Is it safe to leave a Martingale Collar on a dog?

[Elyse]

[MENTION=7968]pacific4130[/MENTION] This is the collar that's on Suka. Everyone I've talked to said its a Martingale, so now I'm confused!

Here's some pictures of the collar on Suka. As you can see, its tight enough that it won't get snagged on anything. I can fit about 2.5-3 fingers in between (my fingers are small though, so that's like 2 fingers of a normal person's!). Unless you see him from the front, you could barely tell he has a collar on because his neck fur is so thick and long!

[pacific4130]

Love the pics! Especially the last one!

That's definitely a martingale. I think the confusion arises because some people call a martingale a semi-slip. That is sort of accurate but I think semi-choke is more accurate as it differentiates it from other types of collar which have restricted amounts of slip but aren't designed to choke.

Looking at the two sets of pictures it's quite clear the difference in how loose the collars are. The semi-slip in its closed position is a 'few fingers loose' whereas the martingale is obviously going to tighten a little bit beyond that. Also, the big loops on the sled/semi-slips don't help much either and can easily get caught.

So, in your case the risk of your dog snagging that collar is a lot less than the risk/worry about your dog getting quickly identified and return post escape. I totally agree. For me, using the semi-slip, there is a bit more of a risk - enough to question the relative merits of each viewpoint. I can see the choke risk, but I also definitely see the benefit of having my details on the dog all the time. At the moment I leave his collar on.

Edited November 5, 2012 by pacific4130

[Sid_Wolf]

see i would say its too tight and so it cutting off the air supply when he gets checked

mine are like this:

so when checked its like this:

which is how our trainer says they should be, she would throw a fit if we used them too tight.

it works for kira and grey, but they were taught on headcollars to start with

[Kathirin]

Max ever has his collar on in the house. If he does its usually because i forgot to take it off after i brought him in, but i never forget to take his collar off before we go to bed or leave the house. When ever im not around to watch him his collar is always off. Its not just because i think its safe but also because i feel like he would be more comfortable

[brian brown]

Sid, mine are the same as yours, very loose & easy to slip over their head when I take them out

[Emma]

that is for a flat or buckle collar. with a martingale/semi-slip/half-check you should be able to do that with the collar 'checked', so when the collar's relaxed its a lot looser

Thank you Sinead. X

[Elyse]

see i would say its too tight and so it cutting off the air supply when he gets checked

mine are like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]63419[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]63420[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]63421[/ATTACH]

so when checked its like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]63422[/ATTACH]

which is how our trainer says they should be, she would throw a fit if we used them too tight.

it works for kira and grey, but they were taught on headcollars to start with

It doesn't cut off his air supply when I check him, because I jerk the leash to the side and I make sure the chain is off to the side whenever the leash is attached. There's no pressure on his trachea during walks, I make sure of that.

When I check him, I only check him a little bit and that seems to do the trick. Unless if its a major thing, like if he wants to chase after an animal or something, then I jerk the leash harder...but not enough to hurt him.

And, like I said before, Suka doesn't respond to the checks if the collar is too loose because he can't feel the difference...or the pressure is so little on his neck he can easily ignore it.

They only look tight because, like I said before, his neck fur is so long/thick.

See, I would say those collars are too loose! No wonder you have to take them off, they're so loose they're definitely a choking/catching hazard!

So, in your case the risk of your dog snagging that collar is a lot less than the risk/worry about your dog getting quickly identified and return post escape. I totally agree. For me, using the semi-slip, there is a bit more of a risk - enough to question the relative merits of each viewpoint.

Thank you, that's what I wanted confirmed...that Suka's strangling/snagging risk isn't very much.

[Sid_Wolf]

we take them off mainly because they play, if you have multiple dogs is doesnt matter how loose or tight the collars are because unless they're digging into the dog another dogs tooth could easily catch

We rarely use collars on walks now thinking about it, I do have a collar on me ready to change over when we get to training classes though

[pacific4130]

Thank you, that's what I wanted confirmed...that Suka's strangling/snagging risk isn't very much.

No worries. Just to add though that I'm no expert on martingales, so please don't automatically take my advice over more knowledge forum members. I've never used choking devices as I'm personally against them (just my opinion, I have no grudge against those who do).

[Staceybob]

If Suka's martingale was that loose, he wouldn't respond to it because he couldn't feel the difference.

But let's just agree to disagree, yeah? I don't want to argue/debate on this anymore.

Hey just wanted to say even the RSPCA posts out the official way to wear a martingale which does allow 2 fingers when pulled so as not to strangle the dog.

Because yours is in 2 finger tightness by default, if Suka did catch their collar then they would choke themselves where as those wearing the collars correctly wouldnt as it allows for breathing space when tight.

I know youre saying that you check to the side and thats how i perform corrections, but yours will tighten around the neck and choke to some extent with your fitting.

Aleu wears her collar in the house in case she escapes but i have the comfort that it isnt tight enough to restrict her breathing.

[Elyse]

I don't see how it chokes him. Whenever its tight all the way (rarely), he doesn't make any choking/coughing/gagging noises and his breathing is normal and continuous.

And, I should add I just checked his collar a few days ago to be sure of its tightness, and its sitting at 3 fingers. Anything more than 3 fingers and he doesn't respond to it.