I was out there with him (3 times!). It was the collar with an ID plate that led to him being home within a half hour. He is deaf, so I have no idea what motivated the escape, but he went over a 6 ft gate and bolted. He didn't stop until he found some kids to hang out with.

[Gideon's girl]

And our collars are the best the phone number is on the collar:

 

 

Those are gorgeous!!