Healing Headlines
- Prong, choke and traditional collars are health hazards for your dog
- The nerves inside the head and neck include the most vital and important organs of the nervous system
- Diseases like leg lameness, hypothyroidism and laryngeal paralysis can be caused by neck trauma from collars
- Chronic muscle inflammation and tightness can lead to heart, kidney, lung disease and digestive tract disease
- Retractable leashes are downright dangerous for your dog’s health
- A no pull dog collar can avoid this. Suggestions below.
Read on for the full story…
Did you know that prong collars, choke collars and even traditional collars can cause a number of illnesses in your dog? I didn’t realize that the entire parasympathetic nervous system is controlled from the area between your dog’s head and its spine. By the time you’re done reading this, you’re going to see why a no pull dog collar is critical to maintaining a healthy dog.
What happens when your dog pulls on his or her leash? Constant pressure on their neck. That pressure places a big burden on the thyroid gland, pulls the neck out of alignment and even minor injuries to the neck, even those that go unnoticed, can cause big problems because the parasympathetic nerve governs the function of major organs in the body like the heart, kidney, lungs and digestive tract.
Holistic veterinarian Dr. Peter Dobias, to which I refer throughout this post, goes on to say, ” The neck is vital to your dog’s health because it is in charge of the nerve, blood, and energy flow supplied to the muscles and organs, and it also connects the brain with the rest of the body.”
According to Innerbody Research, the largest home health and wellness guide online, the neck plays a significant role in the functioning of the entire body: “The nerves of the head and neck include the most vital and important organs of the nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — as well as the organs of the special senses. In addition, in this region we also find the major cranial and spinal nerves that connect the central nervous system to the organs, skin, and muscles of the head and neck. These structures all work together to control every part of the body and receive sensory messages from the environment and the body’s internal structures.”
Ok, so now we have some info on why these types of collars can be very harmful to our dogs. Let’s go into what prong and choke collars are, so you’ll know what to avoid.
Prong (Pinch) Collar
Prong (or pinch) collars are chain-link metal collars with dull, angled protrusions that sink into the pet’s skin when the dog or pet parent applies pressure to the leash. The prong collar sits just below the dog’s jaw and isn’t supposed to “pinch” unless the leash is pulled. This collar has similarities to the choke collar and martingale collar, but neither of these has the protrusions (or teeth) that pinch collars do.
It is the action of both the tightening of the collar around the neck and the pinching of the skin by the prongs that cause the trouble. Even if your dog isn’t large or doesn’t pull very much, it just takes one good pull to cause injury that can lead to a whole host of other problems for both them and you.
Choke Collar
Also called a choke chain, a choke collar is a chain link collar that tightens like a noose when the leash is pulled. It’s often used to train or control dogs. If you use a choke chain on your dog, you might have noticed that sometimes your dog will cough or appear to momentarily gag when it is tightened. This is the intention. The pressure applied to the throat cuts off circulation and breathing, causing the dog to react.
Other health problems caused by collars
In addition to neck injuries, Dr. Dobias also suggests that front leg lameness, hypothyroidism and laryngeal paralysis can result from dog collars that repeatedly put pressure on the neck.
The thyroid is also affected, as it’s in the same area at the front of the throat. Continued pressure on the thyroid gland can cause inflammation, which signals the body to remove the inflamed cells, resulting in thyroid tissue destruction and hypothyroidism, a more and more common disease in dogs. And, that it’s most common in mid to large-sized dogs makes sense, since tiny dogs are usually wearing collars as a fashion statement or ID protection and not pulled around by them. When tiny dogs are walked with collars and leashes, they are even more vulnerable to the damage pulling on a collar can cause, so please don’t walk your little ones with a collar and leash.
Dr. Dobias goes on to say about hypothyroidism, “Without the thyroid hormone, your dog’s cells cannot burn oxygen or breathe properly which leads to further disease and dysfunction.” Hypothyroidism is usually well-managed with medication and the prognosis is good, however, if wearing a regular collar instead of a no pull could be the cause, why wouldn’t you change?
What options do we have, then?
The good news is we have a lot! I came across a good option when looking for a solution to a behavior problem with my dog, Jasper. You may have heard of it. It’s called the Gentle Leader by a company called PetSafe (you can see my handsome boy above in one of his Gentle Leaders). I met with and interviewed someone from the company at Global Pet Expo one year; Global is one of the largest international pet industry conventions and I would go each year to interview brands I love for my Bark & Swagger podcast.
The Gentle Leader is a loop that goes around the dog’s nose and straps that buckle up behind their ears. I tried the Gentle Leader on Jasper, who was very reactive at the time (he’s moderately reactive now), and it worked wonders, taking the pressure off of his neck and chest and allowing me to “steer from the cockpit,” the nose, an expression I love and one that’s so true! I do not make the strap around his nose tight, and I wouldn’t recommend making it tight, because you don’t want to interfere with his breathing or natural mouth movements. You should be able to get 2 fingers of space in there at minimum. This option is very affordable at about $30-$35 dollars for the Gentle Leader and a matching leash.
I’ve been using a Gentle Leader on Jasper now for several years. It even comes in some really cute patterns and colors for those who are fashion conscious (yes, that’s us!).
Another option is one Dr. Dobias mentions often which is a harness called the Perfect Fit Harness and the Gentle Leash, by Dawn MacKechnie. It is a custom built harness, so it will be a bit more pricey, figure about $70 for a medium size. He loves this combo and you might, too.
PetSafe also makes the EasyWalk harness, which sits across the dog’s chest, not near the throat. It, too, is about $23, comes in an array of colors and you can purchase a matching leash for $7.99. This is a great choice for those who don’t need the additional control of a Gentle Leader, like I do with Jas.
There are others; you just have to explore and make sure no straps sit on or near the throat.
The problem with retractable leashes
While Dr. Dobias is probably one of the most outspoken about disliking these leashes, I can absolutely see his point, and because I see so many pet parents using them, I felt it would be good to include in this post.
When you think about a retractable leash, think of it as a boomerang attached to your dog. In a post from Dr. Dobias, he suggests you do an experiment by putting a regular dog collar on yourself, attach a retractable leash, have a friend hold it firmly and start to run. When they get to the point where the leash ends, you will get a neck jolt that could seriously send you to the chiropractor for months! If the pet parent “puts on the brakes” by pushing that stop button as the dog is running, that’s what happens; the dog is immediately stopped, even though physics is continuing to propel their body forward. Ouch!
So, if you’re using a retractable leash now, please rethink this. There are many other options that are much healthier. You can learn more, as well as great tips for new pet parents from this past post!
Writing about natural healing usually doesn’t involve leashes, but the comments by Dr. Dobias, a vet I respect, got me thinking about how important something like this is to share with you. I hope you’ll consider making a change to protect your dog’s health and wellbeing.
To their health –
Jody 
