# Fur-saver collar question



## caview (Jun 30, 2008)

Are they really better than leather collars? 

I am looking at Xargos' hair under the leather collar now, and as he is long-haired, it doesn't look quite tidy ..

Would greatly appreciate any input on this!

Tanya


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

I was a little resistant to the idea of a fursaver, I loved my rolled leather collars. But now I love the look. It settles into the fur and looks just right. I have seen it on a couple of longhaired GSD's and it worked fine for them.
If you don't want a fursaver a rolled leather collar would be better than a flat one. My parents still use one I bought for their newfie 8 years ago! It held up well and looks fine with her long fur.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

I had a leather collar on my Brady his fur was so matted
then I saw pics of Dee-Jay and Raven and asked Brian what type of collar they had on he told me I ordered one that afternoon
Had it 3 days later. His fur is so much better


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

so i have heard. my girls have rolled leather collars and they are def better than the reg collars, but i still see some damage and I am hoping the fur saver is a little better.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

What does a fur saver colar look like? Do short coats need one too? Or is a LC thing?


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## Metalsmith (Mar 25, 2009)

Not just a long coat thing. I use one on my dog and he's a bit plush but def. not long coated. Here's a link to several sizes of fur savers: fur savers


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Yes, fur savers do help save the hair. But one of the reasons for that is that they sit very loosely around the neck because they need to be large enough to slip over the dog's head to put them on. Same thing can be accomplished with any loose fitting collar. Our dogs all wear 1" leather collars and we don't have fur matting issues at all, but that's because for safety reasons we keep the collars all loose enough that the dog could easily slip their head out.

One thing to be aware of with a fur saver is that it is a CHOKE collar. A rather ineffective one compared to a regular chain choke, but still essentially a noose around the neck. So never, ever leave it on a dog unsupervised.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

The Fursaver still does leave a slight mark on Nikon's neck anyway, but since it's used as the collar they show in for WDA/USA it doesn't matter. But yeah, it sits nice b/c it's heavier than say nylon, and loose b/c it's a choke collar. IMO rolled leather is safer and does about the same as far as not matting the fur. That is what Nikon wears when I want him to wear ID tags.


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## umzilla (Nov 2, 2007)

I never ever leave any type collar on my dogs unless we are actually going somewhere that requires a leash. When crated, no collars either (ie. when they get in the car, collars come off when I take the leash off). I know too many people whose dogs have gotten caught and died because of collars, even ones that weren't a choke type. 

Having said that, I love fur savers. Lots of sizes, weights, and even colors to choose from. 

Christine


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I don't collar my dogs either unless they are attached to a leash. I can grab their neck scruff if I have to. My dogs did get hooked up together shortly after we got Kacie, my husband didn't remove the collars(flat buckle) after taking them somewhere. He was nearby and got them apart immediately, but I can only imagine what could have happened.


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## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

I only collar my dogs when they are not around the house, other wise they are on fur-savers.
Love the looks of myself, I place tags on the dead-ring the added weight helps them free up.
You can use them 3 ways on a leash, 1 on the dead-ring, 2 on the live-ring as a choke type.
I don't choke my dogs out, find just the sound of the links works as a correction for the most part.
Or 3 as a show collar, you can place them high and clip back to any link behind the dead-ring.
Also good with a Young dog, so they can not pull out of the collar, when clipped back.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have one dog that wears a collar and tags 24/7, but it's not a fursaver or any choke. This dog is my escape artist and he's gotten away several times. But he also has a coat that is like a Chow X Malamute, it is so thick so his collar and tags are buries. They have never gotten caught so I have to balance the risks of him getting out with the risk of wearing the collar. 

For our long vacation, I've just ordered everyone a flat collar with an ID plate riveted onto it because Nikon has caught his tags on stuff. He and Kenya stay naked, but they've never run away. On vacation I'm paranoid so each dog will have a flat collar with the name plate which has our cell numbers and says "If Aug. call ..... " with the cottage number. So at night they can be naked as usual but during the day when everyone is out and about, they wear ID.


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## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

Lies

You may want to rethink the collar at night at the cottage!!!
That's when all the wild stuff comes out


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## GSD4LIFE21 (Mar 8, 2007)

I just worry about if they get out of the yard, I have brick fenced wall all around the yard and its a very secure yard but I live in the city and its required for them to wear tags. I have never had issues with any of my dogs wearing a collar, and I think the pros of wearing a collar with tags outweigh the risks.


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## Toffifay (Feb 10, 2007)

A friend of mine just started working for a lady that has 31 GSDs! She is big in Schutzhund and almost all of the dogs have titles. ALL of the dogs, except the puppies (and she doesn't even have any litters right now, just a few 6 month olds) wear Fur Saver chokes at all times. I was a little shocked! Apparently the lady says that they never get hung up on anything.

My dogs wear flat collars with a center safety ring, these are for hunting dogs and supposedly the ring will relieve pressure if the dog gets hung up on the underbrush and allows the dog to pull out of the collar. The collars have riveted name plates and one tag that is for Microchip identification.


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## umzilla (Nov 2, 2007)

There are breakaway collars too - they are most often seen for cats, but can be found for dogs as well. They have some elastic at different points in the collar that would allow it to stretch if the animal got caught. Not good for walking tho!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I've had much more trouble with tags than collars. Two of my three dogs have had tags caught on multiple occasions. So far, I've never had a correctly fit collar on its own get caught *crosses fingers*..... so, we are switching to collars with riveted ID plates for when the dogs need ID. No more tags.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

I've used fur savers for 5 years and hadn't had a problem with them yet. But they are only on when I'm doing sport events. Around the house they wear rolled leather collars, they haven't ruined any of their hair. I've also never had problems with their tags getting stuck.


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