Collar irritation

[Maxy24]

Tucker's collars have always messed up his fur, like you can see the place it was on his fur even after it's been off for a while. But now it's rubbed off all of the hair on his throat where it's been touching and it's a bit red and irritated. I have it off for now but he often has to wear his collar and leash around the house for control and training purposes.

Are there any collars that wouldn't cause this irritation or, even better, also wouldn't break the fur around his neck?

 

[Kat09Tails]

What kind of collar is he wearing now. Flat? leather, nylong? Rolled leather is usually the solution for these kinds of problems as they are much more likely to allow air flow.

Watch that red splosh for weeping or if it looks like it's spreading. I've seen more than one dog get a neck yeast infection.

 

[MericoX]

Poor Tucker!! ((((huggles))))

Charlie has the same problem (fur breaking off where collar lies)... I'm interested in responses.

 

[Maxy24]

It's just a normal flat nylon collar. And I will keep an eye on his neck, should we put anything on it?

 

[Kat09Tails]

If it starts feeling gooey I find baby powder does a great job of drying up the yuck.

I would suggest a rolled leather collar as long as he has enough recall that backing out of a collar isn't a problem.

 

[kady05]

Does he have to wear a collar 24/7? If not, I'd suggest giving him a break from it.

Does it look anything like this?

That's Wilson's neck currently.. driving me nuts. He only wears a collar when he goes somewhere. He goes all OCD and scratches the crap out of it, and now it seems like his neck is stained that way :sigh: Putting a collar on him actually helps (he barely tries to scratch if he has one on).. but I'm doing a test right now where I'm wiping it with apple cider vinegar daily and leaving the collar off. We shall see..

 

[Renee750il]

Tallulah got that CONSTANTLY. Her skin is so tender it would get red and raw within a matter of two or three days.

I know this sounds like a shameless plug, but she has not had one bit of irritation or anything at all since she got the collar Becca made for her out of that black latigo leather they use. It is soft like you wouldn't believe on the inside, which is a good thing, since Tallulah does NOT want me to take it off of her My little dog is a wear-wolf.

 

[Chewbecca]

Is Tucker a long-haired dog (sorry, I haven't seen him?)?

My guess is either he has a sensitivity to nylon (it's more common than some know), OR, my other best guess is that his collar isn't fit to him properly.

A lot of people think that a collar fits properly if you can fit two fingers vertically stacked, underneath the collar on a dog's neck.
This is NOT true.
It's two fingers lying FLAT underneath a collar that indicates it fits properly.
When a collar is placed on a dog to fit too loosely on the neck, it allows that collar to rub on the dog's neck anytime the dog is walked on leash.
This causes red-rubbed, irritated neck skin and often times it can cause actual sores.

I used to fit Ella's collars too loosely on her. And they weren't even THAT loose on her. But they were loose enough that they rubbed on her neck and caused her neck to break out in raw skin and rub her fur away.
I started fitting them the way I mentioned above, and ALL skin issues on her neck disappeared and cleared up almost immediately.

 

[Maxy24]

I don't know about a collar that's easy to slip. He is known to refuse to move when he doesn't want to go in/leave the dog he's interacting with/stop staring at that bunny/stop trying to eat the visitor, etc. and I'll drag him away. I wouldn't want him slipping out as those are all times he'd also ignore his recall.

Kady, yeah it's red (not that bad yet) but it's actually rubbed off all of the fur there and the skin is actually broken a bit, like he's been itching it even though he hasn't been. It doesn't actually bother him at all which is good, it's me that is bothered by it lol.

I don't want him to wear the collar constantly but my parents never take it off, even when he's sleeping in the crate. And as I said before, I have him dragging his leash so I can stop him when he's trying to chase cats or has stolen something. He doesn't have to wear it constantly, like if we're not home or he's sleeping. So I'll take it off at those times.


I WISH we could afford an Ellas Lead collar, but no such luck, we're pretty poor at the moment since my dad got laid off and mom doesn't work over the summer...so yeah. Someday though.

 

[Maxy24]

Is Tucker a long-haired dog (sorry, I haven't seen him?)?

This be Tucker :
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t138467/

As far as the collar fitting, I definitely can't fit two fingers vertically, but not sure if it's tight enough either. I'll get back to you on that as he's just been taken up to bed.

 

[stardogs]

In addition to rolled leather collars, I also had great luck with White Pine Outfitters for preventing hair breakage with Maggie. Their soft touch nylon is silky smooth so it doesn't catch or wear on the fur. They also have limited slip collars for escape artists.

I have a friend with Cresteds who swears by the Smoothie collars made by K9Closet to prevent irritation on the skin.

 

[SizzleDog]

In addition to rolled leather collars, I also had great luck with White Pine Outfitters for preventing hair breakage with Maggie. Their soft touch nylon is silky smooth so it doesn't catch or wear on the fur. They also have limited slip collars for escape artists.

I have a friend with Cresteds who swears by the Smoothie collars made by K9Closet to prevent irritation on the skin.

I second this - I loooooooove White Pine stuff - SO easy on sensitive necks! Of course, Kaylee has been getting some neck irritation since she's training three days a week, so we have her in a Crown Collar on her right now. Still need to find someone to make me a satin-lined 5/8" collar. Her current obedience collar is chafing too much.

 

[~Jessie~]

Chloe lost all of her neck fur from wearing a collar... It grew back, but it took a while for it to look good again. She has really sensitive skin, though, and a short coat.

My guess is that Tucker is either allergic to the nylon or that the collar isn't fitted properly.

 

[milos_mommy]

A rolled leather collar usually helps.

Also, does Tucker swim, or does he get baths and then have his collar put on directly afterwards (when he's wet)? Putting a collar on damp fur can cause irritation, a rolled leather one should help or just waiting until the fur dries before putting the collar on.

 

[CharlieDog]

Also, some dogs can be allergic to the plastic or the metal part of the buckle/tags or d-ring of the collar.

 

[Chewbecca]

Also, some dogs can be allergic to the plastic or the metal part of the buckle/tags or d-ring of the collar.

This is so true. I forgot about this.
Some dogs can have a nickel allergy. If you think this might be the case, it's best to stick with solid brass hardware or stainless steel.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Also light weight fursaver collars are an option. Leerburg | Fur Saver Collars

 

[stardogs]

Fursavers do help with coat breakage, but, as with any collar that allows tightening, I would not leave them on a dog unsupervised due to the risk of snagging and choking.

 

[Maxy24]

Thank you all for the info. We've been keeping his collar off except for potty breaks...his neck doesn't seem to be getting much better, but it's starting to scab so perhaps soon. I appreciate the recommendations but we really can't afford to order anything, even if the collar itself is a fine price, once you add on shipping it's too much.

We went to Petco and saw this....it's fake leather and feels smooth. Do you think it would work?
AKC Faux Leather Adjustable Dog Collar in Brown at PETCO


The real leather didn't feel very nice. I know it has to be broken in and all, but it just didn't feel good at all. Or it had a soft material on the inside that felt....frictiony like it would rub his fur off. I didn't like how thin the rolled leather was at all, I think it would choke him.

I felt the inside of his current collar and it feels terrible, really rough. I'll have to avoid that type again.

Here's his neck:

 

[SizzleDog]

If his neck looks like that right now, I'd keep him collarless as much as you can until that sore heals and the hair grows back. Poor guy!

With collars, keep an eye out for sharp edges - mostly on seams, Leather should be beveled because the harsh corners (nylon collars have them too) will tear coat.

White Pine's seams are all on the outside, so nothing to rub on the neck. They're insanely soft too: White Pine Outfitters - Welcome to White Pine Outfitters