Pets keep collars ON in the house?

[Freedom]

Do your pets keep a collar on in the house?

I don't use collars for the dogs, I use harnesses. I put it on when we are going out, either in the car or for a walk. Once we return, I take the harness off again. When they go out in the back yard to do their business, no harness.

I used to keep collars on the cats all the time, I was so worried they would scoot out the door. Now I only put a collar on them if we are going somewhere with them; but not for a trip to the vet.

So what do you do with your pets?

[critter crazy]

With my two dogs, and their Wonderful ways of learning how to open doors and such, I Always keep their collars on! The oly time they come off, Is when they are getting a bath. :)

I have tried to keep collars on the cats, but now I have just given up!:rolleyes:

[Ginger's Mom]

I will be interested to see some of the answers, because I am kind of conflicted as to whether I should leave Ginger's collar on all of the time. Ginger has her collar on 65% of the time. She does not wear it to bed, and on occasion I let her go "naked" just because I think it has to be more comfortable for her. My first dog only wore a harness when we went out (she was a year old when I got her and that is what she was used to). I made Ginger wear a collar at all times as a pup for training and control purposes, and I guess I just never got out of the habit of doing that. When someone knocks at the door she goes absolutely insane, so it is easy to just grab her collar and control her. But I do worry about her getting it caught on something when alone in the house. So far nothing like that has happened,

[Cinder & Smoke]

My FurKids wear their leather collars, WITH TAGS, 100% ALL the Time -
without exceptions - even for baths & brushing!



I put it on when we are going out, either in the car or for a walk.
Once we return, I take the harness off again.
When they go out in the back yard to do their business, no harness.


There's way too many situations that can crop up - even when you're all home -
to take the chance of one of them getting loose or lost without their ID
AND a way to hold onto / secure them if required.
Consider:

* You're away and a burgler breaks in - door's open, he runs out of treets, and the Dog Takes Off. :eek:

* You smell smoke in the night - after you call the FD - are you going to gather the Gang
to "collar up" before fleeing out the door?

* Someone rings the bell - you open the door and Fido spots the Bunny out in the yard - *Zooooom!*

* These may seem far-fetched - but Stuff Happens! :p

On the *rare* occasions when I take a collar off (like to change license tags) -
the FurKid who's had his/her collar removed becomes quite agitated and won't
take their eyes off "THEIR" Collar till it's returned.

To me, it's NOT worth the risk that a Beloved FurKid could get lost and not be
able to show his "finder" where he lives.
TAGS save lives! --- Wear it!!

:)

[shepgirl]

Collars go on only when we go out for a walk or in the car. I hate having collars on them in the house, with the tags and all.

[cali]

other-depends on the dog.

Happy and Misty and Elecra only wear collars when we go out, or if they are being dogsat.

Rusty, Ripley and Perky wear collars 100% of the time.

Ripley and Rusty aklways wear collars because they are not the best behaved and need to be easily grabable. Perky is very well behaved, she just look really weird without a collar lol.

Happy, Misty and Electra its because I HATE collar lines, and I dont need to worry about any of them anyway. none of then have any desire to run anywhere, I have then follow me out of the yard(no collar) all the time, if I am running the garbage out, or need to moves something to the garage or the front yard etc.. I will leave the gates wide open and invite them to follow me. so they have fancy collars that are simply slipped on when we go for a walk or run or whatever. all dogs wear their collars when being dogsat, I know they wont go anywhere when I am around, but I cant garentee the same results for someone else entirly lol

[Kater]

I leave a collar on my cat at all times. It is break-away and I test the fit and buckle regularly. I would not do the same with one that was not designed to break-away.

I also leave a collar on my dog at all times (except during bathing), but his collar is not a break-away style. However, I feel the risk is greater that he will get loose than it is that he will get his collar caught. That said, in multiple dog households, the risk can definitely change. I have personally heard more stories about dogs tangling up on each other's collars than I have about dogs becoming caught on inaminate objects. It probably depends on the play style of the dogs involved as well as the way the dog(s) react to stressful situations.

This is certainly a very important topic to consider! I hope that all of our PTers have made the investment to microchip all pets, whether or not they wear collars regularly.

[Pam]

Collars are never on in the house. Years ago I had two other poodles (a mini - Ashley, and a standard - Whitney). One day I was peeling potatoes in the kitchen and heard some awful yelping. I quickly ran into the other room to find Ashley hanging by her lower jaw from Whitney's collar. They would frequently play tug-o-war and play biting games with each other, and by some strange fluke this happened. I was so glad I was home!!! I also heard a story similar to mine happen to someone else not long afterward. When we go for walks or car rides they wear harnesses and collars (because their IDs are on their collars) but when we get home everything comes off.

[Suki Wingy]

Niño has his collar on all the time. He used to be quite the escape artist, even if he always intended in coming back he can run far and has a bad habit of running in front of moving cars. :eek:

[Elf Shadow]

Lil just wears a flea collar all the time.it doesnt seem to be working either.she has collars (and a harness i think) when we take her out.

[catnapper]

Nicki has hers on 100% of the time, the cats never have one on. I saw Pouncer try to kill himself trying to get it off too may times to count... besides, if I used a breakaway on him, it broke it off in about ten seconds. I guess he prefers nakedness.

[k9krazee]

Other - Depends on the dog.

Shadow - 100% of the time, she looks funny without it and loves her collar. I'm not worried about her running off or anything.

The rest of the dogs, it depends. They always wear a collar - with tags - when going out somewhere but that's about it. Jack is chipped and he's the one that wears the collar the least.

One of the three cats has a collar, because her and her sister are so similar it's nice to be able to tell them apart at a distance. Haha.

[jackie]

my dogs wear collars 24/7 and the cats never have worn collars.

[lizbud]

My dogs wear collar & tags 24/7. I do take them off for baths only.
Only tried the breakaway collars for cats once & they got tangled up
everywhere, so I don't use them at all on the kitties.

[Edwina's Secretary]

The Es wear their harnesses when they go outside. They hate them.

Edwina wears a necklace or ruff only when attending a cocktail event or going on a special date.

They are both microchipped.

[critter crazy]

Lil just wears a flea collar all the time.it doesnt seem to be working either.she has collars (and a harness i think) when we take her out.

I wouldnt put a Flea collar on my animals. They dont work, and can cause your pet to get Ill.

[lvpets2002]

;) Yes my cats indoors all wear collars & tags.. Also the dogs outside have collars & tags..

[chocolatepuppy]

My dogs have their collars on all the time. (The puppy's comes off when he is in his crate.) All three of my dogs wear quick release collars that you can unsnap with one hand. My two youngest dogs are microchipped.
My cat Missy wears a breakaway collar but Sassy doesn't wear one because she kept getting it wrapped around her front leg, so I gave up.

[Taz_Zoee]

Up until about a week ago Zoee did not wear hers regularly. I am a light sleeper so it was always off at night. But I could not count on Bruce putting it on her in the morning for when she goes outside throughout the day. I came home too many times to find her outside, him not home and she did not have her collar on. :mad:
So last week I ordered a quiet spot tag cover thing. Now her collar is on 90% of the time. I take it off right before I go to bed and Bruce puts it on (I hang it on the door handle of the door he lets her out of) first thing in the morning. But if I forget to take it off at night, its ok because its quiet. :)

OH, Taz doesn't (and never has) worn a collar. But he did model a collar with a pet charm years ago when my SIL had an online Italian Charm business. It didn't seem to bother him at all. :) Of course it was only on him for all of 5 minutes.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Brody (cat) and Archie (dog) keep their collars on all the time. Tobey (other dog) only has his on when we go out because Archie chews them off!

[KYS]

When I had more than one dog, I did not leave collars on them unless
we were out in public. (for safety reasons since they would grab each
other necks when playing)
When I have one dog, collar stays on 24 hours around the clock. : )

[Pam]

Edwina wears a necklace or ruff only when attending a cocktail event or going on a special date.


:D :D :D I hope Edwina has a designated driver should she over-indulge. :p

I forgot to answer on behalf of my cats. They don't wear collars because they don't own collars. They have never been outside except in their carriers to go to the vet's. When the door is opened they run away from it. They would never run outside. They are way too scared of the outside world.

[ramanth]

Voted Other. The dogs and cats have collars and pretty much wear them 24/7. However, Logan broke his a year ago and I haven't replaced it.

And sometimes we'll take the dogs collars off at night or during movies. :)

[Jessika]

I have their collars on 24/7 for the dogs. Our cat doesn't like to keep it on... but I put it on as much as I find it after he gets it off.

I do it for a number of reasons: first and most importantly is because we are living with my in-laws for the time being and I do not have control over who opens the door, how it's left open, nor can I expect them to keep an eye on my dogs at all times. They have a business and part of it is run from the garage and they go in and out all the time, so chances of a door being left open just a hair or them sneaking out is high.

Secondly, Charlie is so skittish sometimes if he is freaking out because of a lot of commotion and the door opens, he sees it as an exit and will run out and has done it before. Usually when this happens someone sees him and I'm able to get him back inside, but on the off-chance that I'm not home or someone isn't home that he trusts I want to be prepared at all times in case he does get loose.

And thirdly - since there are a lot of people here going in and out, doors haven't always been closed properly and my dogs have got loose before. In fact during Jamie's last heat (and last forever!!) the door was left open just enough for her to shove her nose in and get outside, and Charlie followed. Charlie stuck to the house, but Jamie was gone for hours. Scariest night of my life.


Even if I get them micro-chipped (which I am), they will still always wear their collars because you just never know when they might get loose and by having a collar on tells people by glance that it isn't a stray dog, and instead of a neighbor picking him up and having to go through the trouble of bringing him to the vet and getting scanned for a microchip, they can just call me and save a lot of time.

[crazyboutanimals]

well, I TRY TO keep them on 24/7 :rolleyes: :rolleyes: however, Cinni, our little princess LOVES to try to take Thunder's collar off ;) .. i guess it is her way of saying that SHE does not like the color he has on... :D .. the only reason i know she did it is because came home and thunder's Collar was off and in the backyard chewed up :confused: ... then, a few days later we caught the little princess in the act when she was tugging on thunder's collar :D .... sooo, i guess you could say they stay on, unless Cinni does not Approve of the collar.

[BC_MoM]

Mickey and Molly only wear their collars when we go for walks. I don't have them on when we just go outside to play, and they are never on in the house.

The only one who has a collar on 24/7 is Jersey, because she ran away in December and had no collar or tags on.

[IRescue452]

Mine wear collars 90% of the time. Occasionally I'll forget to put one on Autumn after grooming and she'll run around naked for the day. Then I realize it after puting her out to the bathroom. She doesn't get leashed in the backyard so a collar is a must. The cats wear collars but none of the current three have tags yet.

[Rachel]

Mine wear their collars all the time. They don't play wrestle or anything like that so I don't have a problem with these two, but Tucker will occasionally get his caught on one of the scatter rugs. With my previous dogs I did have one occasion, like Pam, where there was a more serious snag between the two. Accidently getting out is probably the more likely thing to happen in my house, hence the collar wearing. Both T & H are also microchipped.

[dab_20]

I leave the dogs collars on all the time except when they are in their kennels. Sammy's collar got caught on the kennel as a puppy and he almost strangled himself to death. I'm never going to risk that again.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

My 4 cats keep their collar on all the time. They all love to go outside and visit the neighbourhood ;) . There is a little heartshaped medal with their name and our telephone #.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I don't use collars on my cats, they are indoor only. They do get to go out on the balcony, but we are on second floor and they have never attempted jumping off.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Or our dogs only Jake has a collar on all the time. The reason being he can jump the fence. He rarely jumps, in fact the only times he has gone over has been when we've been on the outside of their 'dog potty yard'. Nonetheless we keep keep a collar on him all the time just in case. The other dogs only wear collars when we leave the yard.

Of our cats only Sundae wears a collar. She's been known to be a bit flighty in the past. It's been a long time since she's tried to escape, but I feel better keeping a collar on her anyway.

[Chilli]

Other.

The cats do not wear collars since they are inside 100% of the time.
Out of the dogs, Frisk is the only one to not wear a collar. Ever since he was young he has never wanted to wander outside of the yard. Even in public, he doesn't stray more than a few feet from me. Of course, though, he is always harnessed when outside of the yard. :)
Skylar & Ethan both wear collars 24/7, though.

[luvofallhorses]

my furkids keep their collars at all times unless they are getting a bath. :)
Miagi our cat is the only one that doesn't wear a collar because he comes right back after he sneaks outside. Tiger wears one because he is more sneakier and I had a little boy try to steal him :rolleyes: and I immediately bought a collar for him and made a tag at work.

[Twisterdog]

Don't have any cats.

My dogs wear nylon collars with their tags all the time. When they are walked on a leash, I put on a choke chain.

[cyber-sibes]

My dogs wear their collars & tags 24/7.
I never used collars on any of the 10 cats I've owned.

[wolf_Q]

The dogs wear them all the time except when they are in their crates. I remove the collars and set them by the crates then put them right back on when I let them out. Their collars also have tags on all the time. With huskies I can't risk an escape with no way to grab them and no identification (other than microchip) if found.

[CountryWolf07]

Anna & Rosie have their collars on at ALL TIMES!! It's just smart.

[cloverfdx]

Mine go naked when we are at home, i am not going to risk them getting caught up on something... they are microchipped ;). The cat hates collars so she goes naked as well.

[Zippy]

Zippy and Pumpkin have there collars on at all times.They have bells on them so I can find them easier.Pumpkin can sneak anywhere.

[beeniesmom]

The collars stay on when someone is home.
They get taken off when home alone and crated.

[ParNone]

I think there's risk no matter which way you go. So you gotta know your dogs and choose the lesser of the risk to them. And then do a whole lot of praying that your choice works out.

I know with mine, I've always felt it was a greater risk to the leave the collars on them all the time. When Murph was younger, I witnessed him getting his collar caught and the panic that issued from him. If I hadn't been home, I've no doubt he would have strangled himself to death.

On the flip side, I've not really had escape issues that would make me panicky for them not to have their collars on if they got loose. Not too long ago, I was at my Mom's. All 3 were in the backyard, while I was in the house. One of us didn't latch the gate fully. I went outside to put my stuff in the car to head back home and realized the gate was open and no doggies were in the yard. I went running around the corner towards the front. And there calmly sat Oz and Gull at the back of my SUV making sure they didn't miss their ride home. Meanwhile, Murpher was busily peeing on every bush in sight, so he didn't even make it half way down the driveway.

So for me no collars on, unless we're away from home.

Par...

[kb2yjx]

All the Campbell Clan cats wear their collars and tags 24/365. They are microchipped as well....

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Mine wear their collars pretty much 24/7. I take Sadie's off a night, because she sleeps in my room, and she has a tendancy to shake her head at night and the clanking of her tags is waaay annoying... Rita wears her 24/7, except for baths. With Rita, she is a major escapee... and I just don't want to risk anything. :)

[lute]

Beanie, Chloe and Gracie wear their collars all the time. Tallon, the Aussie I'm raising only wears his collar when I am walking him on a leash.

[Andie]

Other.

Bull wears his collar 24/7 with a few exceptions. I usually take it off for a bath and put it back on after he's completely dry. Mom and Dad take it off every now and then when Duke gets a little too rough but I always put it back on. Duke will wear a collar but he usually doesn't have it on, just a harness when we go for a walk. Katie loves her collar and will wear it til it rots off her if we let her. Problem is Duke destroys every collar we put on her in the house so she's usually naked unless on a walk. We are back in a small town so everyone knows everyone else's animals around here so they can never get far.

Isis usually wears her collar 24/7 when we are living alone but since we are living with my parents she hasn't worn it so she can sneak around Duke. It's on for car rides and the few trips outside.

My two still have tags with our Columbia address on them. :eek: I need to get them new ones. :o

[Danegirl2208]

Their regular collars (nylon/lether) are on all the time..choke chains are taken off when I am not around.

[mmp777]

In my apartment I don't have the collar on Bella Luna, but when we go out she has her collar on and also a harness. If we are at my parents house that collar stays on all the time.

[leansnslobbers]

I leave collars with identification on all the time.

[slleipnir]

Mine normally have their collars on all the time. It has their ID on it so if they ever get away then people know where to call. The cats don't wear any. I find they scratch them and they fray so it's pointless to bother.

[tannermama]

Actually, I only have a dog, Tanner, and he wears a collar all the time, except when he gets his bath.