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Dog Collars, What Type Is Best for My (Problem) Dog?

  • 01/02/2014

Dog collars, so many to choose from! Wikipedia writes: A dog collar is a piece of material put around the neck of a dog. A collar may be used for control, identification, fashion, or other purposes. An excellent definition! But since there are so many different types, which one should you buy? What type of collar is the best?

Well, let me tell you straight away: the best dog collar does not exist! No matter what some manufacturers may want you to believe. Every dog is different. In size, proportions and temperament. Every dog owner is different. Some owners want to buy a collar simply because they need something to attach a leash to. Other owners look for a collar that will make their pet look beautiful, brave, or funny, or let their dog stand out in a crowd. A dog collar can be a fashion statement, for sure!

Then there are pet owners in search of a collar to get control over their disobedient dog. If you are one of them, please be advised, a collar is no good answer to solving bad dog behavior. Depending on the type of training collar you would use and on how exactly you would use it, a training collar may have some positive effect -- for a short while. But it may cause your best animal friend to no longer trust you. And in the worst case, it may cause problems to intensify. I've seen this happen many times.

I have been a professional dog trainer and dog behavior counselor for more than 15 years. The key to a well behaved dog is in the basic relationship between owner and pet, and in training the desired behaviors, using positive reinforcement. If you want to know more, search the internet for websites about clicker training. Read about dog psychology. Two books that I heartily recommend on this topic are John Fisher's Think Dog! and Jean Donaldson's The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs. These are two of the books that changed the way I thought about animal training and problem dogs for good, many years ago.

Back to the dog collars! So, what type should you buy? My answer is that any dog collar can be the best for your dog, as long as it is comfortable to wear and can not cause any harm or danger.

Buy what you like, and spend what you are willing to pay. The best collar for you and your dog can be a plain and inexpensive nylon collar, or a haute couture designer dog collar, custom made for you and your best friend! But please, don't buy a dog collar, no matter what type, in the assumption that it will solve your dog's problem behavior.

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