well said....I agree

Harnesses can be dangerous when you aren't with your pet - there was a member here who thought she could leave her puppy in a playpen or expen (can't remember) wearing a harness while she stepped out - she came home and you know the end of that story :(- it was horrible to read

:( awe..I bet it was. Loosing a baby is bad enough, but in such a horrible way:(


I use only a harness when we go out and just clip their id's and such on one if it's rings
(besides, every girl has to have her accessories...right??) and...I gots me some bigger girls so no worry about stepping on anyone here.:p

:thumbup::thumbup: good point - especially if she likes to crawl under stuff

I know alot of people like the noise of tags - especially with tiny dogs but I don't think I would - my girls follow my every move and hearing little jingles 24/7 would probably drive me nuts

We should have tags on them I know - I keep my girls tags handy if needed...but in the last 17 years of having dogs - never have had a need

Too late!! LOL:D Your already there:p

I don't use collars or a harness on my babies when we are home or they are home alone, for the simple fact that they can get caught so easily on something. My babies are never out without me and they wear a harness when we are outside. When I first adopted Jada I did put a collar with her tags and a bell so I would be able to hear her walking around. I had never had such a tiny dog before and was scared to death of stepping on her. I would always take the collar off before going to work. I got busy one morning and left without taking it off. I was physically sick when it dawned on me of what I did. I could imagine her getting her tags stuck in the walls of her x-pen, luckily my in-laws live right next door. My father-in-law went over and took her collar off for me. I have never put it on her since. Why take that risk when you don't have too.

***E-Slaps to the back of Chili Dawg's head***

Why be so rude to people and personally attack them after they share a traumatizing experience?? That was rude, inconsiderate, and definitely uncalled for! If you want to use collars then thats your right, but dont be hurtful to other people because they caution about the risks of using them. That is ignorant and childish and you should be ashamed! :thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

I second that:thumbup::thumbup:

I don't use collars at all. I did at one time (not for walking them, just for ID) till someone posted that their dog, or "a" dog got hung up and died on a fence I think. I just use the harness when we go anywhere and for walks with their tags attached with a claw clip so I can change it with each harness they wear. Mine are never out of my sight. I even go outside each and every time they do just in case any birds of prey are lurking about.

I am so sorry this happened to you!

It's a great example of why collars can be so risky in additional to the other "common sense" reasons already mentioned here.
What happened to your baby is raising awareness of something that can happen in the flash of an eye and could have ended with a horrible outcome.
We never use collars, we use a harness and their tags are on the harness!

Wrong! Collapsing trachea can be caused by BOTH.
Please take the time to research things a bit further before you advise others, espeicially when it has already been stated and discussed by so many in the previous posts. You never know who is going to take what you post for fact and end up suffering the consequences because of it.

All sites discussing how collars contribute to collapsing trachea.
Tracheal collapse, collapsed trachea
http://www.vetinfo.com/dtrachea.html
Collapsed Trachea in Dogs
Michigan Veterinary Specialists - Collapsing Trachea

It's not just a simple matter of adjusting a collar....they can get hung up on anything.

Yorkies are prone to collapsed trachea.....no collars for any of my dogs and never used them and don't think they should ever be used on yorkies.....

Collapsed trachea can be genetic...however, collars and environment can contribute to it....especially yorkies...

Having your tags on your dog may or may not help you getting your dog back.....if one really wants to they remove the collar, they can't remove the mircrochip

Lou I am so sorry you had this horrible experience, but so glad everything turned out ok.

Thank you for sharing the story again (I hadn't seen it before), as you have helped me decide against using collars on my dogs. I debate about it cause I would like ID tags (in addition to microchip), especially for my 2 little ones, but after hearing your scary story, I probably won't.

I used collars only for walks, but after reading here, I will soon be switching over to harnesses. I never leave anything on my pets when I leave them unattended in the house. Heck, they get tangled up in underware! :D Think of it like this....if you can imagine what "could" possibly go wrong, then it "can" go wrong. And that pretty much goes for anything around your house. There are many stories here to prove this. Not all accidents can be prevented, I am not saying that at all we just do our best to prevent them and coming here to ask questions and learn is a great way to start!

My first little yorkie, Tashee, always wore a collar. I had no idea how bad it was to walk her while wearing it. She always pulled hard on it and sadly she passed away at the age of 10 from a collapsed trachea. I know it was caused by the collar. Now, my dogs never wear them while on a leash, only harnesses.:(

I D tags
 

I always wear harnesses,but found when I went walking I always had to wear the harness that had the tags so I could never change colors or anything,weel Petco or Petsmart has an ID tag that has a closure like on collars or harnesses so you can take it off and put it on any harness,it is great and so safe,I just love it.

Were these dogs that hung themselves on a playplen, or got their jaw stuck on another dog and needed CPR- were they small Yorkies?? Just wondering.

This might be your personal experience, but each of the 60,000+ members of YorkieTalk has their own personal experiences, opinions, ideas. Sharing of those ideas and being open minded to what others have to say is the only way that we can grow and learn.

It is perfectly reasonable and prudent for someone who has had a tragic or near tragic accident using a collar to be so strongly opposed to them. I was glad that Lou was willing to share her heart wrenching story in an effort to help prevent someone else having tha same experience.

Personally - I do not generally use collars on my kids -- occasionally for tags, charms, decorations, etc. but only when I am taking them out/showing them off. Any time they do have a collar on they are always within my sight.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Great post.

From my eye witness personal knowledge base of vet tech and homeowner stories: German Shepherd Dog hangs self when collar loops around top of chainlink fence as dog was jumping up and down.

Golden Retriever hangs self when choke chain catches on ornamental screen door guard.

Owner of Yorkie comes home to find dog hanging from door handle of screen door where collar slipped over the handle, strangling the dog.

Yorkie dies at home when collar catches on furniture. This dog might have survived, but, being of terrier bloodlines, kept fighting to get free and strangled itself in the process.

Neighbor calls Mom to tell her cat is hanging from a tree, breakaway collar failed to break away. Cat survived.

Owner comes into vets with Yorkie going into shock, collar on tightly but he still got his lower jaw under it and couldn't close it's mouth. Owners couldn't remove collar as dog was in panic mode, and they didn't think to grab sissors and cut the collar off. Yorkie recovered.

Not to mention the countless number of bigger dogs whose owners put collars on their dogs and forget to check the fit as the dog grows, and the dog gets a horrendous wound as the collar cuts into the skin, restricting the airway in some.

Neighbor's cat found dead: cat's lower jaw stuck under flea collar, cat died of toxins in the collar.

Big or small, cat or dog, collars can be dangerous, and deadly.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Thank you!

My sister's Doberman puppy caught her collar on the handle of their buffet and we were all sitting at the kitchen table. She knocked the entire buffet and all of the contents on top of us! It happened so quickly, I saw exactly what had happened but was not able to prevent it. Once she was caught she just started pulling and chocking herself. It was the scariest thing you could even imagine! She no longer has collars on either of her dogs. I can't even imagine what would have happened if we were not right there! I'm sure she would have seriously hurt or even killed if it had happened when they were home alone. :(

I just wanted to touch on this thread also about collars with tiny bells, when charlie was a baby i like alot of others was in fear of stepping on him, so we put the little bell on his collar and his nail got caught in it :( It was scary and painful for us both, I was able to undo it with out his little nail comming off but it scared me so bad we have never used collars since.

I really didn't plan on coming back on here to post anything else but feel as if I need to explain a couple of things. We lived in a Chicago suburb where you didn't know your neighbors. I was always afraid that one of my dogs would get out and someone finding them would just keep them. Not everyone goes to the trouble of checking for microchips so I though tags would be a good thing as well. I didn't put the tags on their harnesses because they didn't wear their harnesses unless I was walking them and they were on leads. I didn't think collars were dangerous because I never attached a leash to them. They were use only to hold their tags. I know I was wrong now and learned a valuable lesson.

I also want to thank my friends for coming to my defense.

And to the OP, you can see that there are many many many people with opinions about the danger involved in putting collars on our little yorkies. I hope we have helped you with your decision.

I send you my best regards.
Lou

I appreciate your correction, but I'm still having trouble finding anything that says a collapsed trachea is anything but a genetic disorder. I will give you this: Of course a collar that is ill fitting or pulled too hard can "collapse" a dog's trachea. And, if your dog is suffering from a collapsed trachea it's best to use a harness. And, if your dog doesn't have a tendency to run out the door at times, it's probably best to let him run around this house without a collar or harness.

And, ill fitting collars cause all kinds of problems with both dogs and cats.

I just think there is a real difference between a genetic collapsed trachea, and the dog, through an accident, collapsing his trachea. Either is not good, and my condolences to anyone who's dog has a colapsed trachea or got caught up in a collar or harness.

I too have Toby in a collar for tags and jingle so I know where he is. If we are traveling or taking a walk, I add a harness. A definite must! Toby can be a tugger.

Good question :) No question is ever dumb in my book, o actually think it's dumb not to ask!

If the collar is fitted and worn properly that will not happen. Don't you have a dog license? Those HAVE to be worn by law. I have never had any dog injured or killed from a snagged collar and I have owned dogs for 48 years and bred dogs, done rescue and ALL wore collar and tags (and still do).

I have a harness for Fiona for when we go on walks, which has her rabies id tag on it, as well as a name tag, then I have collars with id tags that she wears on a daily basis, but I take it off when she is in her crate.....