Martingale Collar?

[JMFS]

I saw an article that mentioned a Martingale collar today. Wouldn't that be the same as a slip collar? It looks like the same theory to me. I created what I call a safety slip out of Gertie's lead - it only slips to a certain point. It used to get super tight on her so I improvised by tying two knots. One is loose and one is tight enough to where she can't slip out but nowhere near tight enough to cause discomfort like it was before. I've come to view the leash as a thing to tie us together to keep her safe rather than a thing of control. I was wondering if the Martingale collar works similarly to my safety slip. Her neck is bigger than her head so she can slip out of the collar, which is why I was thinking that Martingale might be a solution, but I'm just not sure. Her current collar needs to be loosened a bit as it's getting to be tight around her neck, but I'm concerned about it slipping off.

 

I'm not a fan of harnesses, especially since her hair is thin around where a harness would hit and when we walk we book it full speed ahead (14:06 minute mile currently and I'm pushing to get back to a 12:30 minute mile). I don't want miss thing to be in discomfort from a harness rubbing and at that pace it most likely would. My brother's poor dog was rubbed raw by his set up the last time they went hunting. Ol' Gordo covered 11 miles in 30 or so minutes according to his fancy schmancy GPS collar (I can't remember the exact minutes, but I'm in the ballpark). Our piddly pace is nowhere near that, but with the heat and humidity here things tend to stick to the skin and rub. Even though dogs don't sweat moisture does accumulate in warm areas of the body due to the humidity. We look Lovely after our walks, haha.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi Jennifer,

In some ways, the martingale collar may look similar to a slip collar, but the martingale has a limit as to how tight it will get around the dog's neck, hence why it's also called a half check collar or limited slip collar. I can't say if your leash with two knots will work in the same manner because I never used a leash in this manner and don't know what material of leash you are using, how tight it gets, and if it could cause issues in the short or long run. I have mostly used martingales made by a company known as 2HoundsDesign which specializes in them which has models without chains.

 

Martingales are used for dogs with necks that are larger than their heads and are popular among sighthound owners, which is why they are often called "greyhound collars" or "whippet collars" Dogs with this conformation are more likely to back out of regular buckle collars and therefore this collar was crafted with these dogs in mind. Many dog owners with Houdini dogs who back out of their collars use them as well.

 

This collar is made of two "loops" a larger one often made of fabric that is slipped over the dog's head and around the dog's neck, and a smaller loop, referred to as the "control loop," that's often made out of chain or fabric and has a ring that is used to attach the leash to it.

 

I hear you about the harnesses. I know of some dogs who have trouble with them. Irritation around the thin armpit areas is something some dogs may be prone to. The good thing is that there are many models nowadays made of padding to help dogs with sensitive skin or with little hair to pad the area behind the front legs. I know of some owners who have the padding for their harness custom-made. I don't know how well these would fare overtime in hot, very humid weather though in terms of durability/comfort.

[JMFS]

Nifty! Thank you - that's what I was hoping to hear. :) That's precisely how my lead works - it can only slip so far so she's not going to choke, but she can't escape it, either.