Does your boxer wear his collar at home?

[Lava Linda]

Aimee, that sounds awful for Baxter!! Someone left his collar on until the skin grew over it?!
I'd put 'em in jail, if it were up to me.
I'm so glad he has a home with you now!

 

[JulieM]

I was the one that posted my dogs only wear collars when they're also on leash (not necessarily on walks) - I should amend that a bit, since we do put on the training collar (flat nylon buckle) for training sessions, even if it's off-leash. (The training collar is a signal that we're starting "get serious" time.)

There are a few reasons I don't leave collars on my dogs all the time. First of all, they'd get filthily dirty in two days - I'd spend half my life washing collars! More seriously, though, I know several dogs who have either gotten their collar caught on something (fence, drawer pull, whatever) and choked/almost choked to death. I also know a couple of dogs who, when playing with other dogs, have had the other dog's jaw get caught in their collar. Dogs panic, twist, collar tightens, etc. One died, the other was lucky (the plastic clip on the collar broke). (I also know of a dog whose owner, knowing the danger of leaving a collar on a dog in a run, used a harness instead. The dog tried digging under the fence, caught the harness in the chain link, and died of heat because he was unable to get to to the shade/water.) With 5, it's impossible to supervise them 100% all of the time (and even if I could, these things happen FAST - even if I saw them get caught I might not be able to get them free in time).

My dogs are all microchipped, so they are recoverable (may take a bit longer, but better than them choking to death). I'm not all that worried about them getting out the front door - the only time they'd have the opportunity is when I'm there, so of course I'd be able to go after them right away, and at least have some idea of where they went. And while it is possible that they'd be hit by a car before I could get to them, a collar won't stop that from happening. I do have one who can jump the 6' fence - we keep a close eye on her when she's out, but chicken wire across the top of the fence has stopped her fairly well!

I do put collars on them when they're in the car (they get there on leash, anyhow, so they've already got them on). They are buckled in on their harnesses, so minimal risk of them getting the collar caught on something. In the case of an accident, where the dogs will be frightened, the extra ID is a bonus. When they're in their crates in the car, the collars are attached to the crate.

Those of you who do leave collars on your dogs all the time - PLEASE tell me this does not include when they're in their crate when you're gone! This is one of the most dangerous times to have a collar on - especially one with tags. The dog can by laying in the crate, close to the side, the collar gets caught in the wires, the dog tries to sit up, can't, panics, chokes, dies.

It is, like crating, a comfort-level thing. I'd rather work with the obscure risk that they'll get out and get lost than the more likely one that they'll get their collars caught on something.

Julie

 

[Lava Linda]

My county regs require dogs to wear rabies tags and licenses in public, so I always put them on when we go for a drive or walk, in addition to the choke collars I use for their leashes.

 

[armycop]

Tyson and Jade always wear their collars. I'm afraid that they might somehow find a way to sneak out then they would be gone forever, because they had no ID. I found that leather collars work bet with my boxers.

 

[nanabear]

My Katie always wore a flat nylon collar - she never seemed bothered by it, but there was hair loss under it which I attributed to rubbing. But her coat was not real nice because of Thyroid disease.
Mack is wearing a rolled leather collar. I think there is less "area of leather" to rub and of course it is more narrow than a flat nylon one.
I hadn't thought of all the trouble they could get into if you have more than one - getting their teeth caught and such, makes sense.

 

[proudboxermomma]

Duke only wears his when we go bye bye. Its kinda like a treat, cause he knows when he hear his collar that he gets to go for a ride. I dont worry about him getting out cause he learned the hard way not to go out the door unless we say so. And he is also chiped.

 

[skyastara]

Siddartha (2 yrs), and Nanuq (4 months), always wear theirs, because:
1)Although he is well trained and generally listens extremely well, running off is definitely not a remote possibility for my circumstances. I live in a rural area, and although I NEVER let him out unless I am actually with him, there has been more than one occasion when, during our play session, he hears or smells a deer/rabbit/fox etc, or I turn my head for (literally) a second or two (I also have a 3 year old son), and Sid is gone, through the forest, down to the creek, back up through another property, all sheepish and worn out. The possibility does exist that he could get lost, and the presence of a collar and tags greatly increases his chances of recovery, IMHO, just by making him seem less threatening ("Oh, he's somebody's pet, he must be lost" etc.). He's around 85 lbs, in great shape, very muscular, and some people are afraid of him.
2)Nanuq is not yet reliable as far as his training goes, so I often need a 'handle' to grab him.

 

[ebonyboxerlover]

No more collars for Cassie!! Harness for now...

I had a horrible experience a few nights ago. I took Cassie out for a bathroom break. I had to take her out front because, well, that's another story that deals with our other dog. Anyway, I hook on her retractable leash to her collar. We just had dirt spread on parts of our front, and the neighborhood stray cats found it to be paradise. I open the door and the cats take off, and naturally, Cassie tries to go after all of them. She gets one to go up the tree next door, about 30 feet from where I'm standing--her leash goes 26 feet, Cassie jerks and then she starts flipping and gagging! She flips off the curb. I scream her name and she's not moving. Then I freak out and rush to her and not knowing what I'm doing, I open her mouth and make sure her tongue isn't stuck in her throat and she comes around. I picked her up (sixty pounds-I didn't feel her weight!) and brought her in the house. I checked to make sure she could swallow okay, and checked her most of the night to make sure she was breathing alright. I called my vet the next morning and he said the air was probably cut off for a quick second to make her pass out, but to check her out for the next few days. She was back to normal and has been her old active self, but I use her harness now and probably from now on.

 

[Lava Linda]

Lisa, that must have scared you to death!!

I don't care for the retractable leashes, because I don't feel like I have enough control if there's an emergency. Who knows when a stray dog might run up, or a cat might leap from under a car, and 26 feet is too long for my comfort.
Does anyone know if they satisy leash laws? I think many leash laws have a 6 foot limit. I'm wondering partly because of a bruhaha I had last summer when Gilroy got loose camping and quarreled with a dog being walked on a retractable leash. I won't go into it, but the obnoxious, intoxicated owner was shaking her retractable leash at me, screaming about reponsible ownership. I felt terrible that Gilroy had gotten loose, he was dragging his 6 foot leash which I had used to tie him to a bush while I fished. I didn't say it, but I thought to myself that a 25 foot lead isn't all that responsible in my opinion, and I think the law is probably behind me on that.

 

[Tina-SCBR-NY]

I do not leave my collars on my dogs when in the house.
I came home a couple of times and found the collar on my 6 yr old so tight I was surprised she was still alive. After the second time I said no more.
My younger guys have a bad habit of grabbing the collars of each other and pulling, so they must have pulled on the end of the collar and it slipped up two holes.