collars

Comments

• Ryu

  February 2009 edited November -1

  get a cheap buckle nylon collar now because your shiba will chew through it in no time! I wouldn't spend a lot on a fancy new collar b/c (1) she'll outgrow it or (2) she'll chew through it first
  
  For walking, I started our puppy shiba on a harness since his neck was so teeny but a buckle collar would also be fine. If you're scared about her slipping out of the buckle collar, go with a harness for first-time walking. Sometimes, puppies can hurt their necks in a martingale collar while still young and learning how to walk on lead. You can eventually move up to martingales when they grasp the whole walking on lead thing.
  
  Just my $0.02!
• lindsayt

  February 2009 edited November -1

  I use rolled collars on my adult dogs, but I would definately not trust a new dog or puppy with one because they can easily be slipped. I sometimes use harnesses or martingales for walks for that reason. Rolled leather is great for an at home handle, but a martingale/harness might be more reliable option.
• Calia

  February 2009 edited November -1

  When I first got Tetsu, I "borrowed" my mom's harness for the chihuahua. He grew out of it in a couple of weeks, plus my mom wanted it back, so I went to petco and got a cheap buckle collar. Sometimes at places like Petco and Petsmart they will have discontinued collars and harnesses on sale for real cheap, so it doesn't hurt to look in the discount racks.
  
  Like Pam said, they're just going to grow out of it, so you shouldn't get anything fancy at first. We got Tetsu a nylon quick-release collar, as these have a great amount for size adjustment compared to the metal buckle collar, and can sometimes cost less. Once he grew to the collars largest adjustment, we got him a metal buckle collar that he still wears today. We hope to get him a fancy collar when he hits 1yr, and use it for special occasions.
  
  Another idea, is to borrow old collars/harnesses from friends who had puppies of similar size to a shiba. This can help give you a feel for the type of collar/harness without the investment.
• lindsayt

  February 2009 edited February 2009

  I got Beebe her "big girl collar" on her 1 year birthday and she wore it on her graduation night of one of her obedience classes. It was a fancy flat leather collar with rhinestones. It was getting a little dusty, so I brought it out and put it on Ike for a walk (he was adorable even in a foo-foo collar), and the butt head slipped right out of it and took off down the driveway. It was on tight, too, but his fat neck was bigger than his noggin so it slipped right off. After that, it's been martinagles or a harness on walks.
• lepercann

  February 2009 edited November -1

  We always use a Lupine harness for Triton. It seems more comfortable for walking than a collar, and his neck is so teeny that collars just didn't seem to work!
• heem_infinite

  February 2009 edited November -1

  i would just get a nylon harness for the puppy until they are over 6 months old. i bought my shiba a puppia3 harness too early and the little maniac chewed threw it while i was in the shower one day. i would try to find one with metal buckles too. my little terror has been intentionally chewing and breaking the buckles. i wouldn't trust regular collars on the tiny pups as they will slip out a lot.
• sunyata

  February 2009 edited November -1

  We use the Lupine step-in harnesses for Bella and Nola on major walks and all hikes. They also both have martingale collars for their ID tags and for quick walks. I would definitely use a harness for a puppy, and a martingale/harness once your pup reaches 6+ months.
  
  The Lupine harnesses are awesome in the fact that they are guaranteed (even if chewed). We went through that with Nola's first harness, and they replaced it immediately. It was pretty great.
• rockinhlabs

  February 2009 edited November -1

  Never owning a Shiba (raising Labrador Retrievers for years), we were unsure also. I started out with a black nylon collar, however Skippy absolutely hated it. Someone suggested a Puppia harness. He absolutely loves it and will stand by the back door and try to put his head into it when it's time to go out. They are very comfortable and safe. Good luck.