Collars

[iggylove]

I know it's been a day and all, and I'm not sure how the previous breeder (who owned him) dealt with collars, but Mario seems to be itching like crazy at his collar. Even the breeder who brought him to us said he had an itchy collar.

So I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for collars (if there are any) that seem to be less of a hassle as far as itching goes.

Thanks! :)

-Iggylove

[joycenalex]

what kind of a collar is he wearing? is it roomy enough? can you slide 2 fingers between his neck and the collar? have you looked at his neck skin to make sure he doesn't have a scratch or a sore there? how long has he been wearing a collar? sorry for so many questions:) joyce and alex

[Heather Wallace]

Some animals have allergies to collars, some go a bit bald around their neck area.

I think you can by hypoallergenic collars which are less itchy for them, try your vets.

[iggylove]

We believe the collar he's wearing is nylon. It seems to be roomy enough, he can shake his head and sometimes he gets it to slide somewhat; and we can fit two fingers between the collar and his neck. We can't see any sores/scratches under his collar when we peek in, nor when he can move it around on his neck. And we're not sure how long he's been wearing a collar. He may be getting used to it, though. :p

And thanks for the suggestion for the hypoallergenic collar. We'll check it out.

[joycenalex]

so maybe there is a problem with the threads in the nylon or the dye job on/in the nylon. a different collar, a cloth or leather one might help. good luck!

[AdoreMyDogs]

My moms little shih tzu pup had a hard time getting used to his collar, too. He itched and scratched and rubbed at his collar, but it wasn't the collar that was itchy, it was Ritz's resistance to it. He just plain didn't like it! After about a week he got used to it though, we'd leave it on him for longer and longer periods. Now he wears it 95% of the time, only taking it off for brushing and bathing.

I hope he gets used to the collar soon. Good luck and congrats again on finally getting that adorable little guy :)

[iggylove]

Thanks, everyone for your suggestions.

To see if things got better, my dad bought Mario a new, leather collar. He still scratches at it, but I think that's just because he's getting used to wearing a collar, and I've noticed that the scratching has lessened. :)

-Iggylove

[shais_mom]

I had a full-size greyhound (desceased) and I would STRONGLY reccomend you getting a Martingale collar for Mario. You can find them at your pet store under the name Martingale collars or simply greyhound collars. If you want a leather one try going under a search engine like www.google.com or www.iwon.com and put in martingale collars and you can order leather ones. They are more expensive but they are very nice and should last forever.
If I ever get another greyhound, or get a doberman or any dog that their head is smaller than their neck I would definately get this type of collar.
They slip out of them so easily, these are made to stop that. I even used one of Shaianne's old ones on Keegan when she slipped out of her collar when she was smaller. I didn't want her to wear it as her regular collar b/c her head is bigger than her neck and its more difficult to get it off.
The one type of collar I would NEVER
get is the ones with the plastic clip. If you have a smaller dog they would be fine I suppose but Shaianne (my greyhound) broke one apart and was gone So fast I couldn't even say "WAIT". They are just not safe to me. I would get one that has a belt like buckle which is what Keegan has now.
I will admit when she was a smaller puppy she did have one that had a plastic clip but she was so small I couldn't find anything else.
Good luck with Mario he is a cutie!