Collars and leashes:

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

On Sunday afternoon, a happy couple came to pick up their doodle puppy, Lindsay, they purchased her some time ago, and planned a trip to B.C., Canada to pick her up. They live in Quebec, on the other side of the country. On the drive back to Vancouver, to catch the plane back to Quebec, they stopped to let Lindsay have a walk around, and she slipped out of her new collar and ran.
The collar whe was wearing was a colorful nylon collar with a plastic slide closure.

So my point is, these collars are good for dogs that never jump or tug hard on the collar while walking on leash. I prefer the flat, buckle type.
And in the event that you purchase an older puppy, such as Lindsay, (9 months) and take the new dog for a walk, I suggest a choke collar. Now before you get up in arms, I do not mean a chain choke. and not a prong collar. I mean a woven nylon choke collar. They are impossible to escape from. Of course they must be put on properly, so that they release. Or, a slip lead, or kennel lead. instead of a leash that snaps onto
a collar. If I had insisted on the use of a kennel lead, Lindsay would be safe in her new home in Quebec, not lost in a strange place, hungry, scared, cold and alone.

What are your thoughts on collars ?

[Tamara & Giada]

WOW, that is awful. Is the puppy gone, or did they get her back???

[Patty Barnes]

Ann, I agree with you completely--use the belt collar before puppies know how to properly walk on a leash. The adoptive parents must have been terrified, you too. Has the puppy been found?

[Adina P]

I'm SO sorry to hear about your Lindsay! How scary and sad...I hope she is okay and found soon.

I totally agree with either a choke chain collar or a martingale or slip lead for people adopting rescues or adult dogs. I trained Rosco on a choke chain and he went from a biting, nipping monster pup and turned into a wonderful dog! Of course it's not the tool that made him that way but training correctly with the tol.

However, as much as 'choke' chain sounds scary to a lot of people...the point in using it as you stated above is simply to keep the dog from escaping. As the dog pulls the collar tightens so the dog's head can NOT slip out. A martingale collar looks less daunting and also an option for the purpose you stated above.

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Oh how terrible!! OH my gosh!! I pray that she is found!!!!

Collars - so correct!! I hope others read!!

[Janie]

Ann, that is terrible. Poor dog lost and afraid. My heart goes out to you, and the people who lost Lindsay.
I will pray that Lindsay is found.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ann, you already know how sorry I am about this horrible situation. We are all praying that Lindsay will be found soon in good condition.
The rescue where I got Jack chewed me out good for using a choke collar when I first took him home. He was a large strong dog who had never been on a leash before, and that was the only type of collar I was comfortable with. Now he wears a flat buckle collar all the time, with his tags on it, and a Gentle Leader EZ Walk Harness when we leave our home & yard. (The martingale collars are also very good, I know that is the type of collar IDOG recommends, and what they put on all their fosters.)
It's impossible for you to anticipate every possible error that could be made by a new owner, and you absolutely can't blame yourself. Hopefully, everyone who reads this will learn from it. And also pray for Lindsay's safe return.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The type of harness you often see, where the leash attaches at the dog's back, I agree that you do not have much control. The EZ walk harness that I use has a D ring at the front of the dog's chest where the leash clips on, and is designed to give lots of control & eliminate pulling. If the dog pulls, he actually ends up turned around facing you. It's really helped me control Jack...he used to drag me into the street. There are a lot of good reviews of it here on DK in the "reviews" section, you may want to check it out.

[April]

Oh that poor puppy!! I'm praying Lindsay is found safe and sound quickly!!!
This is why I'm a big fan of martingale collars, they were designed to keep dogs from slipping out of them (particularly skinny headed ones like greyhounds!). Anytime I get a new foster, they wear a Martingale for a LONG time. EZ Walk Harnesses are nice too as the front clip is also works like a martingale to make it more difficult for them to escape. One of my favorite types of martingale collars is the Truman collar (http://www.thetrumancollar.com/) it is a martingale but it also has a buckle. I think it is a great safety feature for if you need to get the martingale off in a hurry, (i.e. they get caught up on something). Even if they only wear it while walking, accidents can still happen.
Since most of the dogs I work with tend to try and bolt and hit the end of the leash hard (they are scared rescue dogs). I'm not comfortable using any sort of choke because of the risk of them injuring themselves. They can certainly still injure themselves in any collar but I tend to feel that martingales distribute the weight more evenly around the whole neck instead of in just one spot so there is less of a chance of damage.

[Jessica]

I just googled Martingale designer dog collars - they look great April...Thanks for 'the lead, ha!'

[Jessica]

Ps. There's a really cool, little pink, silk Martingale collar with the word Hope inscribed all over it. Would be the perfect collar - and - name for a certain puppy we 'know'!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh I "hope" Ann sees that! It would be perfect!!!

[Jessica]

Ooh, and there's one for small dogs with a velvet lining and a stainless steel , jingle-free engraved name tag embedded in the 'impossible to slip out of' Martindale collar, (which has the option of a quick release buckle.) I'm liking this very much. I think we might have one of Finny' Christmas presents sorted!