Anxious without a collar

[Shamas mom]

Shamas gets really anxious if I take off his collar, but it's not fitting properly anymore. The replacement is a martingale. I'd like to condition him to not wear a collar before the puppy gets here. I don't want a collar being a handle for the puppy to teeth on, which it would easily be as loose as it is.

Any suggestions for teaching him to go tagless? If he reacts terribly, I'll get him a breakaway for at him and walk him on the Martingale..but I don't want to go that route, as there's the risk of someone clipping a leash to it forgetting about the breakaway feature.

I'm going to start today with loosening a notch...

 

[Atemas]

I got into the habit of taking Red’s collar off at night or if we left both dogs (when Sky was alive) alone in their room when we went out. Gradually, that extended to when we came in from her last walk. Now I take it off after her lunchtime walk (no evening walk cos of lockdown). I prefer her without a collar. It goes back on every morning for her morning walk. It’s now routine.

Could you try taking it off at bedtime?

 

[Emily]

Could you take it off for meal times so he starts to see the collar coming off as a good thing?

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

@Emily 's idea of taking it off for feedings is a great idea. You could add multiple very short periods during the day (just a couple minutes) of taking it off, feeding him high value treats, and then putting it back on.

I've got the opposite problem - Carbon won't wear a collar indoors. He's my first dog who doesn't wear a collar and bandana 24/7.

 

[Shamas mom]

I took of the collar instead of the leash coming in from the yard last night, and he didn't react to that- so we may have the solution there. I often unclip his harness and drop it rather than take off the leash from the harness. NO sign of anxiety. I've since put on this harnesss, and walked him multiple times. He's still wearing his bandana, but I figured that was less of an issue- cotton would tear on puppy teeth and it's so loose he could easily pull out of it. It sits low on his shoulders.

I think as he's still "dressed" he's not worried about the collar. His Martingale is on the way, and I don't see why he can't wear the bandana with that. I'll avoid things like shirts with the puppy new in the house- I've heard that clothes can inhibit proper body language cues so the less he wears the better.

I prefer Shamas look without a collar, and would love to tag all of his harnesses with his license number. He's got three that he wears regularly

 

[Natalie]

I prefer Shamas look without a collar,

I'm in this camp. Monty has only worn a collar on a small number of occasions generally when we are on holiday, and it's always a harness on walks.

I've heard a few worrying stories of dogs getting collars caught on all sorts of things, as well as while playing with each other. I have a personal 'thing' around not liking my neck touched and think I have transferred this onto dog collars, it just feels such an important and sensitive part of their body to put so much control over on a lead.

I guess that's balanced out with where you live, we are at the end of a cul de sac, so there's very little and only slow traffic so I'm happy to risk a naked dog.

 

[Shamas mom]

That's where I like the Martingales- I can just slip it on him on the way out the door, and slip it off when we get home. He can feel and hear the chain move, so the collar is nearly always loose, but if he DOES back out, I don't have to worry about him slipping his lead.

I was a bit worried the new one was too small when it came, but as it turned out it's about perfect- I just got used to his collars being big on him. His last Martingale was too big, which was why we stopped using it. This one fits much differently lol.

 

[edzbird]

When we got Meg we had to go collarless as they play very roughly together and it's too risky in collars. Coco looked weird at first, but now I much prefer him naked. He did used to fuss when I took his collar off, but he very quickly got used to it. Now he likes the routine of putting it on for a walk. If I'm late for the walk he'll go and nudge the collars off the radiator where they hang, to remind me "WALKIES".

 

[Stacia]

My first dog hated having her collar off, so we buried her with it on. Non of my dogs since wear a collar in the house, only when we go out for a walk.

 

[Selina27]

Non of my dogs since wear a collar in the house, only when we go out for a walk.

Cassie too, I often take it off when we are out walking aswell.

 

[kateincornwall]

Cassie too, I often take it off when we are out walking aswell.

Same here Helen x

 

[Candy]

When we got Meg we had to go collarless as they play very roughly together and it's too risky in collars. Coco looked weird at first, but now I much prefer him naked. He did used to fuss when I took his collar off, but he very quickly got used to it. Now he likes the routine of putting it on for a walk. If I'm late for the walk he'll go and nudge the collars off the radiator where they hang, to remind me "WALKIES".

Joy also nudges her collar/ lead if she feels her walk is overdue.

 

[Shamas mom]

Shamas has taken ot standing next to the chair that I hang his collar and Martingale on. And stares.

He always stands and stares when he wants something, so polite lol. Never pushy.