# Does your Hav wear a collar?



## Baci Baby (Apr 23, 2009)

All the time?
What kind?

I am worried that my pups' collar will cause matting. She wears a 3/4 inch wide collar with name and phone embroidered on. 

What kind of collar do experienced Hav owners use?

Thanks!


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## Patti McNeil (Apr 20, 2009)

Although I am by no means an "experienced Hav owner":
Toby wears his collar 24/7. We have young children, so it's important he wear a collar in case he ever gets out. He wears the Lil' Paws brand from Petsmart. He has no problems with matting..........but he's only 4 months old, so still has his puppy coat and we keep him in a teddy bear cut.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Bugsy wears rolled leather or flat leather color only when we go for walks, at home he and my two standards go "naked".


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*Nothing at home...*

Harness or martingale on walks.

I am as vigilant as can be about the front door because of it.


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## dschles (Jan 23, 2007)

Scout wears a collar with tags at all times. I don't find that the collar causes much mattting for him -- I think it may depend on your dog's coat whether the collar causes unbearable matting.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Mine wear harnesses on walks but nothing at home. They are microchipped though. I read that dogs should never be crated if they have a collar on and we learned that the hard way. Scooter got a tag caught in the crate and was screeching in the middle of the night, scared us to death! His eye turned all red, blood vessels were broken, but other than that he was fine. We've never put them into crates with anything since.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

My guys wear their collars 24/7. They wear the breakaway dog collar.


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

Only for walks, and a harness for that, never a collar. Don't want to risk matting or other irritation, don't need a collar at home, don't like the risk of getting tangled in something. 

Mojo is microchipped, but I don't put any great faith in that for getting him back if he were lost.


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Nothing at home. But I switch between the rolled leather and breakaway. I find with Dash who pulls more than Dora the breakaway actually matts less. I think the rolled leather rubs around too much on him.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

All the time with tags attached. We have gotten use to the tickle sound of the tags. No matting problems, but Dexter hair is shorter now. If Dexter's hair was longer, he would still be wearing the collar. Just a regular black color from Petsmart.


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## earfax (Mar 24, 2008)

Hi Mollie and Bailey go naked at home. We find that the collars cause matts on them. They wear the harnesses for walks and sometimes that causes matts too.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Collar with tags 24/7. Harness or martingale when we're walking. Both are microchipped. I've found most people in the neighborhood, especially those without dogs, don't know about microchipping. If they got loose I think I'd have a better chance of getting them back with a phone number that's easily found. I haven't had any serious problems with matting.


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## descha (Jul 3, 2009)

I'm not experienced but I have to Hav puppies. They both wear a harness whenever they leave our house but otherwise they don't wear collars. We both work so they are crated during the day and we don't want to worry about any accidents.

Hope this helps!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi wears a harness in the car or out walking. In the house or (closely supervised) in the yard, he goes naked. We were asked to bring our puppies to their first puppy class next week with flat collars, so now we have one of thse too.<g>

He walks on a loose leash on either the harness or a collar, so it probably doesn't matter that much for walking. But in the car, I like the fact that a harness with a wide, soft breast plate will spread the impact in case of an accident.

Karen


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

No collars. Harnesses only when we walk or in the car to secure them in their seats. They are taken off once inside the house.


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

Mine all wear the rolled leather 24/7. No matting problems.
Carole


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## ruthann (Jan 26, 2007)

Annabelle is microchiped. She wears a harness when out walking. A collar causes mats so I don't use them. She is trained not to cross the front door until she has her leash and harness on. I worry she might see a friend a bolt when we are out but she never has. Annabelle has a full coat. Her hair has never been cut, but I often think about cutting it so she can wear a collar. Ruthann


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## cjsud (Oct 26, 2008)

Only for walks


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

We use a harness for walks and nothing in the house. Collars just make mats on my guys but they are both in full coat. Maybe if they had short hair a collar would be ok, but I love the look of their natural coat!


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Cicero has a cotton coat and mats with a collar left on. He's naked at home and in the fenced yard. He has a martingale, with tags, on his leash that slips on when we leave the house.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Nothing on while at home, regular collars for walks, Jester wears a harness for walks. I do have a gate blocking the hallway/front entry so there is no way for the dogs to get out the door.


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## TShot (Jan 16, 2009)

Only on walks Petunia wears a Puppia harness. No collar around the house or in the yard.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Not at all. I only put a collar when we go out and in fact Bumi hates it. So this weekend I got him a harness and he did better with it. But again, the minute we get home I take it off.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Harness. Marble can and has slipped out of a collar on a walk, especially if he's trying to chase something. I take the harness off at home so it doesn't cause extra matting.
Gina


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## letter4tony (Jan 30, 2009)

Mochi officially wears a yellow rolled leather collar at all times. We have him put on a martingale all in one leasch and collar when we go out for walks.

We also have a pull safe collar when he is at his play groups.


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## CinnCinn (Mar 30, 2007)

When they were puppies, I'd walk them with a harness. No collars.

Now, in puppy cuts, they have a collar with tags on 24/7. Small 3/8".


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Both collars and harnesses cause mats here.  I do put a collar on her with tags most of the time when we leave the house unless it is a small errand and she doesn't get out of the car.

I try to keep them off at home, though. I've been buying fabric collars from Etsy and they seem to do okay if they are a little 'loose'

I love the puppia harnesses!


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## descha (Jul 3, 2009)

*Hates the harness!!!!!*

My Havs (one is 5 months old and the other 3 months old) both wear harnesses while out with us walking or shopping or visiting but other than that they wear nothing. Our yard is fenced in for them so we are lucky.

BUT just this past week the 3 month old has decided he hates the harness, snarls and grumbles all the time I am trying to put it on him. I don't want this to be a liftetime habit! I've tried giving him a treat the minute I get his head through so he will associate the harness with something positive and pleasant, but no luck so far.

Any advice for me????


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## bethanay66 (Nov 2, 2008)

Both of mine wear collars and tags 24/7. We take them off for baths, of course, and they are so excited to get them back on once they are dry! It is funny. Because we keep them rather short, we have no problem with matting.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

descha said:


> My Havs (one is 5 months old and the other 3 months old) both wear harnesses while out with us walking or shopping or visiting but other than that they wear nothing. Our yard is fenced in for them so we are lucky.
> 
> BUT just this past week the 3 month old has decided he hates the harness, snarls and grumbles all the time I am trying to put it on him. I don't want this to be a liftetime habit! I've tried giving him a treat the minute I get his head through so he will associate the harness with something positive and pleasant, but no luck so far.
> 
> Any advice for me????


Kodi did that for a short while too. I found that if I gave him a slighty cewy treat to distract him WHILE I was putting the harness on (or off) he was much better. The biggest change, however, came whan I switched to a step-in harness that buckled over his shoulders, so we didn't have to deal with the over the head part. He couldn't care less about putting on his step-in harness.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Collars on 24/7. Smarty has a cottony coat, Galen is silky. No mats except when blowing coat.


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## Baci Baby (Apr 23, 2009)

Thank you all for posting! 

Now I know there are lots of opinions about this subject. I have stopped using a collar for everyday use and only use one for walks on the lead. Her matting has been reduced.


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

My friend's 4-year-old Hav still has a bare spot from a collar used early on, not for walks but just for i.d. tag (harness for walks from the beginning).

I don't even own a collar and don't plan to get one.

Mojo is almost 18 weeks old and has hated every harness I've tried, both over-the-head and step-ins, since he was first home at 9 weeks old. Even though he loves going for walks, he runs away the minute he sees the harness in my hand. Once he's in it, he's headed for the door saying, "Let's GO!" 

I've started doing some training with pieces of organic hot dogs, trying to get a positive association with the harness. Probably should have started that many weeks ago, but I figure it's not too late.


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## fuzzylittleskosh4 (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes skoshee my havanese wears a collar 24/7 exept when he gets a bath :bathbaby:


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## moxie (Feb 6, 2008)

Moxie wears his collar all the time, it is a soft and pliable woven fabric.


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## fuzzylittleskosh4 (Aug 17, 2009)

skoshee wears a collar all the time amd while we ar doing training he wears a head collar


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

Pepper wears a rolled leather collar with tags when we leave the house. He also wears his travel harness that keeps him safely belted in the car. 

None of our 'active' dogs wear collars at home. We had a huge scare with two of our big dogs a few years back. One got caught on the other's collar while wrestling. Their panicked struggle to get free of each other, and the one dog being strangled in the process, was horrific. I never want to go through that again.


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## earfax (Mar 24, 2008)

Scooter's Family said:


> Mine wear harnesses on walks but nothing at home. They are microchipped though. I read that dogs should never be crated if they have a collar on and we learned that the hard way. Scooter got a tag caught in the crate and was screeching in the middle of the night, scared us to death! His eye turned all red, blood vessels were broken, but other than that he was fine. We've never put them into crates with anything since.


Mollie and Bailey are Microchiped. Dont you need to have the tag on that has the phone # for the micro chip organization? they both have the tag and I try to keep the the collar on but it looks so uncomfortable for them. I may invest in the rollar collar. I may get a martingale collar from the woman that was on Nationals but I can not find her card:Cry:


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## LochTess (Aug 22, 2009)

We use a Gentle Leader with Ricky for walking and he wears
a Visiglo collar at all times with his name & microchip tags.


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