Collar Touches and Dog Personal Space

Many dogs are very uncomfortable with someone touching their collar.  That space around the neck is very sensitive to dogs.  It comes from a dog’s natural fear of another dog grabbing their neck in a fight.  The neck bite can be lethal for a dog.  This is how wolves eventually kill their prey.  

In our human society, a dog really needs to accept having his collar or harness touched or grabbed in the case of an emergency.  Several years ago, I saw a dog in the middle of the highway in total confusion and panic as cars flew by at 60 mph.  Three cars stopped to try to catch the dog to get her off the highway.  When someone would get close to her and tried to get her collar, she would bolt and run further away.  In this situation, not allowing someone to touch her collar was going to make a bad situation even worse and potentially fatal.  

This could also happen on a walk down a trail when you spy wildlife such as a moose, elk or even a coyote.  If your dog is not happy about having their collar touched or grabbed in an emergency situation, or letting someone guide them with the collar, this can be a very serious situation.

I am one that believes dogs should have collars on them for this very reason.  I see dogs everywhere with no collars running free in downtown situations.  This truly is a recipe for disaster.  It is not cool or safe to have a dog in a public situation without a collar (and a leash) on.  Harnesses can be incredibly cumbersome and very uncomfortable for your dog, but a well fitted flat collar or rolled leather collar for everyday wear with a name ID on it is simply the safe thing to do.

The best way to prevent your dog from being afraid or uncomfortable with the collar tug, is to practice it all the time, especially as a puppy.  If you have adopted a dog, you might even see how the dog feels about a collar tug before adopting so you know what you need to work on.  

The game is simple.  Take a treat in one hand then shake your dog’s collar. Give her a treat.  Repeat at least 5 times.  Then gently take the collar and guide her to your hand with the treat in it about 2 feet away.  Practice another 5 times.  This should be done every day for several weeks.  Have friends practice so she isn’t afraid of people she may not know well touching her collar.  You would not believe how many dogs I work with that are not comfortable with having their collar touched by someone else.

Simple safety exercises can save your dog’s life.  It’s just that many times we don’t recognize how important something so simple can be in an emergency situation unless you have had it happen to you.  

Caption:  I start all my puppies on collar touches very young, and continue throughout their lives.