There are many unique uses for dog collars, and this ultimate dog collar guide will help you find the right collar for your pet.
A good dog collar is one that is safe, the right size, comfortable and most importantly keeps up with your dog’s lifestyle. While any old dog collar will probably do the trick, the correct collar will last longer and be safer for you and your dog. As dog owners, it is our responsibility to ensure that our pups are properly equipped with a reliable collar, with or without a leash attachment.
Different colors, materials, widths, sizes, and designs give one hundred choices, but which one is the right one for your pet dog? Many pet owners make the common mistake of choosing a dog collar simply because they don’t know which collar is best for their dog or don’t know how to properly size it and use it.
We will also cover dog collar troubleshooting and the common mistakes pet owners make when choosing and using a dog collar and how you can avoid these mistakes.
How to determine the size of your dog’s collar
Before you start looking for the best dog collar, it is important to know what size your dog’s neck is. An ill-fitting collar can cause your dog to come off the leash, which can be very dangerous if you are far from home or in a crowded or unfamiliar situation. A collar of the wrong size can also reduce the effectiveness of your training. Certain collars that are designed to stop pulling and give you more control are essentially useless if they don’t fit properly.
The collars may be labeled medium, large, small, etc., but each brand has different measurements for these terms. So don’t just rely on these vague size labels. Measure your dog’s neck to see the size of the collar in inches and see if it fits your dog. Some collar labels are based on the length of the collar, not the neck size that the collar fits. So a collar labeled as 14 inches may only fit a dog with neck size of 10-12 inches. Don’t just look at the main label on the tag, look at the actual size.
Most collars are adjustable, so the measurements will be a range of the smallest to the largest size that the collar will fit. This range allows you to buy a collar that can grow or shrink a little as your dog grows.
This is great for growing puppies, dogs that are losing weight, and dogs that have a thick double coat and lose a layer of hair each season. If your dog is still growing, this will save you money in the long run
