Collars that don't rub

Well, the big plan to win a Paco collar didn't pan out, so apparently I need to actually shop.

Gusto's been having an issue with his collar/s rubbing under his neck. He's not raw or sore or anything, but there's a lot of pink skin showing through not a lot of white hair. I thought at first it was because I wasn't being good about taking his collar off when it was wet after swimming, but I've been doing that. I thought maybe a lighter/softer collar would help. I got him a Spiffy Dog mesh one, still not helping. I *think* this issue is that it is the area where collars 'fold' over and the dee rings attach. The inside of the collar therefore isn't smooth there. It doesn't seem to be bothering him, but it bothers me.

Any brilliant thoughts about styles/brands that might work better than others? I've had my eyes on a certain leather collar for a while, but as they are custom made, I can't get my hands on one to really get a feel for it. Whatever it is MUST come in small dog widths (nothing over 3/4"). I'm fine with leather/fabric whatever. Obviously it needs to be decently made, but he's not an 80 lb dog, so it doesn't need to be strong enough to hold an ox. I'm not going to say price is no object, but he's full-grown now, so I'm willign to spend a bit on something that will last a while.

Maybe a rolled leather collar?
Not sure who sells them, but I like the look of them and sounds like it would suit your needs.

I have the same problems with Chloe, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread!

Paco collars has the Sam Brown attachment option, which takes away the bulk that comes from the usual buckle area.

White Pine Soft Web collars! They are specifically designed to be gentle on coat, so they should help prevent the wearing - they are basically tubular nylon. A friend of mine with Cresteds swears by them!

This! I have a leash by them and I think I actually prefer it to my broken in leather lead.

Gavroche had collar issues until he got his Ella's Lead collar. I opted for the suede-lined option and it's incredibly smooth. The only place that rubs is where I put his slide-on Boomerang tag on. Prior to adding that it didn't rub anywhere. It only rubs a bit now and breaks the hair slightly in the area of the tag, but a few broken hairs are worth the ID to me.

I have a couple Collar Mania collars and I'm just not crazy about them. I got them satin-lined thinking it would be a smooth finish that wouldn't rub, but the thread is sort of like fishing line and pokes through in spots. I put the collars on my own neck and it's very uncomfortable bordering on painful, but when I put the Ella's Lead collar on my own neck it's incredibly comfortable.

Ella's Lead and Paco do not bother Jackson's neck at all. Both (ella's being black leather, paco being tan leather) are very soft (the tan naturally more so soft) and seem extremely comfortable. He doesn't have extremely sensitive skin to begin with though, so maybe not a good judge, however I'm very particular about him wearing comfortable things.

Rolled leather seems to work well for hairy dogs.. Onlead has a bunch that are really inexpensive!

Does he have to wear his collar all of the time?


Tucker's nylon collars had rubbed his neck raw, he actually had wounds from it. We bought him a different collar, a top paw monogram collar, it's very smooth, the nylon has some material over it that does not rub at all (but I'm not recommending it because it is stretchy which would be bad for a larger dog and it loosens over time). But we also started only having him wear his collar when he went outside and now his neck it perfect and he no longer has a stupid mark in his fur where his collar goes. We had always been used to leaving collars on because Max, our last dog, ran away every chance he got. But Tucker doesn't, and if he did no one would be able to catch him without being mauled, and if he DID get caught he has a microchip.

We had originally looked at leather. We decided against rolled because of how thin they were, something tells me pulling against that does a number on their throat. We decided against regular because the ones that fit small dogs were all about as wide as my pinky finger, I like 3/4" and those were all too long plus had large dog buckles and everything. I could see maybe a rolled leather to leave on just for the ID tags to leave on 24/7, then put something else on for on leash walking. But I just feel like the rolled leather ones put some serious pressure on the throat.

Planet Dog has hemp collars with a soft lining.

BB, check out my FB page......one of my students makes removeable, soft collar covers and is selling them for $5.00-$10.00. Would be a light weight (cheap lol), easy mail to the U.S.
She started making them for one of her boxers and I have seen the proof of how well they protect and prevent problems

Can he wear cotton? The Cozy Critter makes cotton collars in all kinds of styles and patterns.

http://www.cozycritter.com/index.htm

I have really nice rolled leather ones from www.masterspride.com for the girls. They are really sturdy and nice. I also really like the placement of the O ring at the end, rather than traditional placement by the buckle. I feel they were well worth the $40/ea I paid for them.

I do still usually use their EL leather when I walk them together because they get pretty pumped when I walk them together and I don't want Scout to hurt herself if she gets excited over a squirrel or something. However that could just be me being paranoid lol.

Scout's EL leather was destroying her ruff and thats why I bought the rolled leather. Lily's is suede lined and while I will have to periodically send it in to get that replaced as it wears/gets filthy, it doesn't seem to damage her ruff significantly... its also not as wide at 1.25", while Scout's is 1.5" wide.

I finally recently got a couple fursavers and am extremely happy with them. I just clip the leash on the dead ring. Sounds like your guy might have metal sensitivities though!

I have a friend whose dog wears the planet dog fleece lined hemp collar. She still has a collar wear mark on her fur. She's a little rottie mix and has the rottie double coat.

http://www.masterspride.com/masters_pride_012.htm


10.00 is a steal!

I will be going here , thanks for the tip Monkey , to op , I have not had any issues with the cheap leather one from pet smart. but sheen is a bogger guy and has no issues.

The 3/4" tapered down to a 1/2" makes a HUGE difference. Jackson can't do collars 3/4" all the way around either, buckles are always too big and bulky.

Another suggestion- Spiffy Collar. AND, some of them are on sale for $7.50.

https://www.spiffydog.com/home.php?cat=270

This thread is SO useful. I run into the same issue with Cricket to the point where she had a permanent mostly bald spot where her collar sits. Now she doesn't hardly wear a collar inside to keep it from getting worse but I would love to have something soft that won't rub so she can still wear her tags.

Mine have rolled leather collars from here: http://www.schaafleatherwork.com/pages/dog/collar2.html

They are my first leather collars, but seem pretty nice. Grace (puppy golden) has the "fine round" and Bailey has the regular one.

The rolled collars worry me, because he definitely does not walk nicely on a leash all the time. He needs to be in a collar when I'm at work; my mother takes care of the dogs during the day, and her hands are too arthritic to get collar on and off easily. I do take it off in the evening and he sleeps without it on.

He doesn't rub all over, which seems to be a common issue that collars are designed to handle. You can't see the slightest mark on the back/sides of his neck from a collar. Just the rubbed area over his throat. Like I said, I think it is because that is where the fabric doubles over on the buckles, so there is inevitably stitching and the end of the fabric there to rub. Since he's got pink skin and thin white hair there to begin with, it just makes it worse.

I was looking at Meg's unused Paco collar, and it does seem really smooth there. I'm scared to order him one though, since he's even smaller than Meg, and I don't use hers because of how heavy it is. I wish there was a local place that carried their collars.

I think a high quality leather collar is the way to go; I just need to find places to shop in person so I can actually feel them!

Thanks for the ideas - and hopefully they have been helpful to the others who are looking as well!