# Collars for long hair's



## freyalouiseb (Jul 3, 2012)

Im trying to find the ideal all round training collar for my long haired dog. The half check isnt good enough for competition work, a fine choke gets caught up for showing and light training so im considering using a fur saver, before i spend the money what every one eslses opinions?

He wears a rolled leather collar at home but obviously this doesnt have enough communication when im competition training.

Should I just stick to different collars for different types of training?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I use a heavier gauge fursaver on my coatie so it doesn't tangle in the fur. But my dog is really handler sensitive so she is on a rolled buckle when attached to a leash. A prong would be my other choice(again a larger gauge so it doesn't tangle in the coat)
At home, she is naked. No collar to tangle with the other dogs jaws. 
Yes, different collars for different type of training is what I do with my stock coat. In the end goal, he has to wear a fursaver so that is what I tend to use most often. Fursaver for tracking and obedience, prong or e-collar for protection.

"competition" training meaning what? Show ring, obedience, tracking, protection?


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## freyalouiseb (Jul 3, 2012)

cool, ive just prong collars on the dobermanns i used to train but when i got this pup i decided i would train as positively as possible, was reluctant to use a choke to begin with, i understand they all have their uses and place, but im not going to pull out the big guns unless they are really needed, what guage fur saver do you use and how big is his neck, my boy is quite small for a GS  x


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think I have a  23" 4.O mm for Kacie. I use it on the dead ring or clip it back(still dead) to tighten it up some. 
She has a big head for a female, so a 21" may work for your male. 
My male wears a 25" and I can barely wiggle it over his ears, not much room with all his neck either.
I'd much rather use a prong than a choke collar, I'd think the release would be very slow with a fine chain choke on a coatie.


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## freyalouiseb (Jul 3, 2012)

il have a look, thats what im finding, a thin choke just gets caught in his fur and thus its really hard to release the pressure quick enough


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## LuvMyDog_Worldwide (Jul 23, 2011)

The different gauge collars tend to be suitable for different weight dogs. Depending on the metal the 3.0mm range between 75lbs to 110lbs and the 4.0mm range between 155lbs to 185lbs. The 3.0mm collars are certainly strong enough for most dogs.

The 4.0mm collars weigh around twice as much as the 3.0mm equivalents so the choice with the shorter lengths is whether you want a lightweight or big chunky collar.

Don't guess on the measurements! The length quoted by Sprenger is the total length of the collar from end to end including the rings. The rings tend to be around 1 inch each and don't add into the overall length when the collar is formed into a loop, hence always adding 2 inches to the required size to compensate for the rings.

The neck size is often a moot point, the collar has to go on over the head so it's generally the head size which is the most important measurement as it's usually bigger than the neck size. If the collar won't go over the head it doesn't matter what the neck size is at all, you won't be able to use the collar anyway.

There's also no need with a fur saver to put them on a dead ring. Just clip the lead to any link along the chain and it won't be able to contract smaller, far less effort than trying to get the 2 O rings linked together in the snap hook on your lead. The fur savers don't have the same zip closed action of a close link chain so they contract slower and by default release slower, but if it's not getting tangled in fur it may release faster than a close link chain because it's unlikely to be inhibited by the fur.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I use a prong and sometimes a fur saver- he wears a rolled leather collar at home


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

When you say a half-check won't work-- which types have you tried? Maybe a different type might work? What type of training are you using it for? Personally I just use a flat buckle collar for most training myself.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

onyx'girl said:


> I'd much rather use a prong than a choke collar, I'd think the release would be very slow with a fine chain choke on a coatie.


I was going to say the same thing. Also, to the OP... if you are planning on using a collar for corrections, a prong collar is actually much easier, more humane, and more effective than any kind of choke collar. If you're opposed to a prong, try using a martingale-type collar. They make the fur saver in a martingale version.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Yeah I agree- if you must use a correction collar, IMO a prong is more humane than a choke collar and the coat should not get in the way of it either. I no longer use them myself but if I HAD to pick one or the other that is what I would go with...also keep in mind you can vary how you use it, you can use a light touch.


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