It is important to always have a collar on your dog. This allows you to have another form of identification on your pet in addition to their microchip. Your dog is much more likely to be returned home with an ID tag that has your up to date contact information on it.

Although collars are great for identification and can be used for attaching your dog’s lead, they may not be an ideal choice for walking your four legged friend.

If you choose to walk your dog with a collar, some things to note are:

Harnesses offer a great alternative to collars and are much more effective and safe when working with dogs who like to pull. They can be a great tool to help teach your dog to walk on a loose lead if chosen correctly. Even if your dog doesn’t pull, they eliminate the risk of neck injuries for your pet. Two types of harnesses include those which have a back clip for the lead and those with a chest clip.

Although these are a good option for keeping your dog still in the car, they are different to walking harnesses and are not interchangeable.

Cat collars should always have a safety feature, such as an elastic strap or buckle that pulls apart under a pulling force. This allows the collar to stretch and be slipped off or the collar to undo if the cat gets caught in a fence or tree.

We encourage you to ask one of our friendly healthcare team to assist you in selecting the best piece of equipment for your pet.