To collar or not to collar

[5Bordercollies]

Hi guys I didn't want to hijack the other collars thread any further so I decided I'll rather start a new thread. How many of your dogs wear collars permanently? If so what type and why do you have them wear collars permanently?

I have 5 BC's and up til now they've all worn collars and tags permanently. But like I mentioned in the other thread one of my bitches recently lost her tags, probably crawling under the fence. She, the male and their two daughters had escaped our yard to chase Ground Squirrel in the veld in front of the house by digging under the fence. Then a few days ago I noticed Rusty's missing her tags. Not the first set she's lost. Unfortunately I can't leave her collar a little loose, because if I have to clip a leash to her, she locks her neck, do that reverse thing some dogs do so well and slip her collar. For bath time I've had to resort to a slip collar. I admit I've never really thought about her getting hung up in the fence and now someone mentioned it, I'm frankly scared to think I haven't.

Now we live on a farm practically in the middle of nowhere and to give the dogs their due the farthest they've ever run off to is the Orange Grove about a hundred yards from the house. So I'm tempted to remove at least the bitches' collars. Zorro has some aggression issues that means sometimes I have to keep a physical hold of him. They are all chipped, so ID'ing them shouldn't be a problem in the event they ever do get off the farm. Then I can get them some nice leather collars with name plates riveted to them for walks. Just so I can leash them if necessary.

So I guess the question is to collar or not to collar? What do you guys think?

 

[jvw]

It is folly to rely on microchipping for ID. That actually involves the finder taking the dog somewhere for it to be read.

 

My steadfast rule has always been collar with engraved ID tag riveted to it, worn AT ALL TIMES. I once had a housemate who kept taking the dogs collars off. He thought they looked better naked. He cut that out once he lost one of the dogs!

 

But I also like collars on the dogs because it gives me something to grab if a situation happens where I need to.

[mum24dog]

It is folly to rely on microchipping for ID. That actually involves the finder taking the dog somewhere for it to be read.

 

My steadfast rule has always been collar with engraved ID tag riveted to it, worn AT ALL TIMES. I once had a housemate who kept taking the dogs collars off. He thought they looked better naked. He cut that out once he lost one of the dogs!

 

But I also like collars on the dogs because it gives me something to grab if a situation happens where I need to.

 

This.

 

Mine are all chipped but the only time mine don't wear collars is when they are in their crates at night.

 

I've found a number of stray dogs when out and about and reunited dogs and owners very quickly when they had a collar and identity tag on as required by law here in the UK.

 

The ones without ID I've left at my friend's kennels for the dog warden to pick up.

[GentleLake]

My dogs wear their collars as well.

 

I've had a couple escape artists in my time and people called me from the info on the tags so that I was able to go get the dogs without further fanfare.

 

There are, IMO, 2 advantages to this . . .

 

1) I'm not convinced that everyone knows about microchips, especially people who may not have dogs of their own. While I do think most people would call the authorities, what if they don't?

 

2) It keeps the authorities out of it. Don't take me wrong, I'm very happy they're there if the need arises, but why get them involved if not necessary? In most places there are laws about dogs running at large, and if one escapes I'd rather have the opportunity to try to retrieve them without a fine and a record of the event if some kind neighbor is willing to make the phone call.

[Alchemist]

I'm with others: if the dogs are outside, they have their collars on. A microchip is backup insurance, and I'd hope if one of my dogs were lost or stolen that a shelter or vet would think to scan for one. (But I've heard of enough horror stories with microchipped dogs not being scanned that I'd hate to rely on a microchip). *BUT* (and this is a big "but"), they always have some level of supervision. I may be indoors working on my laptop while they're chasing each other in our woods, but my ears are open and I've always got an eye on them. I just think the risk associated with losing a dog if one were to jump a fence in pursuit of a deer is greater than the risk of one getting a collar caught on a branch or something.

 

If I can't monitor them, the dogs come indoors.

 

OTOH, having once had a dog almost strangle itself (in a few minutes) in a wire crate when its collar got caught - I have a firm "no collar in a crate" rule. Doesn't matter if the crate is in my house or in the car, the rule still holds.

[ObeytheBC]

I am going with the majority on this one - collar with ID, preferably riveted on if they are prone to loosing tags, and a microchip for back up.

 

I work at a vet office and it would probably shock you the number of people that love to bring in a dog they found and decided to keep. They don't know the situation of why that dog was running loose but automatically assume that means the dog is unloved and unwanted, so they decide not to contact any authorities or even look for an owner and just keep the dog. The state I live in has rules about this, so if they tell us (note I said IF THEY TELL US THIS), we refuse care (non emergency, people just bringing in as a new pet needing shots, etc) and tell them they have to contact the animal shelter in thier county/city, and post about finding the dog on 2-3 venues (craigslist, flyers, and newspaper). Most of these people have no idea that they can not just keep a dog because they found it, that it is property and you have to try and find an owner.

 

I find that a dog with a collar is a more apparent way to tell those types of people finding and keeping dogs that there is an owner. Microchips are great but you can not physically tell without a reader if they are chipped or not. Had one such situation occur where we scanned the dog when they brought it in for vaccines and it was chipped, able to call the owner, and have a reunion. People who found the dog were quite sad they did not get to keep thier new friend.

 

Equally, just a microchip means nothing. It HAS to be registered with the owner info. My first dog from the shelter (where here they only have to be unclaimed for 10 days (this is if they have a form of ID on them, it is less without a collar or microchip), I am out of town for longer than that a lot so imagine if you don't know about your dog missing immediately) had a microchip but it was not registered so the original owner was never found.

 

I personally use a relatively inexpensive collar ($10) I bought from Gun Dog Supply (http://www.gundogsupply.com/) made of "TufFlex" which has the "look and feel of leather" but is which is virtually indestructible and maintenance free. TufFlex cleans up with a damp sponge, resists mildew and bacteria and therefore is odor-resistant. This vinyl-coated webbing also keeps its flexibility in cold weather. I get the style with the center ring that has a rollover design for your dog's safety. Plus, Gun Dog Supply does a riveted ID on each collar with the purchase. The type I get is linked here. http://www.gundogsupply.com/k-9-komfort-center-ring-w--dee-3-4--collar.html I really like that swimming and getting into water does not affect them, plus when they have rolled in something nasty, I can clean the collar very easily (and quickly) and get it back on the dog without having to toss it in the washing machine.

[Jumpin Boots]

We don't keep collars on the dogs unless we are traveling. A few years ago a couple of the dogs took off into the woods. Two of them came back within 5 or so minutes of each other, this is their typical behavior. Smudge our retriever x didn't come back for hours. We live in a wooded area that is about impossible to search through unless a dog was barking and you had a direction to head in. Smudge finally came back several hours later, one side of him was caked in mud, he was very stiff and sore for days. I had always kept their collars very loose thinking that something like this might happen and wanted to make sure they could slip out. Obviously he did eventually slip out, but the thought of him struggling in the mud for hours convinced me I'd rather have him end up at the pound or with another family than stuck on a tree limb in the woods somewhere.

[Shetlander]

My dogs all wear collars all the time. Even when I take Quinn to the beach, he wears his "swimming collar" with an ID tag. My dogs are almost never outside in the fenced in yard without me and I keep them leashed on walks. None of them are escape artists. They all listen to me (except the deaf old dog). But stuff happens and if one of them should get lost, I want to make it as easy as possible for someone to get them back to me. For that reason, I have my cell phone number on the tag rather than my land line so if we are away from home or I am out searching, I can still be reached.

 

ETA I just realized in my signature photo, it looks like none of the dogs are wearing collars. I must have been pulling out all the stops on that photo session.

[Sue R]

All collared, all the time. Center ring collar with riveted ID with cell numbers and our names. I feel lack of ID is more of a hazard than the alternatives.

[TEC]

GPS locating collars might be good for dogs that tend to escape and run-off, or when a trainer has taken-in a client's dog that is known to roam. I'm told they have all kinds of customizable settings. For instance, they can be set so that you don't get an alert unless the dog is outside a certain boundary. I believe some send phone/text alerts, and you can watch dog's nearly real-time location on a screen map. Miles of tracking radius available. I would think a standard collar and tag could be used in conjunction with GPS.

 

Interested in members' experiences or stories they have heard.

 

Regarding conventional collars and tags, I say keep them on your dog. Makes it quick and easy for the finder to make efforts to return him/her.-- Regards, TEC

[juliepoudrier]

Mine all wear collars pretty much all of the time, for many of the reasons stated above. I use Vari-Kennels and with no dangling tags, it's unlikely any of my dogs will catch a collar in a crate. I also feel that it's easier for someone to identify a stray dog as owned by someone if it's wearing a collar. My riveted name plates all say "Reward -- Microchipped" and give two phone numbers to call (mine and that of a close friend in the event that I am somewhere unreachable by phone). The collars are loose so that they can be pulled out of should the need arise, so as back up all dogs are also microchipped and all of the older ones are also tattooed.

 

That said, I have a dear friend who lost a dog to strangulation by his collar. She prefers not to leave collars on dogs for that reason. It makes me nervous, but I understand her reasons....

 

If I were greatly concerned about a dog catching itself by it's collar, I'd probably get the type with breakaway buckles just to be safe. But of course that could mean losing quite a few collars for dogs who are escaping under fences, etc,

 

J.

[5Bordercollies]

Thanks guys, easy identification has always been my main objective in keeping collars on them. If the two labs who turned up at our farm had collars and tags on reuniting them with an owner would have been a lot easier. Thankfully most of the time I am at home and have developed a sixth sense to know when they've left the yard. Things just go too quiet too suddenly. Rusty (the dog in the thumbnail in my original post) thankfully has a bit of a habit of digging a collie sized hole under the fence, probably the reason she hasn't gotten stuck yet. Some of them do unfortunately need collars, at least for now, so I can have a "handle" on them. So I'll be keeping my options open, but I guess for now they'll wear collars, just have to decide which type.

[rushdoggie]

Because mine don't try to climb stuff I always kept them collared. Now I have 2 that wrestle and I'd like to leave them both loose together but I worry there would be a problem with someones jaw getting caught in a collar when I wasn't home.

 

So we are ordering breakaway collars to be worn all the time with ID on them. They are not perfect, but I think they would be a little safer.

 

I will use a second, martingale type collar when I leash them. I can keep it on the leash and just slip it over their heads when I want to leash them up.

 

SO maybe you could leave your collars looser, or get a breakaway type, and use a second collar when leashing her.

[Gideon's girl]

I've had two dogs choke because their tags got caught between the bars in their crates(Thank God I was right there both times), so mine never wear collars in their crates unless we are traveling. My friend lost a dog that got caught on the fence with a loose collar that she thought he could back out of, but when he jumped up at the fence he twisted and choked to death.

 

I put breakaway collars on puppies or visiting dogs to go out in the backyard until I have a good handle on their behavior, then they go collarless unless we are leaving the property. Our laws require that the dog/cat has a rabies tag on at all times, but they don't enforce it on your own property.

 

If I need to grab one of my dogs in a hurry, they are all conditioned to accept me grabbing ruff, tail, back, hind leg, etc. If there is ever a fight, I'm not sticking my hand in the one spot the other dog is most likely to be wanting to bite, i.e. the collar area, I'm grabbing back legs or tails and verbally coming down like a ton of bricks.

[Gideon's girl]

BTW, when ordering breakaway collars, get the smallest one that will fit your dog. The heavier ones may not break.

[waffles]

I use the collars from gun dog supply as well with the free riveted on tag. Microchips are nice and mine is done but many people don't even know what one is and would never think to take it to a vet to get scanned. Vets are not open 24/7 either. Would much rather get a call immediately by someone who found him. I have never had a dog get lost but I feel the consequences of not wearing a tag is too great to not do it.

I know a few people who found dogs and did nothing to find an owner. They assumed because they had no tags and were thin/dirty/had long nails that they must have been neglected/abused/dumped. It never crossed their minds that the dog could have slipped their collar or never worn one or got dirty while lost or has been lost for days or weeks and lost weight. Not everyone has common sense or cares that there is a grieving family/owner looking. Many will not even call the local SPCA or dog control because they think they will come take the dog and kill it.

I follow a large lost and found Facebook group in my area and the typical comments are really disheartening. Someone will post a photo of a dog or cat they found that looks thin and most comments will say something about how the dog must be neglected and the finders should not look for an owner or how the owner doesn't deserve the dog back. If my dog was loose running for a couple days he would look thin and neglected. So many people want to be animals rescuers but they let a lack of common sense and their emotions take over. Or people will post begging the finders to not give the dog to the DCO and find a new home for it inastead. Hoe can anyone find their dog then? They seem to assume facebook is the first ans only place people wouls look.

 

To me, no matter how bad a dog looks you should be obligated to find an owner in the appropriate places (dco newspaper SPCA police ect) . How can you know how that dog came to look like that? God forbid you lost a rescue pit bull with fighting scars on his body-people would never look for an owner.

[waffles]

Also in my opinion loose collars are more dangerous. They should be fitted properly to avoid getting caught in the first place. I have personally had to cut collars off of two dogs when another dog got their bottom jaw wrapped around a collar that was loose. The one time the dog was choking really bad and I had to cut through a leather collar as the dogs panicked. The other time the dogs jaw was wrapped and it was stuck on a bottom canine. I had to cut that collar and the dog pulled so hard its mouth was bleeding. If both collars had been fitted correctly the other dog wouldn't have been able to twist the collar around their bottom jaw during play. Or if they had plastic/quick release collars on I wouldn't have to waste time cutting ncollars off. If I had a dog who wrestled like that with other dogs i would only use those type of collars.

Everyone does what they do based on their own experiences. I would never put a collar on too loosely as I feel it is easier to get caught on things. If that worries you then get a plastic buckle collar instead of having a super loose collar or no collar at all.

[alligande]

My dogs get their collars put on when they leave our property. I live in an urban area with a fully fenced yard and a non-wandering dog. On the collar I have our address and both mobile numbers. The reason for the address is I have found dogs that are only a block away from home and it is really easy just to walk them home. When I have foster dogs they wear their collars all the time.

I am another with gun dog supply collars and riveted tags, looks like the popular place to get collars from.

[Sekah]

Mine are without collars 95% of the time. Collars only go on while hiking far away from home.

[Kian's Mom]

We live in the country and my dogs keep nylon collars on. I have lost a peke and a rott due to choke chains. As someone mentioned a pit with scares. My daughter rescued a pit that had been used as a bait dog. She was scared of storms and got left in the pen. A storm came up an she got out. Took us 3 months to get her back an she was 3 miles from home.I had posted on Craigslist and someone finally saw it an called. She did not have a collar on but it wouldn't have made a difference as no one could get close to her. My GSD has his collar but no one would ever get close enough to read it. My BC has her tags an is also micro chipped.<br />As for dogs digging out what we found that worked real well was to dig down from the existing fence about 3 inches and then out about a foot. We used chicken wire and secured it to the chain link fence then buried it. Stopped that problem because they couldn't dig under any longer.

[sjones]

Mine always have their collars on. They are nylon with my phone number embroidered in big letters for easy reading. I don't leave any dangly tags as I don't want them to get caught on anything around the farm. The exception to always wearing collars is when I go to a trial. I have a small car and usually with all my gear, crates etc. I don't have room to set the crates up in the car, those are set up outside. So if the weather is crappy, over night I will put the girls in the car without their collars so they can't get caught on things. Years ago when I was in 4-H, a members dog hung itself on the gear shifter of their car while at a show. That still gives me the hebbie jebbies when I think of it.

 

Samantha

[bcnewe2]

Gundog supply here. Some wear collars all the time and some don't. If I go out I try and remember to put one on.

Jesse the lgd grew so fast I didn't have time to order one so I got a thick sharpie and have my phone number huge on a similar type collar. It has stayed readable and dark all summerr. She is the one that has escaped and neighbors told me how nice it was to have the numbers so big they didn't have to catch the dog to read them.

All of them wear their collars so loose that if they tangle, they could slip out of them.

[Tommy Coyote]

Oh, please, please keep tags on your dogs. If they would bolt or if you would get in a car wreck or if they would go over the fence and take off during a storm.

 

I learned this the hard way. My Tommy bolted. She didn't have tags on. I would have had her back in an hour if she had had identification on her. I got her back the next day thru sheer luck.

 

Don't chance not having some sort of identification on your dogs.

[MrSnappy]

Most dogs wear collars here, but sometimes I take them off for one reason or another and forget to put them back on for long periods. None of my dogs are bolters. My dogs are not crated in my absence, so I don't worry about that. Foster dogs wear martingales so they can't slip their collars.

 

Most of my dogs have some form of permanent ID, be it chip or tattoo. I understand tattoos are not a common form of ID in the US - here in BC, most animals are tattooed in the ear when neutered, and that tattoo corresponds to the clinic that tattooed it. There is a downloadable list of clinic tattoos on the CVM website, so you call that vet, give them the tattoo and they look up the owner.

 

Working at animal control, I'm obligated to say that your dog's license tag is the fastest way to get it returned home, for free (we return dogs to their homes in the field if they have a current license - otherwise they come to the shelter and the owner pays impound fees AND the cost of a new license). Tags with owner info of any kind are also useful. Microchips are only useful if they are registered, and if you keep your contact info current on them - more than half the microchipped dogs do not get returned by the chip because either the chip info is not current or the chip is not registered to anyone. But in Canada purebred dogs are chipped by the breeder (or tattooed, but that is less common now) and many times I have returned a dog to the breeder when the owner could not be found.

 

As a rescue, I am the first contact on the chip of all the dogs that I adopt out, that way I know if a dog is constantly being allowed to roam (has only happened once) and can retrieve the dog myself. It also means I am contacted if a dog gets impounded and the owner doesn't come for it (has never happened to one of mine, but has happened to rescuer friends).

 

Tags are nice and visible for people to identify. Here many people understand tattoos, but lots still don't know to look for a chip, or don't know that a vet or shelter can and will scan for one for free. The nice thing about a microchip is that it cannot be removed (except surgically, and it's illegal to do that) so if there is an ownership dispute, the registered owner of the chip can get their animal back.

 

RDM

 

RDM

[Sue R]

When we were in grad school in southwestern VA, we had a young cat who disappeared one time, and we found him along our walk home from school to where we lived. Then he was on the cusp of young adulthood and not yet neutered (back in the day when folks didn't do a lot of neutering) and he disappeared. He had a collar and tag but when we heard nothing for a month and he had not been turned in at the shelter, we thought he was gone forever.

 

Of course, this was back in the day when we just had a landline phone and no answering machine. We happened to be home one evening (as grad students, we often put in long days) and the phone rang. It was a young man from who-knows-where, back in some hollow, who was calling us from a pay phone at the laundromat where his mother was doing the family's laundry that evening.

 

Our cat had turned up at their place where they had a couple of cats. The female cat had come into heat and our youngster had come calling - too bad for him that there was already a resident male! How he ever found himself that many miles (across town and way out in the country on the other side of town) from home is beyond me but he did.

 

This wonderful young man, whose family did not own a phone (this was 1971), would go into town each week with his mother on laundry day and use the pay phone to try and contact us at the number on our cat's collar. After about four or five weeks, we were home when he called. We were able to meet him in town to get our cat the next time he and his mother came in to do the laundry. She was raising a good boy just right. We would have never found our cat and had him back home without these good people.

 

PS - Underfoot, the cat, went to the vet for his neuter and to remove the broken tail end he suffered at the paws and jaws of the resident male cat. Footsie was one of the best cats ever. It was a nametag on his collar that saved him and returned him to us.