24/06/2025
A few months ago now I made a collar for our little guy Astro. He has really put his new collar through its paces. Like all puppies he likes to dart about, chase that leaf blowing past or stop right in front of you to sniff an ant on the footpath. I’m happy to report that now, at 8 months old we have a polite loose lead walking young chap. This has been the only collar Astro has worn for the last 3 months, since he outgrew his puppy harness. In that time he has been walked twice a day, every day. We have been away for our first holiday with Astro where he encountered lots of new experiences, busy traffic, meeting other dogs, unfamiliar places and people. I’m happy to say that he has never slipped his collar and remained safe and secure at all times. ( Always good to know the maker of your dog’s collar uses them on her own precious babies…right!) After 15 years of being owned by a whippet or two, I must say I prefer a properly fitted fishtail collar over a harness when it comes to training loose lead walking. I’ve known too many dogs who grew up walking in a harness for those early years and turned out to be terrible “pullers” on lead. There is certainly a time and place for using a harness, but a properly fitted traditional fishtail collar is more comfortable for your dog, looks great and more importantly, does the job of keeping them safe without harming the delicate area around the throat. (Note…the wide part of a hound collar goes across the throat when the lead is attached for this reason.)
