With a quick release clip you just squeeze the sides, then it compresses & comes apart. In my experience the metal ones are a bit more dependable than the plastic ones which can (not easily, but they can) be pulled apart with a strong yank.
Definitely! Better safe than sorry. And, yes, when properly fitted a martingale collar is safe & humane. They should be adjusted so that when they tighten up it's just enough to prevent it from slipping over his head. They are appropriate only for supervised use, though, so put on for walking purposes, but not left on or used as the primary 'tag' collar.We're practicing recall with a long line, but he is pretty single-minded when he starts to follow his nose so I'm not sure he'll ever master that one 100%. I'd rather someone didn't have to wait until a vet opens to get his chip scanned if he gets away from me, so, yeah he needs to wear his ID.
I'm considering a martingale collar too just because he has a weird double chin that causes his collar to be tighter in some spots than others. Do you feel that martingale collars are safe and humane?
I love it! My reactive little one will 'remind' me that he deserves a treat at times, too. This morning when we were walking up our road we saw four turkeys run across about 10 yards in front of us - something that was very exciting for all three dogs. They all got treats for not making a big fuss, other than lots of excited watching (and Beckett bouncing around a bit at the end of his long leash) On the way home, when we got to that spot in the road, he came over & pranced right next to me, looking up, smiling & licking his lips! It was obvious he was saying "Mama! This is where the turkeys were! Don't I get treats??" LOL!We've worked on his leash skills quite a bit. He walks very nicely for me, although not really in a heel position. He will do that, it's just not how I need him to walk with me most of the time. I'm happy as long as he's not pulling.
The late night crazies that he used to get have pretty much stopped. I have no explanation for it, as I didn't really specifically do any extra night time training as was suggested. We just went out one night and he behaved more or less normally and he has ever since. His reactive tendencies just sort of stopped one day (except for the possum encounters). It caught me by surprise to tell you the truth. We were walking one day and we saw another dog. I prepared myself for the usual struggle and got a handful of treats ready. I turned and said 'come' and he just did, no struggle, no barking, he just turned and came with me and looked up at me with a little gleam in his eye. I kid you not, he nudged my treat pouch with his nose after he did it. I'm sure the man with the husky thought I was a complete nut when I sat down in the wet grass and gave my dog a big neck hug. I still walk him at odd times and try to avoid triggers to some extent. I don't want to over do it. I have some fear that he will start all of that again as quickly as he stopped, but so far so good. And again, I have no explanation for it. I'm sure the training helped to some extent, but I honestly think it might just be a matter of him finally getting comfortable and settled in.
Still though, the possum is a problem, a big one, and we're most likely to encounter that possum on late night potty breaks when I don't feel like putting a harness on him and just want to use his regular old collar, but maybe I should reconsider that.
It's not too bad (I used to have four) One of mine is walked off leash, so I'm only juggling two & since we're walking out on country roads I use long retractable leashes (I know, not appropriate for most situations, but in my location they work the best) They're all old enough to know the routine & have learned decent leash manners, which includes not switching sides & turning our walk into something that looks like a crazed maypole dance! LOLNice work! I would be pretty excited myself if I saw 4 turkeys run across the road. I bet it's hard at times to walk 3 dogs all together. They must be very well behaved.