As a dog walker, it’s a question I get from my human clients regularly: what’s the best collar to use for dog walking? As with most questions about pets, there are some best practices to follow, but the answer is largely a matter of personal preference and the individual needs of your dog. We’ve previously talked about the best places in Palm Coast to walk your dog and about making sure your dog gets enough exercise, but before you even think about hitting the streets, it’s important to select the right equipment to keep everyone safe and comfortable. There’s a huge variety of collars on the market, so it can be a tough selection to make. In the coming months, I’ll be breaking down the pros and cons of some of the most popular dog collars and harnesses to help you decide for yourself which is best for you and your pup.
The head collar gets first billing because it happens to be my personal favorite. I use this style of collar almost exclusively for all three of my dogs and have few complaints.
Head collars can be a useful tool for walking dogs who pull. The collar clasps around the dog’s muzzle and neck and the leash connects at their nose, rather than at their neck or back as it does with traditional collars and harnesses. The head collar works by turning the dog’s head to the side when they pull. The result is that, the harder they pull, the more they turn back towards the walker holding the other end of the leash. The idea is to use the dog’s own momentum to slow them down when they pull.
The Pros
The head collar is the clear winner, in my humble opinion, when it comes to pulling prevention. Every pull-prone dog I have trained on this collar has improved significantly – including extreme pullers like Xanadu HQ dog Millie (pictured above). In my experience, the head collar leads to better walking behavior long-term. I’ve found that it even curbs pulling when the dog walks with other types of collars once used consistently for enough time. Unlike traditional collars, head collars do not pose a significant injury risk to the neck or windpipe. If that wasn’t good enough, these collars are easy to find online or in stores. They are relatively inexpensive, mostly ranging in price from $5 to $20. They are usually adjustable, so they accommodate even the slenderest or droopiest of snouts. Another bonus is that the collar slips on easily and is pretty uncomplicated hardware.
The Neutral
While the head collar is versatile and fits most dogs, it isn’t an ideal solution for brachycephalic or “smush-faced” dogs. For instance, breeds like pugs and Boston terriers are not great candidates. Simply put, your dog needs a long enough snout for the collar to hang on to. Aside from this notable exception, it works well with dogs of nearly all sizes, shapes, and breeds.
It is worth noting that head collars do require some upfront work on your part. Most dogs have little trouble pawing the collar off if they want to. This means it’s necessary to train your dog to walk with the head collar without trying to take it off. That training is too involved to get into here, but veterinarian Dr. Sophia Yin wrote an easy and comprehensive guide that I would recommend to anyone starting out. Some dogs take more readily to the collar than others, but I haven’t found the process any more difficult than training a puppy on a leash for the first time. I have trained both puppies and older dogs with the same relative ease. My dogs didn’t immediately like the new contraption. However, after simple training, they now put on (and more importantly, keep on) their collars without protest.
The Misconceptions
Some people confuse the head collar with a muzzle and may even worry that it hurts the dog. These are misconceptions, due entirely to the aesthetics of the device. I have had issues more than once with strangers presuming that my dog was a bite risk, or becoming concerned that the dog can’t breathe or pant properly. My simple solution to the first issue was to buy collars in bright, fun colors. I’ve found that brightly colored collars look less intimidating to the uninitiated than the black or gray ones. The concerns around restricted panting or breath, however, might require some explanation. As you can see in the picture above, a dog can indeed comfortably pant while wearing the collar. They should be able to take a drink, carry a stick, and do pretty much everything they would normally do. The only way panting could be impaired would be if the collar was put on much too tightly. I don’t consider this a specific danger, as injury or discomfort can be caused by a walker misusing nearly any piece of dog walking equipment.
There have also been rumors about dogs lunging suddenly or breaking into a run and injuring their necks from a whiplash-like pull to the side. While I am not a vet, I find this to be a highly unlikely scenario. Paws Abilities summed it up well when they stated that, “this ignores simple physics. If a dog hits the end of the leash while wearing the Gentle Leader, it will start to turn him towards you. If he has a lot of force behind his lunge, that force will flow through all of his body, turning him further towards you. This means that a dog walking to the end of the leash may just be turned slightly towards you, with his body still facing the direction he was going, while a dog lunging to the end of the leash will end up with his entire body facing you.” Dr. Sophia Yin notes that “few cases of injury due to head collars have been proven or medically documented.”
The Cons: The head collar can be a fantastic dog walking tool, especially for those dogs who are shameless pullers. However, it is not the appropriate collar for every case. One of the biggest cons I have found is how easily a dog can take these collars off. You can usually address this issue through proper training, but it can still pose a danger for highly reactive dogs. I will say that I have never experienced a total failure – but I have had a couple of close calls.
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The head collar tends to be thinner than other collars. It’s not far-fetched (no pun intended) that a strong enough dog could break the neck strap. I strongly recommend leaving on a traditional collar while walking, so you have something substantial to hold onto if needed. When first training Millie, I walked her with both a body harness and a head collar, using a double leash attached to both the collar and the harness. This isn’t a necessary precaution for all dogs, but Millie is large, powerful, and can be reactive on the leash. This double attachment served as a failsafe in case she was able to break free from the head collar, ensuring everyone stayed safe while we were learning how to properly use the new collar. Today, Millie and I use only her regular collar as back-up, but not all reactive dogs can safely use a head collar. Safety should always come first. Use your best judgment when walking a reactive dog and consider sturdier collar options if necessary.
The Take-Away
I heartily recommend head collars to anyone looking to curb a dog with leash-pulling tendencies. For dogs without pulling issues, there isn’t much advantage to using a head collar over a traditional one. The bottom line is that these collars are safe, effective, and easy to use – but only if the walker takes the time to properly train their dog and learn the basic skills of using this device. I would not recommend head-collars for reactive or smush-faced dogs. However, in most cases, I believe it to be the single most useful tool for walking dogs that pull. This little device has made dog walking exponentially more enjoyable for me. I highly recommend it to anyone dreading their dog walks because of a pulling canine.
Is there a collar or harness you want covered? Email me with your suggestions.
Xanadu Pet Care is ready and willing to be your dog walker of choice in Palm Coast and Flagler County. I’ll be happy to teach you the basics of using the face collar!