# Plastic Clips on collars



## kidkhmer (Jul 14, 2010)

Can I ask how confident you all are with those plastic clips that many collars have on them ? Similar to the ones they use on backpacks etc etc. Have you ever had them break or slip undone ? I love nylon collars but I am always a bit paranoid those male/female clips are going to split or break under pressure at a bad moment as opposed to buckle style collars. Any comments or feedback ?


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

I've had two break and the dog wasn't really pulling, so I don't trust them at all.


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## Kaidsmom (Oct 12, 2009)

I will never use a plastic clip on a collar. I had a 70 lb female pit hit the end of a lead on a collar with a plastic buckle and it snapped like a Popsicle stick....tell me a 60 something lb or more GSD could not do just the same. (and it was not a cheap collar by any means.)


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I use them for young puppies. Actually, some of my martingales have them. And they have been holding out for my youngsters. 

I use buckle collars on my adults and a martingale that slips over the head for them.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

I don't trust them at all, but I do wonder about the metal clip ones. They are supposed to hold.


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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

*Plastic buckles break.*

[RANT]I think it is negligent on the part of the collar manufacturers to use plastic buckles. The primary purpose of the collar is to prevent the dog from escaping when you have him on leash, and the manufacturers and distributors provide the collar as though it is fit for this purpose, but it is not adequate. But I don't know if you could win a product liability lawsuit over this matter. Nor would I feel much better if I sued the manufacturer after my dog was hit by a car due to the collar breaking and the manufacturer was told by the court to refund my $7.95.[/RANT]


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## Cluemanti (Jun 25, 2010)

Never had one break but I'm sure with enough force they would. Had the dogs chew one up once but not break on its own.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

No plastic clips for my dogs. Only leather collars with metal buckles for my dogs. I do like nylon leashes but not nylon collars.


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## Navah (Aug 10, 2010)

I use them all the time. In my area its really hard to buy any collar that isn’t really tacky with a belt buckle type buckle. So we have forever been using plastic. My dog that I use it with is only 45, maybe 50 lbs max. He does pull a lot on walks but it has never snapped and we have had the same collar for about 2 years. We did buy a new one because his was getting so dirty at daycare and that one snapped on the first day but only because a Rottie was biting into it. He now has a cheesy belt buckle one for daycare lol. But we still, for two years have been using a plastic one and it’s holding strong. However, he’s small so that may be why.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

I never trusted them either. Plastic dries out and can freeze and easily snap.

I did see on good design that had the plastic snap then two D rings on either side of it for attaching it to a leash.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

We only use the EK brand collars on ours for those that have snaps (Dante, Akira, Audrey), or ones with metal buckles. The cheap plastic clips break. I've used these collars for YEARS on shepherds and they are very very heavy duty snaps.

ex: EK Ekcessories Medium Mutt Adjustable Dog Collars at PETCO We use the large size on adult shepherds, even small adults like Audrey although the mediums are technically long enough. I prefer the bigger snap.

Either way, we don't walk our dogs on their flat collars - they are strictly there for ID purposes.

I don't really care for the buckle collars because the end always ends up looking ratty and doesn't lay flat. If you get it two inches shorter, it's too short to poke back through the tab and stay there, and if it's two inches longer it sticks out too much and looks unkempt. I like the snap collars because you can adjust to the micro-inch, but I will only use the EK ones because I don't trust the cheap ones.


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## Navah (Aug 10, 2010)

Rerun said:


> I don't really care for the buckle collars because the end always ends up looking ratty and doesn't lay flat. If you get it two inches shorter, it's too short to poke back through the tab and stay there, and if it's two inches longer it sticks out too much and looks unkempt. I like the snap collars because you can adjust to the micro-inch, but I will only use the EK ones because I don't trust the cheap ones.


There would be difference in quality for different companies. Our snap buckle is pretty tough, it’s been through quite a lot from the puppy chewing it, me stepping on it, resisting my dog pulling almost every day, etc. Like i said, it’s been with us for two years and it still looks brand new and i still hear a loud SNAP when i close it. 

There are really cheap ones out there that I’m sure would break on one pull i guess like everything you have to research what you buy.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

When I said buckle I was referring to the belt buckle style.

Buckle vs snap.

A buckle doesn't make a snapping sound, and no it's not a quality issue. When you buckle a collar and the leftover is sticking out, it eventually sticks out and looks crappy (to me). Seen here: 









Get it in the next size down, two inches shorter, and it won't stay in the loop after the buckle is in place.

I prefer the snap collars because the ends snap together and it makes a nice clean circle. You are agreeing with me, you just don't realize it.


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## Navah (Aug 10, 2010)

I totally agree with you. My Bruno has a belt buckle collar for daycare and the end is all ratty, frayed and I hate to say it... smelly LOL I try and wash it buy hey... its daycare... the smell is still there after a wash. 

I’m not sure if you were referring to me, lol but I am totally for snap collars. I have never had a bad experience with them. I think it’s all in the quality you buy and if it’s for your dog, some dogs need different collars then others.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Navah said:


> I totally agree with you. My Bruno has a belt buckle collar for daycare and the end is all ratty, frayed and I hate to say it... smelly LOL I try and wash it buy hey... its daycare... the smell is still there after a wash.
> 
> I’m not sure if you were referring to me, lol but I am totally for snap collars. I have never had a bad experience with them. I think it’s all in the quality you buy and if it’s for your dog, some dogs need different collars then others.


I agree. Most people buy the cheap ones and don't even realize it. The EK collars we buy are very heavy duty and not inexpensive. We just bought Dante one after we got him and the puppy size was $15. I trust the snaps on the EK brand more than the belt buckle collars.


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

I use the belt buckle style with Shenzi. I love it because I can make it tighter or shorter depending on if we are going for a w-a-l-k vs. lounging in the house, and I dont have to spend 5 minutes doing it. I also dont trust the plastic snaps. Shenzi is 60 pounds and still in training. She hasnt had an episode in a long time(she was severely reactive to people/animals when we got her) however I still would not like to chance her regressing and have the collar come undone. 

Same reason I have her prong attached to a choke/flat collar when walking.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

We use them with puppies since they grow so fast adjustable collars make sense. I don't trust the plastic buckles for anything but smaller pups. The metal ones aren't likely to break, but due to the way they work there is still the possibility of it snapping open.

For older pups and adults, if using a flat collar it's always a regular leather buckle collar. Though they usually only wear their leather collars with ID tags when we're out and about and since we keep their leather collars very loose we don't generally attach the leash to those collars. They're just for ID purposes. Leash is typically attached to fur saver, martingale or pinch.


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## Miikkas mom (Dec 21, 2009)

Gosh, we've used the plastic snap-in style forever...never have had any problems with them.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I never liked them. I think they are ugly and they rubbed the hair off our Boxers so we've always used buckle collars.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Our last shepherd broke two plastic buckles on nylon collars, once while playing with her friend- not sure how she broke the other one, I just found it out in the pasture. Stosh has a long coat so he wears a rolled leather collar with a metal buckle.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

I test them in the stores by clipping them onto the bottom of the shopping cart and jumping in them with my foot. We've always used them and only had problems with one I got for our lab... it was a pink ribbon collar so I bought it.
Most of the "Tuff" brand clips seem.... tough


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> Can I ask how confident you all are with those plastic clips that many collars have on them ? Similar to the ones they use on backpacks etc etc. Have you ever had them break or slip undone ? I love nylon collars but I am always a bit paranoid those male/female clips are going to split or break under pressure at a bad moment as opposed to buckle style collars. Any comments or feedback ?


I have a fair number of collars with plastic buckles currently, and have had a pretty large number of them over the years. I can't say I've ever had a problem with them. I've certainly never broken one, nor have I had one come unsnapped.

That said, I would not use them on a dog that pulls a lot, or a dog that may suddenly lunge after another animal or at a person or anything like that.

I have one now that I use primarily as a tag collar. It has no purpose other than to hold a tag, and I usually have it on Ronja when we are walking off-lead on our property, or when we're going to/from events. At a lot of events, she just wears a slip collar or a collar with a metal buckle, and no tags. Sometimes I have the tag collar on and a simple slip collar. Just depends on what I feel like that day and what we're doing. 

One collar I have that I like a lot has a plastic buckle, BUT the way it's designed, it has two D rings to clip the lead to, and if the dog were to lunge, the weight and pressure would be on the metal D-rings and the collar material, NOT the plastic buckle. It's a really good design and it's disappointing that not more companies make them.

It's this one, from BodyGlove (but ours is a different color) -
Body Glove | Store

The D-ring on the left (in the pictures on the website) comes over the buckle and the lead snaps to both D rings at the same time. No stress on the buckle at all!

If you need a really heavy-duty collar with a nice big metal closure, might I recommend this one -
Nylon ID Service Collar with Metal Buckle

I have one of those and it's really nice. Not really "one size fits all", though. At least not for my little Malinois.


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## kidkhmer (Jul 14, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> I test them in the stores by clipping them onto the bottom of the shopping cart and jumping in them with my foot.


ROTLMFAO !!! I just had a vision of you stomping on one in front of everyone, breaking it and then just casually throwing it back on the shelf and walking off with a "ppffffft...."


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## kidkhmer (Jul 14, 2010)

AbbyK9 said:


> If you need a really heavy-duty collar with a nice big metal closure, might I recommend this one -
> Nylon ID Service Collar with Metal Buckle


Holy Crap that site is the shiznit !! Thanks very much. Now where is my credit card !


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

For plastic snaps, I bought a dog backpack that used that, and my dog started running with the backpack which very quickly broke that plastic snap, so I replaced it with a metal buckle by getting the parts from a 99 cent store buckle collar. I wouldn't trust one to hold up against a pulling dog or lunging dog.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I did say I use them on puppies and on some of my martingales. Joy's is plastic -- the Tuff kind. But I do not leave it on her 24/7. I would think that plastic would fatigue quicker if it was in use and left out in the elements, wet, hot, cold etc. If they are only used when connected to the leash. I think it is a little less likely.

I do keep a collar and tags on the dog when I leave home, the martingale for the leash. That way, even if it does break, I still have a collar on the dog. 

And I train them to recall. Equipment failure could still be very bad though.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

plastic = break away. if you want something quality you need leather and metal buckle.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Metal buckels break too. Sometimes they have a flaw in the metal. 

I gave a nice, high quality, weaver leather lead and collar to my friend. I had a collar that was too big, 25". He had a mastiff. I then brought him a leash. The clip failed when he walked his dog. I have NEVER had that happen. His dog was well trained and it was not a matter of him pulling. It just failed. 

Never trust any collar or lead. Train a good recall, and a drop on command, to help keep your dog safe.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've never had one break on a collar, but I usually use leather collars with buckles. I've had a leash break with the same type of plastic clip on the handle though...
I do use a soft web collar with a plastic clip for Bianca to wear at home-- it's a special type of collar made to be soft on the dog's neck/fur, it was created for show dogs to wear so it won't rub the fur off the neck. However I usually switch to her leather buckle collar whenever we go somewhere...
I've never had the buckle end stick out funny on a leather collar, and I almost always use leather collars for my dogs. They're stiff enough that it stays flat against the collar, except maybe if you bought one that was way too big. Bianca's is from Paco Collars and they custom make it for your dog's neck size.

I have also had metal leash hardware break several times, in regular use and in some cases when a dog wasn't even pulling or even once when the leash was not even being used!


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## My2Furkids (Sep 21, 2010)

Anyone here use Lupine products? They also have the plastic buckles on the collars, but they also make a martingale style collar. Have been using the same collar and leash with my girl for the last 3 years (but she's only 55 pounds...) Don't know what we'll get for the new puppy yet though!


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## DogTuff (Oct 1, 2010)

I've switched all of my dogs to break-away collars after two of them became entangled, nearly choking one to death. If there is too much pressure on the collar, there is a plastic clip designed to release. When your're walking them you just use the bypass loops on each side of the break-away.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

plastic breaks. i refuse to get a collar with plastic on it. We use the nylon buckle collars and never had an issue.


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## kidkhmer (Jul 14, 2010)

Ok so i went and bought a Nylon collar with a stainless steel buckle and I can tell you compared to the plastic buckle it is royal pain in the butt. Karma likes to make it difficult by shaking and rolling and going down and with the plastic one she is ready to in seconds.


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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

kidkhmer said:


> Nylon collar with stainless steel buckle... pain ... with the plastic one she is ready in seconds.


Do you actually need to remove the collar frequently?


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