Collar Size and Tightness

Babette · Oct 3, 2013

Hello!

I have a question about collar tightness. Babette has the typical frenchie extra scruff around the neck which makes it hard for me to tell just how tightly her collar should fit. Right now I have it so that I can fit a finger or two of space between her neck and the collar but sometimes it seems pretty tight when she's laying down. Is this normal? I had it looser but it would pull up to her ears if she jerked the other way on the leash. Just curious how the rest of your frenchie's collars fit.

trishkidd24 · Oct 3, 2013

Margie has a collar for wearing around the house and in the yard, and then a harness for walking. We were strictly told by her breeder/vet not to use a collar for walking because it can severely strain their neck. Has anyone else been told this? We bought her the cutest personalized collar from hotdogcollars and then got her an EzyDog harness off amazon after having people recommend that brand on here for frenchies big chests.

Cbrugs · Oct 3, 2013

I have read and have been told that it is best to use a harness for walking a Frenchie because if you use a collar, all the pulling on it can put too much pressure on the dog's trachea and cause damage. Jax has a collar with his tags on it that we put on whenever we take him outside to play in the backyard or to go to the bathroom (with a leash) but I use a harness for taking him on walks. He does not wear a collar when inside the house. It is my understanding that the general rule of thumb is that you should be able to fit 2 fingers comfortably between the collar and neck.

mhuinker · Oct 3, 2013

trishkidd24 said:
Margie has a collar for wearing around the house and in the yard, and then a harness for walking. We were strictly told by her breeder/vet not to use a collar for walking because it can severely strain their neck. Has anyone else been told this? We bought her the cutest personalized collar from hotdogcollars.com and then got her an EzyDog harness off amazon after having people recommend that brand on here for frenchies big chests.

[MENTION=156]trishkidd24[/MENTION], what size did you get for Margie (EzyDog Harness)...... and which one, there are so many!

trishkidd24 · Oct 3, 2013

Here is a picture of the one I ordered Marg. It's called "Ezydog Chest Plate Harness". This one is perfect! Not too bulky, and takes any stress away from her neck and puts it on the chest with the padded plate. I ordered her a Small and it fit her great at 3 1/2 months old until now and shes 5 months. It still has plenty of growth room I'm thinking for the next couple months. BUT if i was ordering for a new 8 week old puppy or around that age I might suggest going with the XS so its not too big, then you can always order the next size up when they out grow it.

mhuinker · Oct 3, 2013

[MENTION=156]trishkidd24[/MENTION] -- thank you!

davidh · Oct 3, 2013

As long as you can put a couple fingers under the collar, it should be fine.

Babette · Oct 3, 2013

Babetty wears a collar with her tags on it around the house and a kong harness similar to the one shown above when we go on walks. I read that bullies have issues with 'brittle' trachea. Thanks for the advice, guess her sizing is about right then.