# Dog Collars



## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

I feel a need to put a dog collar with an information tag on Patti, if by accident she gets away from me. I haven't done this because I'm concerned the hair under the collar will become matted. This weekend I've seen two Lost Pet Signs. One for a Yorkie and another for a cute 8lb black dog and this has made me rethink the dog collar.

We have a fenced yard but there are going to be times when the gate is opened. That happened last week when a workman came into the yard. Once she bounded out the car door before I could catch her. Patti is pretty good about Coming, but there is no Fail Safe no matter how hard we try. She could be out before I notice.

Patti has an AKC micro-chip and if taken to a Vet will tell a person who she belongs to. But ... I think a collar with identifying information would be more helpful.

Does anyone collar their Havanese?


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

I worry about this too. I don't use a collar because of the matting. He gets his harness on for walks or a slip lead for a quick potty outing.
Many years ago, I kept a collar with tag on my Bichon. The tag got caught in the track of the shower door and he was trapped(unknown to me). Once I discovered him trapped, I had to take the collar off and use a tool to get the tag out of the track! It was the end of indoor collars with tags.
I ordered a collar that had my phone number with his name and our last name personalized into the collar so that if he ever got away, I could be contacted quickly. 
The matting remains a problem if you keep a harness or collar on so I don't. Where I live now, there is no other dog that even slightly resembles my guy and everyone knows us. It would be a general state of emergency if he ever got away around here. My fear is that he would be zooming around to his friends' homes and be hit by a car, rather than lost.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

@Terre You've confirmed my concern about matting. I've, also, been concerned Patti might get a collar caught on something the way she jumps around. 

I, too, worry more about her dashing out in the street and getting hit by a car. We live on 11-acreages with other acreages around us and our house sits a ways back from the street. On the occasions Patti has gotten out she's been very interested in exploring new smells, which for some reason leads her towards the street. :surprise: 

The first thing people want to do is chase after her which begins a game of chase. I've educated my family to Stand Still, Don't Chase. My trick is to walk away and call her, as she typically gets a treat when I say - Patti Come and will follow me. Takes some coaching. Need to work on this more. 

We keep a pretty close eye on her but she's like a Ghost and gets to places before we know it. One day, we her heard scratching from inside a closet. Daughter had opened the door to get something. 

I had a Schnauzer who got away and was gone for days. Maybe a week. One day she reappeared at the front door. Barked to come and was sicker-than-a-dog. Don't know where she'd been or what she got go into. She survived.

I guess I can hope if Patti gets lost, she'll go to someone whose smart enough to take her to a Vet to check for a microchip. I wish that microchip had a GPS finder on it.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I use a collar from Genuine Collars. I hate collars with dangling tags. On this collar, the tag does not dangle. I have not noticed matting from it but only put it on when we are out walking. I thought the studs would help protect the neck a bit if we are ever attacked (which has happened), however the smallest size does not have many studs so the picture is a little misleading.

https://www.genuinecollars.com/products/plum-purple-leather-dog-collar-with-studs


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Just wanted to add, I use a harness for the leash but the collar is purely for identification.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yes , but remove collar if you put her in a crate unattended. They can get hung up on tafgs or buckles.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

We only use a collar for walks. Scout and Truffles like to rough house and I'm concerned the collars could get tangled. A few years ago someone here on HF said their two Havanese collars became entangled. As I remember the two two dogs started biting each other and were injured. I think there was a problem with the dogs getting along after that happened. I'm also concerned the collar could catch on something in the house when I'm not home. The coat does matt with collars, but just needs daily combing. Scout and Truffles would never leave the house, especially without my husband. For some reason they don't like walking on our street.


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## ptgrin (Feb 17, 2018)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075RW2KC/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://imag
I bought a very narrow collar from Amazon with Piper's name and my phone number. She wears it outside in addition to her harness and leash for the very reason you have mentioned, Mikki. She has pulled away from me to run after her "best friend" dog, and I was terrified she was going to run across our condo street. So she wears it any time she's outside, and when she goes to the dog sitters house. She never wears it alone, in her crate, or of course, at night. There have been no matts under the collar as it's very narrow and pretty loose. (click on the ?. It will open)


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

davetgabby said:


> yes , but remove collar if you put her in a crate unattended. They can get hung up on tafgs or buckles.


Definitely. I only use harnesses and collars when out walking.


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

This is one of those issues that has multiple views. I think you have to go with dealing with your worst fear. The problem with microchip only is that you have to hope someone will get your dog to a place where it can be read (and that person is ready and able to transport to that place). Our neighborhood list serv is constantly full of posts of found or missing dogs without tags (but often with microchips). Those with tags tend to get returned immediately whereas those found without tags wait until animal control or some volunteer drives to a vet who can read for a chip. Cassie always wears a collar with a tag with our address and two phone numbers. She isn’t crated so I don’t worry about that and never really alone..never really had a matting problem either on her neck.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

ptgrin said:


> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1https://imag
> I bought a very narrow collar from Amazon with Piper's name and my phone number. She wears it outside in addition to her harness and leash for the very reason you have mentioned, Mikki. She has pulled away from me to run after her "best friend" dog, and I was terrified she was going to run across our condo street. So she wears it any time she's outside, and when she goes to the dog sitters house. She never wears it alone, in her crate, or of course, at night. There have been no matts under the collar as it's very narrow and pretty loose. (click on the ?. It will open)


What size did you order?

I have a fenced yard and don't walk Patti. She's not left outside but is in and out of the house numerous times a day through a doggie door. If we leave for an extended period of time, Patti is confined to the house and blocked from going outside. It's rare someone other than family enters through the gated backyard, but there are times when that happens. And, there are times when she gets away from us.

During the summer we - will be walking and hiking with her - as we move to Colorado and don't have a yard. I would take it off a night and typically comb her hair most days. She's no longer kept in a crate or ex-pen.

My other dogs ALWAYS wore a dog collar. Day and Night. I NEVER had an issue. Why do I worry NOW! :Cry:

*THANKS!!! Everyone for Replying. Lots of good information.*


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> I use a collar from Genuine Collars. I hate collars with dangling tags. On this collar, the tag does not dangle. I have not noticed matting from it but only put it on when we are out walking. I thought the studs would help protect the neck a bit if we are ever attacked (which has happened), however the smallest size does not have many studs so the picture is a little misleading.
> 
> https://www.genuinecollars.com/products/plum-purple-leather-dog-collar-with-studs


This is a beautiful collar. I too, use a harness for walking.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

mudpuppymama said:


> I use a collar from Genuine Collars. I hate collars with dangling tags. On this collar, the tag does not dangle. I have not noticed matting from it but only put it on when we are out walking. I thought the studs would help protect the neck a bit if we are ever attacked (which has happened), however the smallest size does not have many studs so the picture is a little misleading.
> 
> https://www.genuinecollars.com/products/plum-purple-leather-dog-collar-with-studs


What size did you get?


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Mikki said:


> What size did you get?


I got the 5/8 inch wide with 8-12 inch neck. However, I thought it should be a bit looser so punched another hole in it. I feared with the larger size there might be too much extra but it may have been fine. Mia is about 11 pounds. The collar is very beautiful...super nice quality. If you read the descriptions, some colors are made from softer leather than others. I went for the softest leather.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Cassandra said:


> This is one of those issues that has multiple views. I think you have to go with dealing with your worst fear. The problem with microchip only is that you have to hope someone will get your dog to a place where it can be read (and that person is ready and able to transport to that place). Our neighborhood list serv is constantly full of posts of found or missing dogs without tags (but often with microchips). Those with tags tend to get returned immediately whereas those found without tags wait until animal control or some volunteer drives to a vet who can read for a chip. Cassie always wears a collar with a tag with our address and two phone numbers. She isn't crated so I don't worry about that and never really alone..never really had a matting problem either on her neck.


This is a great point. I have actually returned two lost dogs to people and was so thankful they had collars on with phone numbers! Each time it was in the evening on the weekend. I can't imagine what I would have done otherwise.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I have thought about this, too. I once ordered a collar that allowed for engraving the ID on the buckle. When it arrived it seemed so heavy to me, and the collar itself was wide and very thick, even though it was the smallest size. It seems like the thin collars are usually in XXS and aren’t long enough, even though the thinner width seems like a better proportion to my dog. 

There isn’t any way for our dog to get out without someone knowing, so I finally decided to we don’t really need something on him all of the time. It does make sense to have ID when he’s out, but even that isn’t as easy as it should be. I want all of his tags should be together. I do have them on a clip for the leash but it’s not really useful attached to the leash if he gets lost without it.

It really doesn’t make sense there are so few choices in “high tech” dog tags, and they’re all huge, too. There are companies like MyID that make small, lightweight silicone medical ID tags for kids that are less than an inch wide and waterproof. They have embedded, printed information on the inside with room for several full lines of text and can be scanned with a phone. Or sleeves that are also narrow that can slide right on with printing. There has to be a better way to apply this kind of technology instead of 3 huge jingling tags! The system for rabies tags also seems incredibly outdated to me. I think it should be set up so the vet provides proof of vaccinations and the owner can use it to choose the tags they want as long as they meet certain guidelines. Maybe it’s like that somewhere?


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*collar*



Mikki said:


> I feel a need to put a dog collar with an information tag on Patti, if by accident she gets away from me. I haven't done this because I'm concerned the hair under the collar will become matted. This weekend I've seen two Lost Pet Signs. One for a Yorkie and another for a cute 8lb black dog and this has made me rethink the dog collar.
> 
> We have a fenced yard but there are going to be times when the gate is opened. That happened last week when a workman came into the yard. Once she bounded out the car door before I could catch her. Patti is pretty good about Coming, but there is no Fail Safe no matter how hard we try. She could be out before I notice.
> 
> ...


Perry wears a collar for identification 24/7 - even though he's chipped, here in Kampala if he got loose it would be extremely unlikely that anyone who found him would be able to find a vet with a reader - so he wears his collar all the time. Yes I know the danger of him wearing it in his crate, but he has a very small crate (it's a hard-side crate so the metal grates only on the front and it's not tall enough for him to be able to stand on his back legs) and his ID tags are attached flat to the collar/ don't dangle so I feel the danger is minimal and the danger of him getting out (there are people in and out of the yard 20+ times a day and even though they are generally careful to close the gate it only takes one time) without his collar is the bigger risk.

As for matting - I do keep Perry in a puppy cut and it doesn't mat very much (even when he's getting shaggy like right now) and I just check and comb it out if it seems like it's getting a little bit matted.

This is the ID tag we have - it clips on over any collar of the right width. I have the smallest one and it's still big enough for names and then I put our US and Uganda phone numbers AND my email on it. I do have a piece of duct tape across the back because it did slide off once (my Mom has the same one size up but hasn't had any problems with it falling off - might be the collar itself is slightly narrower than it was supposed to be).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G2IPJWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

@ Mellissa Brill - Thanks so much for the info. I'm keeping Patti in a puppy cut. I think, too, it's safest to keep a dog collar on them incase they get away from you. *Then I hope Patti finds someone and will go to them.*.

There was a family who took a summer trip to Crested Butte, a mountain resort town in Colorado and who regularly stayed at a home their dog knew from previous trips. They let their dog go outside to potty and he disappeared. He was a large dog like a Golden Retriever. They looked for two weeks, put notices in the paper and contacted locals but had to leave and go home. It's a small community and the locals were helping look for the lost dog.

The husband returned two or three times to search for their family dog. People reported seeing the dog but he ran away and wouldn't come to them. Fall was coming along with cold weather. There's a good ending to this story. The lost dog finally approached three dogs who were playing outside. The family whose dogs were outside, recognized the lost dog, called their dogs inside and the lost dog followed. He was hungry and had lost a lot of weight but was healthy. He finally found his way home.


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## LUVmyHava (Apr 16, 2019)

Question about Microchips. I volunteered at local animal shelter and was told there are different formats. If the format is different from the chip reader, then it is useless. What microchip do most of you use?


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

LUVmyHava said:


> Question about Microchips. I volunteered at local animal shelter and was told there are different formats. If the format is different from the chip reader, then it is useless. What microchip do most of you use?


The breeder had an AKC microchip put in. My Vet checked the microchip and could read it. I understand, they sometimes stop working.


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## LUVmyHava (Apr 16, 2019)

*Need "Universal Reader"*



LUVmyHava said:


> Question about Microchips. I volunteered at local animal shelter and was told there are different formats. If the format is different from the chip reader, then it is useless. What microchip do most of you use?


Did some research. Apparently microchip companies use different RF frequency for their chips. But now they have universal chip readers that can read all frequencies.

Besides having the microchip put on pet, you also need to register your chip with company that made your pet's chip. So there can be many different databases where your pet's microchip ID is saved. Some companies is a one time fee. Others require annual fee. You need to identify the microchip format using universal reader and then determine which database to query to locate owner. AAHA has compiled a list of the various registries "AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup" where one could search to identify which database may have the identified pet microchip ID. Microchip Search | AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup

The American Microchip Advisory Council is working to develop a network of the registry databases to streamline the return of pets to their families.

Found this website which gives the various formats for different microchip companies. http://www.datamars.com/wp-content/uploads/PetLink-Microchip-Guide_USA.pdf. Looks like two frequencies are used: 134.2 kHz and 125 kHz by microchip companies.

So apparently having a microchip in pet is not as straight forward as we would like. Having a tag on collar is mandatory if you want a someone in your neighborhood to find your pet's home if found. One good use of microchip is in case your dog is stolen or is found by somebody who keeps it instead of trying to return it. When taken to vet, the microchip would indicate the proper owner.


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## Tere (Oct 17, 2018)

My breeder put the AKC microchip in(Home Again?). I had the change the contact information when I got my boy. You need to remember to update the information if your phone number changes or you move.
I remember my vet saying that the chips can get lost in the dog over time? 
I think that with AKC chip that when they scan it, it gives the AKC info and you have to call the AKC number and they call the owner of the dog? Does anyone know if this is correct? It sounds like there would be a lot of time wasted and room for error.
In my HOA, we encourage pet owners to submit a photo of their dog and contact info. so lost dogs can be promptly returned. We publish a directory every 2 months on-line for people who wish to be included.


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## Mikki (May 6, 2018)

@LUVmyHava - Thanks! Good info about the Microchip.


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## LUVmyHava (Apr 16, 2019)

Here is a great study about microchip scanners (a little old done back in 2009). It was a large study to see which scanners were best able to read the chips at which frequencies and which chips easier to read. https://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2009/january/pet-microchip-companies-square-scientific-scan-6681

HomeAgain Universal Scanners were the best at reading all frequencies. AKC-CAR's scanner did over 95% for the 128 and 134.2 kHz chips but lost big at 66-75% for the 125 kHz chips."

AVID scanners only read AVID chips and did not participate in study. But read 97% of their own chips.

Also, the weight of the dog had a lot to do with ability of scanner to read the chip. "For each 5-pound increase in body weight, the odds that a 125 kHz chip would be missed increases by 5%-by 8% for other frequencies." Fortunately, our little Havanese aren't big enough for weight to be a problem.

The bottom line: "None of the scanners had a 100% sensitivity for any kind of microchip, including for the one of its own company's design."

1. HomeAgain's scanner won for overall sensitivity at 93.6 to 98.4% across all six microchip types.
2. The Bayer scanner did next best at over 97% for four chips but only about 90% for the more popular 125 kHz chips.
3. AKC-CAR's did over 95% for the 128 and 134.2 kHz chips but lost big at 66-75% for the 125 kHz chips.
4. Avid scored as well as HomeAgain on the one frequency it could read, at >97%.

And the human factor also comes into play. If the person doing the scanner doesn't use it correctly, the chip can be missed. Hopefully, animal shelters and vets have people properly trained to do the scanning.

The good news is that if you get the right chip (frequency most easiest to read) and the person doing the scanning does it correctly, you have over 90% chance your pet's chip will be readable.


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## NoahsMom (Nov 29, 2018)

Our Breeder registered the microchip with AKC Reunite. He has a very lightweight tag that has the AKC Reunite phone # and his microchip number on the tag. If he is lost and found, they do not have to take him to a vet to scan the microchip #...it is right on the tag. You call AKC Reunite and they look up the owner's information and call them. You can leave multiple phone #'s and contact people and can update your information on their website anytime. They have lots of tags to choose from and you can also include your name or # if you choose.


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## Henry&Kate (Mar 29, 2017)

Henry's harness has a tiny pocket with an elastic band in it that you can put an ID tag on. My only question is would someone know to look for an ID tag there?

you can see a picture here:

There's a tiny label "ID" but it's easy to miss.


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## ptgrin (Feb 17, 2018)

I ordered the smallest, 3/8" wide, and 6-12" length


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## cishepard (Apr 8, 2018)

Here is a link to the non-dangling tags that I use;

https://www.boomerangtags.com/page.php?c=collartags


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