Fit And Position Of A Martingale Collar Or Half Check Collar Is Crucial

Many times, writing one article will trigger the beginning of another. That is exactly what happened with the most recent article about Martingale collars and half check collars. The article discussed the debate over the various types of choke collars. It mentioned the proper fit and position of these types of collars but did not address it. Indeed, this is a crucial aspect of using a Martingale or Half Check collar.

In summary, Half check collars and Martingale collars are variations of choke collars that are considered to be more humane that the chain choke collar. These two types of collars were originally designed for sight hounds, such as Greyhounds, Whippets, Italian Greyhounds, Bolzoi, Saluki, etc., which are breeds that have necks larger than their heads, but prevents any dog from backing out of a regular collar.

Half check collars, or half choke collars, are usually made of leather or nylon webbing and chain, while Martingale collars are made totally of nylon webbing. Both of these specialty collars have a two-loop design that works by tightening on the dogs neck when it is trying to remove its head from the collar, but will loosen again when the dog stops struggling against it. The unique, limited closure of the half check collar and the Martingale collar prevents it from becoming too tight. However, the fit and positioning of each of these collars is extremely important.

The Martingale collar, which is generally constructed entirely of nylon webbing, has two loops. A smaller, control loop, contains a dee ring for attaching the leash. The second loop enables the collar to tighten or loosen to fit the dog perfectly. Buckles are sometimes added so the collar can be buckled around the dog's neck.

To fit and position the Martingale collar correctly, slide it over the dog's head and pull the collar vertically at the rear of the dogs ears. Adjust the collar at this point as this is the position where a regular collar slides over the head. When the dee ring is pulled, the control loop should close. The two pieces of hardware attached to the control loop should be no shorter than two inches from one another and they should never contact one another. If they do touch, the collar is too loose.

The Half Check Collar is comparable to the Martingale except part of this collar is made with chain. Similar to the Martingale, it has two loops which work the same way. The control loop on this type of collar is made of chain. The dee ring is attached to this circle of chain and is used as the attaching point for the leash. The chain is connected to the webbing or leather part of the collar with metal rings.

The half check collar is fitted in the same fashion as the Martingale collar. If the dog attempts to back out of the collar, the chain retracts the webbing or leather and contains the dog. The chain will never contact the dog. The noise that the tightening chain makes also makes a training tool as the dog tugs against the collar.

When experimenting with these two types of collars, it becomes obvious how comparable the two collars really are. Essentially, these collars function in the same fashion to control dogs that would more often than not be able to slide an ordinary collar over its head. In addition, it is evident that these two collars are a more humanitarian way to manage dogs while on a leash. The owner of the dog ought to be well-informed about these types of collars and how to use them properly as to not inflict injury to the dog.

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