spiked/studded collars opinion

[Az Boxr Lovr]

Joe has had a spike collar since we brought him home from the breeders. The vet used to laugh at him with his "tough guy collar". I just loved the way he looked in it. When we got Scampy the BT, we had to change his collar. Those spikes really hurt..plus they scratch up your kitchen cabinets when the dogs bang against them! He now has a thick leather collar on with multi colored metal peace signs on it. Scampy has a bright orange collar with metal skull and cross bones on it. It's hysterical!
Cheryl and the boys!

 

[Colt'sDad]

Spike collar look great but unfortunately a lot of people are scared/intimidated with boxer... As a matter of fact just this weekend i learned first hand how some people are uneducated about boxer... I was at a small petstore last Saturday with Nitro and a lot of people were praising Nitro and even one of the employee made a comment that he's the cutest puppy she seen all day... Anyway to make the story short i was checking out some toys for Nitro when this guy came in the same aisle and then told me to get Nitro out of that aisle before Nitro attacked him... So i smiled ang told the guy he's only a puppy and the only thing he'll do is play with him just like what he did with other people in the store... The guys started raising his voice and telling me to get Nitro out... I was getting mad but still managed to hold my temper and told the guy to just wait until i get what i need to get in that aisle... All this time Nitro was just looking wondering what's going on i guess ... But then the guy made a big mistake, he tried to hit Nitro but missed, hehehhe Nitro' s to qiuck and smart for that shit anyway ... That when i drop the leash (just like hockey players dropping the gloves ) started yelling and cursing at the guy and telling him if he wants to go at it then we can go right now... The guy just frozed maybe because he was so surprised how far i will go for my puppy or maybe he got paralyzed with all my spit in his face because i was only 1 - 2 inches away from his face ... While all this thing is happening Nitro was just sitting calmly and playng with this new toy he found on that ailse...

Damn, I don't think I would've been able to not knock him in the mouth for that.

 

[Mama_Zookeeper]

Mia also has a pink spiked leather collar. As soon as Rocky slows down on his growth spurts (he is 9 mos) we will get him a spiked collar as well, we are undecided if it should be red or black. They are for looks only and pictures & when we take them to friends houses where they are adored. When out on walks or to the pet store we use harnasses.

Dora & the Zoo Crew

 

[zvinzonz]

Damn, I don't think I would've been able to not knock him in the mouth for that.

hehehehhe it took a lot of patience to not knock the guy down... few years ago i would have knock the guy down but not now... besides if i knock him down the media won't say "Dog owner beat up a guy in a petstore" it will be a diferent heading ... they won't even think of it as me defending my pet but they will look at it as an issue of brutality ... besides with the issue of racial profiling after 9/11 this can easily get blown out of proportion... i just don't want to explain this to my boss especially knowing that everything that we do gets criticized by the public...

 

[zvinzonz]

P.s. I can't believe it, poor Nitro, I would have chin checked the guy for trying to hit my dog...

wish i could have done that, not that i couldn't, heheheh i know i could have easily done that ... it's just that public would look at it differently if i did that... people either hates us, fear us, or just totally ignore us until they need us ehheheheh... especially here in california

 

[Silverstar]

The vet used to laugh at him with his "tough guy collar".

I laugh at this because it's true. Stupid people think because it makes them look mean, that they are. I say this all the time. If people only knew that they are the biggest babies, they would think differently.

Poor Nitro. I can't believe you held your temper even that long. Congrats on that. I myself would have gone balistic on him. And try and hit my baby. OH NO! Forget about just yelling. I would have inflicted bodily harm on that ignorant SOB and my furbaby would have jumped in thinking it was a game :rolleyes:

 

[VTbxrFan]

Well my opinion won't be popular, but I'll say it anyway...

Even though *I* know that boxers aren't mean dogs and *I* know that wearing a spiked collar doesn't make a dog a mean, I do have concerns about the public opinion of boxers. You don't have to hang around this board very long to see how many people complain about less than warm greetings when they are out and about with their boxers because so many people who aren't familiar with boxers think they are mean. That bothers me...and rather than walking around talking about how stupid or ignorant those people are, I'd rather work on changing their opinion by presenting my dog in the friendliest manner possible. Right or wrong, appearance matters in this world, and I just don't believe spiked collars send a friendly message to most people. I personally am concerned that having a bunch of boxers walking around with spike collars will just reinforce the misconception that boxers are mean because people will be even less willing to approach and have the opportunity to learn. Right or wrong, stereotypes are a fact of life and they have consequences - just look at all the legislation (existing and proposed) restricting ownership of certain breeds, making insurance cost more or be unavailable, etc. In most places, boxers aren't on those lists yet, but I'm concerned that they aren't very far off from being added. I'll admit that if I'm walking down a dark street alone (which I really just try to avoid), I'm ok with someone being a little wary of my dog...but overall, I don't like the fact that so many people in the world will turn and walk the other way when they see a boxer. I'm very concerned about what that means for the future of a breed I cherish in these times when so many laws are being developed to restrict breeds that the public believes are mean. Sadly, these laws are being developed by people who don't really know a lot about dogs, so the stereotypes are going to weigh heavily in the the outcome.

I'm not trying to criticize those of you who like spiked collars - it's completely your choice, just as it's my choice what kind of collar my dog wears - I guess I'm just playing devil's advocate to present a different side of the issue.

 

[Sirus'Mommy]

Sirus has a leather spiked collar as well and no one gets a false impression of him. Actually most people compliment me on how cute he looks with it on.

 

[Silverstar]

In my opinion, I believe boxers are mistaken for another breed. And I know there have been discussions on the board about this. But, it's true. I get it all the time. And it is the uneducated people who do not know the difference that create the fear. The breed is in danger of getting an unfavorable mark in with the public because of ignorant people, more so to ill breeding. Until there is a law to assist in the shut down of BYBers I don't think that is going to change.

I feel safe walking at night with my boy by my side. And I enjoy that fact. Personally, I'm with you VTbxrFan. I don't like the spiked collar (not because of looks, but they do play rough). But, I also believe in options. If ya like the spike collar, go for it. Ikaika and Mailani wear a Hawaiian looking collar (I just thought they were adorable and went with their names). It is a personal choice. What we should work on is educating the public, not give in to their fear.

One day I am going to put out flyers in my neighborhood giving facts about the breed, so maybe they will learn something. Everytime we walk we run into someone who turns the other way. Many times I try and stop them and talk to them, letting my furbabies sniff and kidney bean. Then they change their minds. There are so many in the complex that didn't know the difference in breed and just assumed. Now they love running into us and some even offer to dog sit. I have had a few who thanked me for stopping. One down......how many millions to go? :D

 

[angray]

We have one for Mugsy. My husband wanted to get him one, but I wasn't too sure. I do have to admit that Mugsy looks very masculine/macho when he wears it! We don't let him wear it all the time, though. When he's around other dogs, he wears a flat collar so neither Mugsy nor the other dogs get hurt on the collar when they are playing.