I think they are the “halties” I see around, since people are mentioning controlling the nose.
No, it’s like a combination collar/choke chain made out of nylon or leather strap with a loop/draw string where the leash attaches. The loop makes it only tighten so far, not indefinitely like a choke chain–unless attached to a fixed object and twisted, as when a dog turns around attempting to free itself. Then it will tighten so much even a dog standing still and not fighting will be choked to death.
My dog walks nicely( most of the time) in a collar, but I use a harness on him anyway as it gives me more control if he does decide to pull but only when we walk. A lot of times, if I am just running somewhere with him, I get lazy and put his slip lead on him from shows - just much easier to deal with getting on and off.
Mine never wears a collar in the house, mainly for safety reasons, but he’s not one to run out the door, so that’s not a worry. I also don’t put one on him when he’s in the yard - which I am not so happy about but he goes bounding through the bushes and under the brush and I am not always out there watching him. I am more terrified that he will get caught and choke himself than I am of him getting out, as I always check ALL the gates before he gets let out.
My friend harasses me all the time bc he doesn’t wear a collar but I tell her the only reason she has collars on hers is so she can tell them apart 
I used to leave collars on all of our dogs. The ones who can go out into the yard but stay on the property still have theirs with their tags, of course. These dogs mostly sit on the front deck waiting in vain for the chance to run down the hill to catch the resident groundhog. :winkgrin:
I used to leave collars on the “inside” dogs, who go out back in a fenced area. However, one of the dachshunds is a digger (I’m going to have her plow my garden next Spring :lol:) so hers is off. I went ahead and took the others off, too. Just too much of a chance getting caught on something, even though DH is home all day.
My light bulb moment came when I had the little yorkie poo in the bathroom once while we were gone. She got her collar caught on that little springy thing that prevents the door from slamming into the wall. She was OK, just stuck, but I about had a heart attack.
I walk my dog in one of these: http://www.pet360.com/product/7616/starmark-dog-training-collar?utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=pla&extcid=PLA&mr:referralID=9618e97c-90f4-11e4-ac6c-001b2166c2c0&gclid=CJr2u5638MICFWFp7Aod0T8AuA
She respects it wonderfully when a metal prong collar was way too strong. I am very cautious to not jerk on the leash or cause any unnecessary movement on the collar.
For everyday wear and holding her tags, she is in one of my flat collars: https://www.etsy.com/listing/123872846/orange-and-maroon-plaid-handmade-dog?
I always use martingale collars to walk the dogs (because they can’t back out of them). I never leave them on in the house. Two dogs wear flat collars in the house, one doesn’t because of the way she play fights with another dog and the ancient cocker doesn’t like it banging against her food bowl.
I like the martingale collars because they’re easier to get on and still be snug enough for leash-walking.
My mom and I breed Goldens, and have experienced the heartache of hearing from one of our clients that her 1yo just got strangled to death because she was wearing her collar… never ever ever leave ANY collar on. Microchip them. Fence in the yard (a real fence, not a st*pid electric fence that anything with half a brain learns how to run straight through).
OK, rant over…
[QUOTE=Orion;7932790]
What is a martingale collar? [/QUOTE]
Here is a pic. The small loop can be cloth or chain.
For everyone else, this thread is from 2011.:eek:
We have martingales for our Greyhounds.
They only wear them for walks…as the above poster said, they can strangle a dog if it gets caught on something.
One of his only downfalls, he’s part bloodhound and loves to sniff everything and pull on the leash a lot when walking. We have him in dog school (more so for me to learn to deal with a dog since I’m only used to dealing with horses) and the instructor recommended considering a martingale collar for him since he is a big strong boy and his nose takes over.
I don’t understand- martingale collars are NOT no- pull devices. They won’t give you any extra control over a dog, nor will they help you stop a dog from pulling. All they do is stop a dog from being able to back out of or slip out of the collar.
If you need a collar to help you control a powerful undertrained dog, you want a prong collar, not a martingale.
I have a bloodhound mix, and she doesn’t pull on the leash nor does her nose “overpower” her because we spent a lot of time training her to not do these things. She only pulls when we put her tracking harness on, which is exactly what she’s supposed to do. So don’t excuse your dog’s behavior based on breed, just train it away.
It helps if you find an outlet for the dog’s natural behaviors- if the dog gets plenty of time being ORDERED to sniff things aka tracking or nosework, the dog is much less likely to be “overpowered” by these instincts. You put them under stimulus-control. Sniff now, track now, and then stop doing so for regular walks. Works really well for practically any innate dog behaviors.
I have a martingale collar for my chocolate lab. I like it because as others have stated they can’t slip them (not that she is likely to ever attempt it…or go anywhere even if she did)…but I just like that security.
She does not wear it in the house. I have leather collars for both dogs although they very rarely wear them, particularly when home alone. When we first got them we had an incident when they were playing and got tangled up one almost broke a jaw and the other almost got choked. I also know a few people who have had dogs hang themselves while home alone, so my dogs go naked.
I agree however that a martingale is not likely going to help with pulling. The action of the martingale collar is really no different with a flat collar with the exception that it tightens a bit when pressure is exerted. My other dog is a bit of a puller (moreso a bit of a “I’m going to pay attention to everything but you-er” LOL) and this collar was totally ineffective on her. After trying a variety of options that she hated we went with a prong for walking on the advise of a trainer and it works perfectly for her. She is polite on the leash and respects it rather than fighting it every step.
Any option is going to have it’s proponents and detractors. I think it depends on your dog.
another vote for gentle leader. my old beagle was pretty much impossible to walk in anything else
