We took our year old lab to her first training class tonight. We were strongly advised to purchase a half-check collar rather than using the ordinary collar she normally wears. What experience do people have of these? Presumably they are only used for training, not for everday wear?
Thanks,
Cathy.

Why did the trainer reccomend a half check? We got one and it was a nuisance - he still pulled on the lead and it got worse as he became acustomed to the pressure on his throat, so we went for a Gentle Leader and lots of training and this worked better. Wouldnt go for a half check again.

half check whats one of those???

Like a half choke chain

ohhh i think ive seen those. thanks :)

Because he said I didn't have control with the existing collar - although our dog very rarely pulls, and if she does I walk backwards & she comes back to heel!
Cathy.

i have started to use one on my 5 month old akita and i have seen a great improvement when out walking,i also keep it on her all the time.

I use fabric half check collars, you set them so they will not become to tight on the dog but tight enough so they can't back out. The advantage is when you need it the collar is tight enough to be safe, (it is not good to have a normal collar that tight, and dogs can back out of them), but for normal walking or work the collar is lose and comfortable for the dog, should the dog pull it will tighted when the dog returns to heal the collar goes slack.

My lot wear half checks all the time. they give that extra control, without hurting the dog. Also in a thick coated breed it is nice that when not pulled tight they lay comfortably loose, and it is easy to clip the lead on without having to dig in a dogs ruff for the D ring on a buckle collar done up correctly.

Just to add that I don't think they are really a training collar, they are not like choke chains, halties or harness, they are just a better collar than the normal solid one and because they tighten when needed, like say, the dog is frightened and tries to back away, but in normal use they are loose and don't wear the coat.

Thanks, Jackie, I can see the point of that. However, if the collar is loose around the dogs neck, isn't there a danger it could get caught in something when the dog is running off lead?
Cathy.

If it did it would pull off the dogs head, I only use them when I am lead walking, or they are in the car now but I used to use them all the time and the only thing I had catch in it was a dogs foot which was easy to pull back and would have caused no problem even if I had not been there. Barbara (Brainless) uses them all the time so she will be able to let you know if that is a problem but because they are loose it seems the twig or what ever just slides out again. Would think in the event of the dog really getting stuck it would just remove it's head from the collar. Still wait and see if Barbara has had a dog hooked up. Don't think in this instance it would be any different to a full check collar but as it can't tighten right up it is not going to harm the dog. But I would never leave a dog in kennels or in a cage unattended what ever collar they had on.

No never had a problem becuae I attach tags to the side nearest the fabric/leather, so that keep the chain at fullest stretch. Only have had them put their foot in it if they are sniffing the ground when very out of coat.

If they got caught up by the chain loop then it would only tighten so far, but in practice the collar being loose sits low on the neck/whither and doesn't get caught, which is more than I can sqay for twigs and brambles getting caught in their tails. :D

Hiya - Baillie wears a half check fabric collar all the time. I like that it's not too tight and sits nicely around his neck...a nice red one :) It doesn't seem to dig into his coat like the leather one did - he's worn it for ohhh the last 4 years.

I will need to get a new collar for Dylan soon, as he has almost outgrown his current 'puppy' one. I was thinking of a half-check for him, so have found this thread quite interesting. He doesn't wear a collar in the house. When we are out walking, he is usually off the lead in some fields, and he also does plenty of swimming and playing with other dogs.
I was thinking of getting a rolled leather collar for his tags (as someone else suggested), and a half check to attach the lead to, so I could remove this when he was playing/swimming/running. This seems the safer option than leaving the half check on all the time.

Does this sound okay?
Can anyone recommend where to buy a rolled leather and a nice half-check collar from?

Thanks,

Sarah

If your dog is a swimmer make sure you dress the leather collar well before you use it and at frequent intervals. Most good tack suppliers will have a roll collar, the longer the coat the smaller the roll IMO.

That sounds fine to me Sarah. Although for swimming, Monty has a nylon webbing collar with minimum metal bits on (plastic snap fastener), so that it doesn't go rusty and dries off quickly. My MIL has to replace her dog's collar every year after her summer hols as it gets rusty with the salty sea water. She always forgets to change it, until it is too late! :D

Monty has quite a collection of collars and leads, each for a different purpose! :D :D

That's what we have done and it works great:)

Wendy

My 6m old pup has had a half check since day one, we have had no problems with it - he wears it all the time and as someone else said because of where it sits resting on the breast bone almost it is unlikley to get caught in anything.

For a nice rolled leather have you tried a Timberwolf collar? My eldest has one of their normal leather ones and its lasted 8yrs and still looks fantastic! Timberwolf is made by Ancol (might help your search)

Anyone know of any 'Really really' nice half checks? Rogz make a nice fully fabric one but its for large dogs, no good for Mini Schnauzers. :D

Roxanne

My two wear them all the time and have never had a problem :)

Daisy

Did they give you a specific reason for changing to a half check?

It's just that they are best for either thick coated breeds, or those who may back out of a normal collar, or dogs with a neck nearly as thick as their head <g>

I'm going to get one for my girl soon in fact as her coat is very thick now and as B. said, it can be difficult fumbling for the D ring and so on.

But if you have a Lab who seems pretty well behaved, why change? Do they want you to use it a bit like a check chain and if so cant they help you train your dog without it? I would go into it a bit more with the trainers if posible.

Lindsay

It's obviously the type of collar they recommend at this training class. I visited another class, too, and noticed that all the dogs were wearing them. I think one just has to "toe the line", and from some of the posts it sounds as thought there are advantages, anyway. We'll give it a go and see! (I'm just thinking, like any sort of course or class, canine or human, you inevitably have to "jump through the prescribed (metaphorical! lol) hoops.")
Cathy.

Would a pointer be better in a greyhound type collar? I need to have a collar to hang his disc on. I also like the leather or nylon collar/lead together affairs.

Probably would. I have also seen specially made greyhound half check collars, where teh owner wanted that little more control, and didn;t want a tight collar on the dog.

Accolade leather can make them up.

Ithink they are great all mine wear/use them i train with them much kinder than the check chain, i show my dogs in them.

I use the helf-check collers all the time and have no problem with the dogs .
The dog works better on voice control better then pulling it a loud no does the trick or just stop

Just a word of warning as with any collar accidents do happen. My two collies were playing and each was wearing a half check the pup got her teeth caught in the chian part of the older collies collar and in twisting to get away was strangling the older dog.The only way to get them seperated safely was to cut the material part of the half check. :( Gillian

Well at least you could cut it, had it been leather or chain, that would not have been possible. I use fabric half check so that would not happen, but yes a puppy could get caught up which is why I remove all collars before pay starts.

We use them for walking and we have special ones which were made up for their every day. For us it's not a training issue, it's because with the shape of their necks they can back out of any collar that fits them comfortably. In order to NOT back out of a buckle collar the collar would have to sit way up their neck and be tight rather than comfortable at the bottom of their neck.

I sometimes us a narrow rolled collar for tags, and use the half check just for walking - then when they're free running we just slip the 1/2 check off and the still have collars and tags.

I see so many breeds pulling at their collars and see the amount of space between the collar and the neck and I know they would slip it if they moved the right direction. Although I only ever intend to be a whippet owner from now on, I would use one of these for walking any breed I may own/babysit, etc.

Wendy

Hi Fortis

There's already been some comments on the advantages of the half check collar over the standard buckle collar but one that's not been mentioned is the noise the chain makes.

I think trainers suggest them for dogs that are pullers, either forward or backwards, as you can give the lead a corrective check and it will move the links of the chain enough to make a rattling noise. The dog hears this and its attention is immediately re-focused on its handler instead of sniffing the ground, watching the dog next door etc etc.

You should always adjust the fabric part of the collar so that when the check is given the collar does not close up too tight and choke the dog.

Elaine

Only use the fabric ones so am not aware of the sound advantage. Don't use chain because my breed have a main.

Sorry to be dense, Jackie - main what??
Cathy.

Mane

Thanks:O
Cathy.

The trainer said that when the collar pulls up there should still be a 2" gap between the fabric bits. However, if there was less gap & the fabric bits met, would that be any more likely to choke a pulling dog than a dog pulling against an ordinary flat collar?
That's a good point about the noise element, I can see that that could be very effective. Thanks
Cathy.

Hiya,

Just as a matter of interest, I use half checks on all of my GSD's.

They're good for training, as there is a more 'give' than a normal collar, or a choker/check chain,(whatever you prefer to call them) but I also find them good for 'everyday' wear.

All of my dogs (GSD's and collies) have half checks, and I've never had a problem......I wouldn't use anything else.

Take care

Lisa

Hi Cathy,

Sorry, but I disagree with your trainer if she means that when tension is put on the lead and the collar tightens, then there should be 2 inches of chain between the two D rings. IMO this leaves the collar with 2 more inches of tightening to do, which will result in you choking the dog. A half-check is not meant to choke, it is meant to tighten, but no tighter than an ordinary flat collar done up firmly.

The instructions which came with mine said to adjust the fabric so that the two D rings only just touch each other, which means that the chain cannot continue to tighten. As people have said, as it is normally worn loose, it is the action of tightening plus the noise that has the desired effect, otherwise it is no kinder than a check (choke) chain and so you might as well use one of those! Except of course, that a check chain wouldn't stop after the 2 inches of excess chain, it would keep going until tight, if the dog keeps pulling.

JMO
Monty's Mum :)

I agree, I leave about half and inch to be sure the dog will not back out, there is in the circumference of the neck enough give not to damage the dog if it is this tight, but 2" no too much.

We went to our second class last night. Our dog wore her half-check collar with the D rings just touching when pulled up. Again we were told there should be a 2" gap. I pointed out that if it was that tight the collar wouldn't come up over the dog's head when we wanted to remove it. This resulted in a long lecture - to the whole class - about the necessity of keeping a collar on all the time in case the dog escaped. I pointed out that our house & garden is like Fort Knox & only my husband and I live at home. Why should I have to justify what I do at home with our dog to a trainer? In addition he smoked throughout which makes me feel ill. He's actually a very nice bloke, really, it's a shame but I think we'll be going elsewhere in future.
Cathy.

An inch I could understand just to be extra sure that the dog couldn't back out of it, and take into account the fur and all.

My dogs have theirs on at all times. there are dangers in both ways. In my hoiuse with kids and their freinds streaming in constantly, and having a very small hall means that sometimes the front door and living room door can be open at the same time, though my lot know better, the risk of escape is greater in my case than the risks of having a collar on the dogs.

It certainly is a personal choice, and as long as the dog has it's collar when out in public then it is YOURS. I would be tempted to tell the guy you appreciate his concerns, but you will live with your choices thank you. If he is a good trainer continue, but make it clear you won't be patronised or dictated to. Would be a shame to go elsewherte if he is good. If there is another good class nearby then by all means change.

Hi Cathy,

As you have indicated, I too would be voting with my feet! It is OK for trainers to have a different opinion to you, if they accept this and let it be, but if they try to make you do something you don't want to, then that is not right. He can give advice, but it is up to you whether you take it.

Don't worry, you will be able to find a good trainer whose opinions are closer to your own. There are lots out there. :)

Monty's Mum :)

Thanks, Monty's Mum. I've already contacted the class that we used to go to with our previous dog, which is in a NO SMOKING VENUE and uses reward based training. :) :) :) So we're going tomorrow night, which actually also suits us much better.
Cathy.

:) :) :) Sometimes things happen for a reason, don't they? Have fun tomorrow, Cathy!

MM :)

I have a beardie and was told by my trainer that the half check would be better. He's had it for 2 months now and doesnt pull half as much as he did.

Sam x

I have to say I'm pleased with the half-check collar for our dog, it looks nice and sits well on her neck. However, I really wouldn't be happy to leave it on in the house when she's unattended, although with our previous dogs we used to leave flat collars on. That was, though, in the days when we had adult children (!) living at home. Now they've finally flown the nest :) :) :) :D I feel happy for her to be collarless at home. I'd be interested to hear what others think on this topic.
Cathy.

I'm just horrified that the trainer was smoking whilst training dogs!

Lindsay

Many years ago when I smoked, I was smoking whilst taking the class. I put my cigarette out and tucked it behind my ear so that I could take one of the dogs to demonstrate a point. As I working the dog a wisp of smoke appeared from around the side of my head smelling strongly of burning hair!!!!! I was rather more careful the next time!

From a slightly follicley challenged John

:D :D :D lol, John.
Cathy.

LOL John, at least you were warned by the smell of singed hair before it got too serious :D

Lindsay

Monty goes collarless in the house and garden, so long as the gate is bolted. Everywhere else, he has a collar with tags attached, including in the car. My reason, I don't really like the tidemark effect left on a permanent collar-wearer's neck. It doesn't do much for his hairstyle! :D

Consequently, he scratches like mad whenever he does wear a collar! So there's a downside to everything. :D