Bad Idea: The Illusion Collar

The Illusion Collar is a product designed by television show host Cesar Milan for the purpose of making slip collars easier to use, more effective, and more likely to injure your dog. It places the slip collar up at the very top of the dog's neck, where the most sensitive structures are located. This causes the dog the most pain and very efficiently cuts off the airway when pressure is applied. The Illusion Collar, and the newer version the Pack Leader Collar, uses a double collar with a rigid piece in between to force the slip collar to stay at the top of the neck.

What's Wrong With It?

• It works the same as a regular slip collar. Despite the elaborate double collar system, the Illusion Collar only works if you keep the dog at your side and pull the leash up. As soon as the force is applied from behind the dog instead of above, the collar becomes significantly less effective. If you're already holding your dog at your side with upward collar pressure, you don't need a funky neck brace to keep it there. 
• It doesn't last. Unless you are walking your dog like the only thing keeping the slip collar in place is you pulling up on it while your dog walks at your side, the Pack Leader won't last very long. The rigid structures on the collar eventually soften, and allow the double collar to slide down.
• That's not how slip collars are supposed to work anyway. Fee your own neck, just under your chin. See how you've got all those blood vessels, glands, and your windpipe and trachea all right there? Totally unprotected? Your dog has all that same stuff in the same place, and the Illusion Collar puts pressure on all of them. Traditional slip collars are used to give brief corrections when used correctly, and are loose the rest of the time. Used incorrectly, a slip collar normally puts pressure lower on the neck as the dog pulls into it. This thing allows a dog to pull with the most sensitive part of their neck, putting constant pressure in the worst possible place. Or allowing brief corrections in the worst possible place.

Really, there's no winning here. The Illusion Collar and Pack Leader Collar are quick and dirty ways to improve your dog's behavior. I would much rather see a prong collar on a dog than one of these monstrosities.

Product Review: White Pine Outfitters Soft Slip Collars

Elegant in their simplicity, these Soft Slip Collars are my favorite thing from White Pine Outfitters. The traditional limited slip style is both minimalist and escape-proof* while also being very gentle on the skin and coat. Our collars are 1/2" wide Mini Soft Slips, which come in nine colors including two different shades of pink. Collars are also available in 9/16" and 1" widths. White Pine also offers quick-release buckle collars, two styles of harness, several different leads, grooming nooses, and long lines.

Photo by Erin Koski

Show dog owners favor these collars because they don't usually damage the coat. There is a minimal amount of very light hardware, and the webbing is tubular so it doesn't have any edges to rub or pull hair. Brisbane has very sensitive skin, and these are very easy on his coat.

I think my favorite thing about these collars is how little space there is for the collar to slip. Brisbane is an expert at backing out of collars. I like to adjust his semi-slip collars so they are just tight enough to stay on without choking him when pulled tight. Many escape-proof collars have huge loops or slip sections, and when properly adjusted they hang very loose. These slide between "just big enough to slip over your head" "just small enough to stay on without strangling you". Perfect.

Pros: Soft and gentle on delicate coats. Traditional escape-proof design. Minimalist collar. Easy to slip on, and so light and tiny I sometimes forget they are there. Lots of color and size options. The little skinny ones are a great way to show off a really pretty flat collar while preventing your dog from escaping.

Cons: Must be pulled over the dog's head to get them to, there is no buckle. Dogs with big heads may need the size adjusted after the collar is on. Little skinny collars put a lot of pressure on the neck and should only be used on dogs that know how to walk nicely on leash.

Bottom Line: I primarily use these are herding and agility, where my dogs are mostly off leash but I like to keep a collar on them. The only problem is that Brisbane's tend to get lost in his fluff, and then I assume I removed it and spend ages searching the house and car only to find he's still wearing it.

*Annie can get out of these because Annie can get out of anything.

Product Review: Dogline Comfort Round Microfiber Collar

The Dogline Comfort Round Martingale Collar is a soft and gentle on sensitive coats. The round design slides easily into the hair and remains secure but unobtrusive. It is durable enough for a trip to the beach, and the simple design should keep it looking nice for a long time. This collar comes in eight colors and seven sizes to fit dogs with heads 14-26" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

Our photographer friend Erin likes to set up nice shots of the products I review, and she's always telling me to use less bright and loud collars. "That bright purple collar is very distracting when we're trying to showcase the leash." Brisbane backs out of flat collars, so he usually wears a harness or a martingale. Big wide collars distribute pressure better, but I wanted something small and subtle.

I found this Dogline microfiber martingale collar at our local feed store. It is thin and round, so it slides into Brisbane's coat. The black color isn't attention-grabbing, and the whole things fits very well. It has a relatively small martingale loop 3" long. This means it doesn't hang too low when loose, but has just enough space to slip over Brisbane's head.

Pros: Soft and gentle on delicate skin and hair. Round design means minimal friction and less hair breakage. Practically invisible.

Cons: Practically invisible, so it can be hard to find when I don't put it away properly. Super thin collar concentrates force and can put a lot of pressure on the dog's neck. Not adjustable at all, I am just lucky the 18" one fits Brisbane perfectly.

Bottom Line: This collar will be appearing in a lot of our product photos.

What is your favorite collar for your dog?

EzyDog Checkmate Collar Update

My original EzyDog Checkmate collar is a size large, which turned out to be too big for Brisbane. I recently acquired a medium Checkmate collar, and it's a much better fit for us than the large. The Checkmate is a limited slip with a quick release buckle. It has a short slip section, so it gets just tight enough to keep Brisbane from backing out and doesn't hang too low when it's loose.

Oh Briz, the stretchy leash isn't that bad.
Photo by Erin Koski

The large Checkmate fits necks 17-26"  around, so it just barely gets small enough for Brisbane. It's also 1" wide, which makes it a bit heavier than it really needs to be.

The medium Checkmate fits necks 13-18" around. It's only 3/4" wide, and without all the extra length it's much lighter. This makes the collar easier on Brisbane's coat.

The picture I'm using for this post is a silly one, we caught Brisbane making an uncertain face and cocking an ear in the direction of an interesting sound behind him.

You can also see that his eyes are starting to get just a bit hazy. My cocker spaniel developed cataracts in her old age, but this isn't the same thing. Brisbane has a normal sign of aging called lenticular sclerosis, or nuclear sclerosis. The slight clouding does not affect his vision noticeably and is not a precursor to cataracts. It's just one small sign of the fact that he is ten years old now. Half of dogs over the age of 9 years have them, and by the time they pass 13 years every dog is getting at least a little cloudy.

Product Review: Cetacea Martingale Collar

The Cetacea Martingale Collar is made from nylon webbing. It features a quick-release buckle and a plastic slide that keeps the martingale loop from gaping open. The Cetacea martingale collar is available in seventeen different colors and patterns, and six sizes to fit dogs with necks 10-30" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is currently my favorite martingale because it has a nice short loop, so I don't have to choose between "so big it's falling off" and "so small it's strangling my dog". It also has a quick-release buckle, a feature not found on any of my current martingales, though I'm told Premier also makes them.

I particularly love the little plastic slide that prevents the loop from sagging open, I haven't seen this on any other martingale collar.

Photo by Erin Koski

It makes it look more like a slip collar, with the live ring on one end of the loop rather than sitting in the middle between the two dead rings. This also helps keep the loop from sagging. Note the two dead rings rings and loop, this is what makes this a martingale collar. A limited slip (or half-choke, half-slip, etc) collar would have a dead ring on one side and the loop would be a continuation of the collar strap on the other side.

Pros: Designed so that the martingale loop lays flat. Unbuckles so I don't have to slip it over Brisbane's head. Comes in a bunch of colors including rainbow! Brass hardware matches some of my favorite leashes. Soft nylon webbing is easy on Brisbane's delicate skin.

Photo by Erin Koski

Cons: I honestly don't have anything bad to say about this collar, it even comes in purple and two different shades of pink.

Bottom Line: I think Brisbane needs a rainbow martingale.

Product Review: EzyDog Checkmate Collar

The EzyDog Checkmate collar is a limited slip collar with a plastic quick-released buckle. It comes in seven colors and four sizes to fit dogs with necks 10-33" around.

Photo by Erin Koski

I like limited slip collars better than martingales for the most part, because the bit of the collar that tightens is usually smaller on limited slips. I have several martingale collars with enormous loops that leave the collar several inches too big and flopping around when loose. The slip section of our large Checkmate collar is three inches long. The slip sections of my large Premier martingales are five inches long.

This collar is a little big on Brisbane, in retrospect I should have gotten him a size medium. The medium is skinnier and lighter, a little more subtle than the large.

Pros: Tightens down to an escape-proof fit, loosens enough but not too much. Quick release buckle means I don't have to pull it over Brisbane's head.

Cons: Does not come tiny enough for Ru. Also does not come in purple or darker pink, only pastel dirt-showing pink.

Bottom Line: Currently the best slip collar I own.