If you own a dog you are aware that there are certain things you need to keep your dog healthy, happy and safe. While most people understand that besides food and water, their dogs need toys to play with and a bed to sleep in, but many people do not understand the importance of their dog wearing a collar.
Providing Information to help Identify Your Dog
In fact, a dog collar is of vital importance in helping to keep your dog safe as well as in training him. At a minimum your dog should wear flat nylon dog collars that include a buckle. These dog collars come in a variety of colors and widths. By having a collar your dog can keep vital information with him. Information such as his vaccination information, license and other medical information. It is also important to have your name, address and phone number on it so that if your dog is lost and someone finds him they have a way of contacting you.
By providing this information you are helping keep your dog safe should he wander off by. By making it easy for whoever finds him to return him you are also saving yourself hours or even days of needless worry.
Helping Provide For Training
A well behaved dog is a well liked dog. In order to have a well behaved dog you are going to need to spend the time training your dog. One of the most valuable things you can do is provide leash training for your dog.
Most cities and even small towns have leash laws now a days. If you want your dog to be well socialized and be able to go places with you then you are going to have to train him to walk and obey when he is on a leash. The leash needs to be attached to a collar. Starting a puppy with a safe collar is the first step in leash training. Once your puppy or dog is comfortable wearing a collar then attaching a leash will be less traumatic than trying to get him used to both a leash and collar at the same time.
Using a leash you can easily train your dog to heel and walk while pulling. It also gives you a way to control your dog should he become agitated or afraid. Allowing you to keep him from either fleeing or attacking and risk serious injury to him or to others.
There are a variety of different collars to choose from and different dog collars work well for different training needs. A collar that might work well for a large dog may not be appropriate for a small dog. Likewise some training collars are not suitable for puppies under 6 months. Learning about the different collars that are available and their benefits and their potential problems will help you decide which collar might be right for your dog and his specific training needs. At a minimum your dog should have a flat buckle collar sufficient for his size that will allow you to attach the necessary information for your dog’s safety.