Showing Collars; what's fair?

I would never use a collar which chokes or causes any discomfort in any way as I'm sure you would agree! Does anyone know of any normal pet collars which aren't very wide and don't hurt their necks, this is just for fun, family type dog shows, nothing serious

Any suggestions would be very welcome and very appreciated!

I once ordered some very nice christmas collars for my boys from Tillymint dog designs.. (they have a FB page) there are some great designs with padding if you want you can customise many of the designs and at a resonable price.

For showing, assuming your dog will walk near you on a slack lead then you only need to choose a collar / lead that shows off your dog to its best. For example most Sight hounds are shown using a thin round collar lead combined, this can be worn high on the dogs neck to show off the length of neck. Obviously using this sort would be wrong if you had a puller as then it would tend to choke it, but then again a dog pulling against the lead would not do good in a show as the judge would be unable to see its movement properly.

Show leads and collars are designed to show off your dog to its bes,t advantage, in other words not distract the eye from the dog . Your dog should be sufficiently trained not to pull on the lead and collar and walk or trot nicely along side you. Depending on the breed will depend on the type,of collar , lead, slip lead , Half check or snake chain you will use, what suits you and your dog best.

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Damn software! — it deleted a whole PARAGRAPH when I edited. Grrr.

Anyway, replacing my former text:
I used a martingale show lead, nylon cord with a wide flat center section of narrow webbing, which is worn to the front, to protect the dog’s neck if either handler or dog should pull on the leash.

I used it for ring-training as well as in the ring, as I wanted distinct gear to be associated with a new activity, not with walks to the park, etc.

I deliberately chose one with a wide center section, not a threadlike cord the same width as the string lead, but a flat band worn to the front, which protects the dog’s neck, if either the handler or the dog should pull on the leash.

They’re not expensive, they are lightweight & fairly durable, & they are a distinct cue to the dog that we will be showing - as opposed to strolling, galloping around the garden, or playing with other dogs.

Teaching the dog not to pull, but at the same time to move along briskly, is part of what I want to associate a show lead with - there’s a whole script of behaviors that go along with being in the show ring, don’t dawdle but trot, don’t sniff but move head up, don’t solicit attn from the other ppl or the other dogs...
It’s easier to get all that going as a coherent whole, when the dog has distinctive gear to hang all those associations on.

Alternatively, U could buy a HALF-check collar, similar to this but less costly:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRIMUH0/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01MRIMUH0

...& remove the chain loop, then attach that half-check section to any standard martingale show lead that has RINGS, connecting the center section to the 2 ends of the string-lead.

Like this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mendota-Ma...7545023&sr=1-10&keywords=Martingale+show+lead

What color is the dog? - that combo of black half-collar, silver trim, brown lining, black lead, & small brown leather slide would look good on almost any color or pattern, but especially on a B&T or solid black dog, or a tuxedo (black body, white trim).

- terry

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