Collars In The House

[Guest FrankieWylie]

After reading the board more and more I am seeing that most folks take their martingale collars off when inside. My question is, what of your pup still needs to be leashed for the time being? Still use the martingale, yes?

 

We have Magic muzzled and leashed still as he and the cat are learning to cohabitat on a regular basis. Just this morning, his leash got caught on the door and scares the ** out of him and us! So, my husband is currently making a shorter leash for inside the house. But that got me thinking....we've been leaving his martingale on in the house because of the leash. That's cool, right?

 

Also, the adoption agency showed is how to adjust and make sure the collar fits properly. But where should their tag collars lay on their necks?

[BatterseaBrindl]

No martingales in the house!

And do not leave the leash on unless you are with the dog.

Use a piece of stout string that will break easily if it gets caught.

 

My guys wear a thin tag collar in the house. They lay farther down the neck, at the base.

 

Nixon's is a very thin braided leather one from Long Dog Leather....nothing to attach a leash to.

 

Ruby often needs to be 'controlled' in the house, so her house collar is just an ordinary thin buckle collar...it will come off over her head, but we can grab it if we need to and it has a ring to attach a leash to.

[Guest BrianRke]

I use martingales only for walks and when we go out somewhere. I can understand what you mean though. My hounds wear their thin break-away tag collars all the time. Sometimes I wish they had on something stronger that I could hold on to when necessary. Maybe try using a regular thin buckle type collar with tags in the house and just put the martingale on over that when you go for walks.

 

That type would be safer around the house than the martingale.

 

A leash will hook to the regular collar if you need to use it in the house, but never have a leash on them unless you are holding the other end of it.

 

I hope this makes sense, I havent had my coffee yet.

[45MPHK9]

But that got me thinking....we've been leaving his martingale on in the house because of the leash. That's cool, right?

 

Cool? No. Very dangerous ? Yes.

 

Your dog can be strangled to death once the leash gets caught on something in your home (as it did today). As the dog struggles to free himself, the leash pulls the martingale tighter and tighter. A shorter leash will not fix this problem.

[Batmom]

Your dog can be strangled to death once the leash gets caught on something in your home (as it did today). As the dog struggles to free himself, the leash pulls the martingale tighter and tighter. A shorter leash will not fix this problem.

 

Exactly.

 

OK to have collar + leash on if you are right there watching. If you're not, collar off (use breakaway tag collar for ID) and dog and cat separated.

[robinw]

But that got me thinking....we've been leaving his martingale on in the house because of the leash. That's cool, right?

 

Cool? No. Very dangerous ? Yes.

 

Your dog can be strangled to death once the leash gets caught on something in your home (as it did today). As the dog struggles to free himself, the leash pulls the martingale tighter and tighter. A shorter leash will not fix this problem.

I agree. It's not a good thing to do at all. I have a friend whose dog's martingale got caught on something in the house and it was very scary. Luckily she was home at the time. Imagine if the leash got caught, also? There are many safer alternatives, such as crating, baby gates, anything is better than a martingale and. Leash inside.

[robinw]

But that got me thinking....we've been leaving his martingale on in the house because of the leash. That's cool, right?

 

Cool? No. Very dangerous ? Yes.

 

Your dog can be strangled to death once the leash gets caught on something in your home (as it did today). As the dog struggles to free himself, the leash pulls the martingale tighter and tighter. A shorter leash will not fix this problem.

I agree. It's not a good thing to do at all. I have a friend whose dog's martingale got caught on something in the house and it was very scary. Luckily she was home at the time. Imagine if the leash got caught, also? There are many safer alternatives, such as crating, baby gates, anything is better than a martingale and leash inside.

Edited November 26, 2011 by robinw

[krissy]

If you have the leash on him in the house I would probably be inclined to use it as more of an umbilical. Attach the leash around your waist and then he goes where you go. He can't get the cats and you immediately know what he's up to and can correct him with a "no kitty!".

 

The other option if you're at a point where you're ready to give him a little more freedom but not ready to completely trust him to not chase the cats is to use a harness and leash. You can have the leash on and not attached to you so he can wander, but you have a chance to grab a hold of something if he tries to chase a cat. Yes, the leash could still get caught on something and give him a jerk, or pull something down on top of him... but if your house is set up in a way that it's not very cluttered etc I would probably be comfortable with that.

 

I think it's a little harsh to say the dog is going to strangle himself and that this was a stupid question. I mean, certainly that's a very real possibility with a martingale and no one home, but it doesn't sound like he's all that far away totally unsupervised. Plus I think we can word things in ways that get the point across that martingales in the house are dangerous, without making the OP feel bad about themselves. JMHO.

[Guest zombrie]

But that got me thinking....we've been leaving his martingale on in the house because of the leash. That's cool, right?

 

Cool? No. Very dangerous ? Yes.

 

Your dog can be strangled to death once the leash gets caught on something in your home (as it did today). As the dog struggles to free himself, the leash pulls the martingale tighter and tighter. A shorter leash will not fix this problem.

I agree. It's not a good thing to do at all. I have a friend whose dog's martingale got caught on something in the house and it was very scary. Luckily she was home at the time. Imagine if the leash got caught, also? There are many safer alternatives, such as crating, baby gates, anything is better than a martingale and leash inside.

 

Oh my gosh, yes, that is very dangerous! Mira almost strangled to death getting caught on a cabinet in the kitchen. That risk skyrockets if a leash is actually attached to the martingale.

[Feisty49]

I would not leave a leash on a dog in the house unless I was holding the other end.

 

I also was concerned about leaving the Martindale collar on Annie Bella because once, when scratching her neck, she got a toe caught in the ring. I didn't want her to have no ID, even in the house, in case she ever got out the door. On another thread it was recommended to buy a collar from this site: http://www.daveengraves.com/ They engrave desired info right into the leather (I have her name and my name, town I live in and my phone number). I requested that no D ring be put on it to avoid a toe-catching problem, so it can't be used as a walking collar. It always stays on her, though, even when using the Martindale for walking. It's narrow, and I keep it very loose. If she ever got it caught on something, she could easily pull out of it.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Thanks!

 

Krissy, I appreciate your concern for the way things are posted! But, it's cool.....I've got thick skin and realize that it is not easy to read into ones "tone" on the internet. And, it's also easy for me to omit things when posting quickly before I forget.

 

If you've followed any of my posts, you'll know that Magic is not just allowed free roam of the house. He is always in close proximity to us. This morning was a fluke in that he was going from my husband's hands to mine, and I was walking away to the hallway (DH let go of the leash for him to come to me). It got caught just as he got to me. We were there, he wasn't caught more than 3 seconds, and then was released. While no harm was done, it WAS a scary experience. It's throughout the forum that leashed and muzzled when they are home is best when they first get there. Especially in our case as we work with Magic and Rosabelle! As I've read more, and seen that martingales are unsafe when in the house, I was inquiring about my own situation. We aren't in a place yet to have Magic away from us, so, where does that leave us with the type of collar and leash to use? That was my question.

 

My fault for not elaborating on the situation. I hope I've cleared up that while he isn't tied to us, we are always within reach, and usually with leash in hand. And yes, this was an example of what CAN happen and why you should always be with them when leashed.

 

We crate anytime we are away, or busy in and out the door and can't devote all our attention to him. While we are in the process of putting up baby gates, that doesn't eliminate the need for us to have a hold on Magic when Rosabelle decided to come in the room and run the opposite direction of the gate.

 

So, as far as answers to my question.....

 

A regular buckle collar

A harness

 

I like the idea of the harness as that may also aid in helping him master the stairs (I think that was recommended in another thread). He doesn't have to frequently use the large stair case to the basement, but he still isn't comfortable with it on his own!

[krissy]

Krissy, I appreciate your concern for the way things are posted! But, it's cool.....I've got thick skin and realize that it is not easy to read into ones "tone" on the internet. And, it's also easy for me to omit things when posting quickly before I forget.

 

Maybe it's just because I'm Canadian. I often find the way things are said on this forum very "direct" sometimes to the point of being taken aback. It's really not just a stereotype... it's true... Canadians really are polite. lol. My American classmates tell me it's like culture shock.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

LOL! Same for me. I spend so much time communicating online not only with friends, but as a part of my business that I have found that I often read....and reread things to be sure it isn't taken in any negative way. I personally have (and write with) a pretty laid back style and use off beat terms as well as sarcasm and humor. Hmmmm, perhaps I should put that in my "About Me"

 

LOL! Same for me. I spend so much time communicating online not only with friends, but as a part of my business that I have found that I often read....and reread things to be sure it isn't taken in any negative way. I personally have (and write with) a pretty laid back style and use off beat terms as well as sarcasm and humor. Hmmmm, perhaps I should put that in my "About Me"

[Walliered]

I put Dog's name, my phone number and then the vet's phone number. I use tag collars on all three of mine in the house. I purchased mine from 2Hounddesigns and they wash and wear really well. No Martingale collars in the house, even when I am home. A scared and panicked 85# Greyhound would be very hard for me to handle alone. And, it seems that when a single dog is screaming , the other two want to kill it! Then it becomes a zoo around here!

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Lots of options for tag collars! There was a leather one I found that I really liked.....gotta find that link. Everything was stamped into the leather. But then, I have to keep the rabies/adoption tag on....sooooo I need to make sure there is a ring of some sort on it? Or are some of you saying that you take off EVERYTHING when you're at home. I am not going to be comfortable with that since we have 4 children. While they are not babies, the youngest is 6 and they frequently go in and out.

 

I guess I could have one "info collar" with everything stamped into it, and then have their rabies/tags/etc. on their martingale. The rabies is only necessary for when we are out and about, right? So, I could leave them on the martingale and take the martingale off when we are in the house.

 

We can just change out Magic's martingale for the regular buckle one when we get in the house. So, he'll have three and Charlie, two Hmmmmm, more things to buy. Oh, darn

[Guest mbfilby]

You got the answers already, but I will add that I often see neked hounds on the board. I believe that having a hound with no tags is even more dangerous than leaving a martingale on. There are any numbers of reasons a hound can get loose from your home when you are there, and when you aren't.

[robinw]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that Magic was only leashed when you were home. I actually tethered Loca to my waist for 1.5 months whenever I was home. The martingale came off whenever I left the house. She was muzzled when I wasn't home.I use a breakaway tag collar on my dog. That way, it will come apart if necessary.

 

Krissy, if you don't think anything bad can happen with a martingale when the person is home, ask Lisa. Max had an awful experience.

Edited November 26, 2011 by robinw

[moofie]

You got the answers already, but I will add that I often see neked hounds on the board. I believe that having a hound with no tags is even more dangerous than leaving a martingale on. There are any numbers of reasons a hound can get loose from your home when you are there, and when you aren't.

 

I tend to remove tag collars when i go out and sometimes while i'm home, but in my house there are dog gates before both front & back doors so the chance of them slipping out the door is slim.

Edited November 26, 2011 by moofie

[greytpups]

I'm not sure if you're aware of this so it may be worth repeating. Please make sure you do not put the dog tags on the D ring of the martingale collar. If they get caught on something, the risk of strangulation increases.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

I'm not sure if you're aware of this so it may be worth repeating. Please make sure you do not put the dog tags on the D ring of the martingale collar. If they get caught on something, the risk of strangulation increases.

 

 

This I did not know! We picked both boys up from the adoption group and their rabies tags were attached to the D-ring. Whereabouts on the collar should you place them?

[robinw]

Here is some good info about how to use martingales...

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Thanks, Robin! That is a great link. We'll switch their tags to the side part

[Wonder]

Here

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Ahhh! Kari, we just have regular old circle key chain rings. I just saw on etsy where you could buy those though! I'm betting I could get the other one on there too. Having lots of fun ordering new things

[Wonder]

I love, love those clips. I got them from LongDog Leather

http://www.longdogleather.com/index.cfm?content=54&Menu=28

scroll down

 

I give them to friends when they tell me they love them. I need to order more since I'm out.

 

My hounds and fosters wear these in the house.

http://www.daveengraves.com/daveengraves_020.htm