What kind of Dog Collar Will Suit My Dog?

Dog collars come in a variety of materials, colors, styles and even functions. There's the obedience or choke collar, bark control collars, flea collars, and a whole array of just good old plain pet collars. So which one do you choose?

Collars are also useful for controlling your dog, as they provide a handle for grabbing.

But once your best friend has stopped barking or if barking has never been a difficulty what do you need to consider in a canine collar?

The Different Dog Collars?

Electronic collars are also called remote collars or shock collars by those that don't like them. The idea behind these collars is to deliver an electric shock to the dog as a correction. A low-level shock is given at first but if the canine continues to disobey the intensity is increased.

The buckle collar has a ring for you to attach the city hound license and other identification tags. Should your best friend accidentally get lost, this collar and the attached tags will help him get back home.

Used by multiple people to control hard to handle dogs, the prong or pinch collar lies flat on your pet's neck until you need to give some correction or he pulls on the leash. The pressure on the leash will cause the blunt metal prongs to pinch your best friend's neck. This collar can be very effective, but it should never be used without the supervision of a qualified trainer. Poorly used this collar can cause more problems than it solves.

Quick Release collars are fundamentally flat nylon buckle collars with a plastic closure. This clip is similar to some luggage strap fasteners and makes getting the collar on and off a little easier.

Dog Collar Uses

While wearing a head collar, your a dog can still pant, bark, drink and eat, even bite. The action of the leash when correcting your best friend is very different with a head collar verses any of the other training devices. So it's important that you receive proper instruction on its use from a qualified trainer. A head collar is considered to be more humane than a pinch or slip collar.

While some trainers will use flat buckle type collars, especially on puppies, these collars do not always provide the best control for more unruly dogs.

Anything other than a quick-release collar or a flat buckle can only be used during training sessions.

You should aim to get away from using the training collar. If your best friend only responds when wearing a training collar then he's not really been trained.

A break away collar is special quick-release collar that will unclip if a strong tug is made on the collar. This is a safety feature so that your best friend does not choke if the collar gets caught up on something. The collar will not unclip when it's attached to the leash.

For hunting dogs Canine Tracking systems are also very helpful in finding dogs that are lost. Dog tracking collars are used when you are out hunting with your best friend. They can be used by houndsmen, upland bird hunters, beaglers, coon hunters, field trial (bird dogs) and hog hunting.

One of the essentials of a dog collar is to make sure that it's personalized and has your best friend's name and your contact details on it. This will make it easy for someone to get in touch with you if your pet gets lost or strays. It can also help keep your dog calm in a distressing situation. Your dog is lost and while he may be amongst strangers, they will know his name from his collar and he'll feel less threatened if called by name.

Steve Dolan is a dog lover and long time dog owner. For more information about dog collars and tags click Dog Collars and Tags, and for more about dog health and keeping your dog happy click Dogs and Puppies Online.