Collars

Thought I’d share a little about collars. Particularly as they relate to Shiba Inus. We started out with the regular nylon collar. We went to a training class where they recommended we use the metal “choke” collar, at least until Tazzie got used to walking on a leash.

It seemed like a good idea, especially given the shape of the Shibas head. It’s pretty easy for them to “back out” of a regular collar unless it’s on very tightly. The choke collar doesn’t really choke unless either dog or human pulls on it, so it doesn’t seem too bad.

Unfortunately, the choke collar seemed to “defur” Tazzie’s neck. I guess it was the constant sliding of the collar as it tightened and loosened, but it seemed to pull out her guard hairs. It made a little “bald spot” that took almost a year to grow back.

We also tried a nylon harness. She hated that. I can’t say that I blame her, it didn’t look very comfortable. We went back to the regular buckle type harness and things seemed to work.

We did manage to find another type of harness. It’s made with some stretchy material and looks quite a bit more comfortable for her. She doesn’t fight putting it on, but seems a bit different on her walks. More “restrained” in more ways than one.