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Collars with tags. Should they be on 24/7?

2K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  cshellenberger 
#1 ·
For dogs who cannot be trusted to not venture out. Should they have a collar with tags on 24/7? My dogs are in the backyard mostly, but they also come inside. The backyard is 100% secure, they cannot dig under the fences or go over. But they WILL go out the back door/garage or front door if left open. They've sometimes sneaked outside while someone was coming in or out.

The advice I've got from family/friends is to keep their collars/tags on 24/7 just-incase, because if they do go missing, it would be a million times easier to get them back if their collars & tags are on.Note: On new years day @ night, one of the dogs sneaked outside when a few of us came home at night, they're small dogs (westies) and our girl was just out the front with no collar on and ended up taking a walk down the street.I had to calm go grab her...such a scary experience...and she had no collar/tags on...this is a dog that can't be trusted off-leash on walks, (she's almost got lost on walks when i USED to left her off-leash, i gave up trying to teach her to be off-leash and listen)

The only reason I have been taking them off is because they're west highland terriers, they have wirey hair...and for some reason the fur on the necks looks wired when their collars have been on for a few days. They're leather collars, so I usually take them off when it rains...and if it's too hot I take them off aswell. Just wondering if I should just stop taking the collars off and leave em on....and just accept the fact the fur near their collar is gona go wierd.
 
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#2 ·
I think it's a good idea to leave ID tags on dogs at all times, yes. My dogs always wear their collars. . .I know there are risks but I think not having tags on is a bigger risk for my dogs. Are your dogs microchipped?

There are some collars available that don't mess up their fur so much. Round collars seem to be the most common.
 
#3 ·
I keep ours on for the same reason, he bolts and it could be dangerous not to. For them, you could probably find a very small break away or something just to leave your information on. I hate the mark it leaves on his fur but it's better than losing him.
 
#4 ·
I would always air on the side of caution, especially if they spend a lot of time outside - and especially if one of them has escaped for a little walk before.

I don't have a secured yard for my pup, so I don't have the same experience. But when he's just hangin' around the house, I definitely take his collar off - nice to be naked sometimes ;)

In your situation, I would definitely recommend keeping them collared up. Maybe you can take them off when they are inside for the night?
 
#8 ·
This is also great advice. Dogs can get caught up on all sorts of things and while a break away isn't fail safe, it may help your dog if they get their collar stuck on something.

My best advice would be to not leave your front door open and train the dogs to not sneak out when someone's coming inside. A collar with ID tags won't stop them from getting hit by a car if they're running loose.
 
#10 ·
It depends on the dog. I dont have a collar & tags on Buster all the time. The risk of him getting the collar and/or tags caught on something is much higher than the risk of him going for a walk without supervision.
 
#11 ·
There is no risk at all that he could get on the loose?

I have never heard of a dog in this area choking to death because of getting a collar hooked into something(that's not to say it's impossible). I have many many times heard of a dog getting hit by a car, or just simply getting on the loose never to be found again. Tags are a necessity in my mind.
 
#18 ·
Well if you wanna be a smartalec, I can be one too.
You said "my dog has been caught by his collar". Not "my dog has been caught by his collars".

Hopefully I don't have to explain the difference.
And with that i am done. I LOVE having people like you on here! Makes for a wonderful place.
 
#12 ·
I look at the reverse. The collar provides identification that he is a loved companion (not a released stray), in the one catastrophic instance when he gets away by accident. So, my dog wears his collar 24x7 ... even when he's sleeping in the house at night. He is also chipped. .... Plus everyone in the neighborhood know him.
 
#13 ·
Molly is an opportunistic runner. She is microchipped but, when she's had tags on, I've gotten phone calls from neighbors a block (or sometimes a few miles) away. By the time her chip is read, it means she's been picked up by animal control and driven over to the county shelter and it'll cost me $150 to get her back. I'm happy to say she's getting better, but she's not completely trustworthy yet.

Esther, on the other hand, no longer has any interest in leaving us - even for a brief adventure. She has reached that point in her life when she realizes things are not better, or even more interesting, out there. When she used to run with Molly, there was no chance that anyone was going to catch her to read her tags OR her microchip.
 
#20 ·
Always, you don't know when an an accident could happen even with the most well trained dogs.

Mine are kept with their I.D.s and rabies tag since in my state a dog can be shot on site if no rabies tag. Also, my terrier is micro-chipped and I fully intend to do the same thing with my puppy once she's older.
 
#23 ·
Mine are microchipped but you'd be surprised how many people don't know about microchips.

Chances are someone will stop and pick the dog up if it's got a collar, as the person can help out without having to go through much effort. But if a person see's the dog and there is no collar...the person could assume "no collar...must be stray and even if its not it has no collar so it would be too much effort for me to get this dog back to the owner"

Depends on the person, but I bet if you asked your average person most likely they'd only intervene and help a dog if it has a collar on
 
#24 ·
We only take Milli's collar off when she is crated when we are not home (I'm afraid she will catch her collar) and at night. I keep it on her during the day as we live on a very busy road and off of an exit ramp for a highway. Years ago I had a dog and a friend let the dog out. :X I would hope if Milli did get loose, someone would see her bright, reflective collar and stop to help.
 
#25 ·
I dont understand the point of putting on the collar and tags only when going out..when most of the time it would come in handy is when the dog escapes from home lol. I mean I understand it for dogs that litterally never leave your side, like my girls, I dont worry about them because...well.. they dont go anywhere, the gate was left open once, unseen for several hours, not one of of the girls bothered to leave the yard, while they were totally unsupervised. but for any dog that has ever chased anything or wandered off in search of whatever, or just a runner? collar and tags remain on 24/7 what good are they otherwise?
 
#26 ·
I dont understand the point of putting on the collar and tags only when going out..when most of the time it would come in handy is when the dog escapes from home lol. I mean I understand it for dogs that litterally never leave your side, like my girls, I dont worry about them because...well.. they dont go anywhere, the gate was left open once, unseen for several hours, not one of of the girls bothered to leave the yard, while they were totally unsupervised. but for any dog that has ever chased anything or wandered off in search of whatever, or just a runner? collar and tags remain on 24/7 what good are they otherwise?
What if the dog is crated? Loki got his collar caught on the crate and couldn't move his head for who KNOWS how long before I got home. That was the last time I ever left my dogs with collars on while I was away.

ETA: Your best bet to make sure your dogs will always make it back home is vigilance and a good recall. I don't worry about my dogs running away because I'm careful about the doors being open and I've drilled them on their recalls endlessly.

If anyone is really relying on a simple collar with ID tags to get their dogs back, instead of training to prevent them from running away... Well, I guess I don't really know what to say about that.
 
#27 ·
My dogs county tags go on my key ring. I have not had one of my dogs wear a collar. I am 44 years old, own a BUNCH of dogs, and none wore collars. I ain't lost one yet. Ever seen a two dogs playing get hung up? It happens and it not a pretty sight. Ever seen a dog caught on a fence by the collar?
 
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