Hound Collars

Posted by Administrator on 11/3/2011 to Measuring charts

Why choose a tapered collar for your Sighthound?

There are different types of collars specifically made for Sighthounds and they usually have a wide design. The reason for this is:

It protects the dogs throat which is quite exposed and fragile when they are giving chase to wildlife through brush or when playing rough with other dogs.
It looks very beautiful on their elongated necks and enhances their elegance.
It is more comfortable for the dog to wear especially if it has soft lining, and the pressure is distributed over a larger area.

The tapered collars provide the desired protection of the throat while ensuring a smaller and lighter weight buckle for a sleeker profile. It also makes it harder for the dog to slip it's collar due to it's shape.

Buckle or Martingale?

It is very much a question of preference whether to choose a buckle style collar or a Martingale for your Sighthound. If your dog has a neck with a larger circumference than it's head or if it's prone to slipping it's collar it may be worth considering a Martingale. These are easy to slip on when getting ready for a walk, and if the dog pulls on the leash it will tighten the collar behind the dogs head to prevent it slipping off.

If you don't have a problem with your dog slipping it's collar, the buckle collar may be the one for you. The good thing about the buckle is that you can adjust it, so if the dog looses or gains weight or if it is still growing, the collar can be adjusted to fit the dog accordingly. A buckle collar also stays in place better on the dogs neck as it doesn't vary in circumference depending on the pressure coming from the leash.

How to measure your Sighthound for a collar.

Use a soft measuring tape to snugly (but not tight) measure the thinnest part of your dogs neck right behind the ears (see picture below).

This is to ensure that the dog cannot slip it's collar. If you measure at the thickest part, or the base of the neck, you risk that it has a larger circumference than the dogs head, which makes it possible for the dog to slip out of the collar if pulling back.