Collars made for Basenjis

[Mantis]

I know most of you already are aware of this website, but I wanted to share for those of you who havent seen it.

There is a really nice guy named Nick who makes the Safety Choke Collar which I think is the best collar for a basenji out there.

Regular collars can be tricky on a basenji because their necks are so slender and it is easy to slip out of the standard style collar. I found that out when Caesar was young and we did a lot of out door walking.

I found the martingales which are commonly used in the greyhound community. This company makes them as well. Here is a pic of a martingale style if you are not familiar with it:

Several basenji owners in Tampa use the Safety Choke style made by Bluegrass collars and lead. It is really nice because it will be loose normally….well, you just have to see it to understand what I am talking about.

Let me add a pic....

It lays down nice, unlike the martingale.

This company will sew on decorative ribbon to the collar which is listed on their site.

The collars are super cheap IMO and Nick is extremely nice.

I have actually mailed him ribbon from a fabric store that I liked and he has sewn that to the collars as well.

**The site is really hard to find online if you dont have the link.

Here is the site:**
http://www.geocities.com/congok9/links.html

Here are a few pics of my basenjis modeling their collars…

Caesar (red) 's collar is a larger ribbon (3inch wide?) that I was trying out to see how it looks. Not bad, but the 1inch to1-1/2 looks better (see Beta's).

I use Petsmart for most of my supplies. They sell the martingale style which is a solid plain collar for about the same price that this guy makes the better design.

I coorespond with him about orders at k9collars@aol.com and his name is Nick.

[bellabasenji]

I wasn't aware of this collar. We have had difficulty with Bella's collars slipping off. She totally freaked my dad out last week when he had her out in the backyard. He said he turned his head, felt her tug and looked back at her. There she sat looking at him, her collar laying on the ground next to her. As if to say ha, ha, I tricked you! Thank God she didn't run because I'm sure Dad couldn't catch her!! That being said, thank you for the info. One question, though… If she would have this collar on and get caught on something, would it tighten up and keep her from getting loose? Could it be a potential choking hazard? I don't remove Bella's collars even in the house just in case she should slip out the door, she always wears her ID.

[Quercus]

Oh, ditto, ditto, ditto on Nick's collars. We must have at least a dozen of them here. It is the only kind of collars my dogs wear for every day life. If you go to my website (listed in profile) you will see all the dogs wearing Nick's collars.

[jenwilson]

Thanks for the collar info. I wonder if it will help keep my b from pulling the leash ALL the time. Anyone know?

[Quercus]

Uh…no. They can still pull. Try a Gentle Leader, or a Sensible (or Sensation) Harness to help with pulling. You can google both terms, and you will find internet dealers.

[JazzysMom]

For every day around the house/yard wear, Jazzy just has a rolled leather collar. I like that there's no edge to rub on her neck hairs {you know, how some collars can sort of wear down the hair or leave a collar line}. That's the one that has her tags on it.

For walking we used to have a harness, but now just use the martingale. When walking I leave the leather collar on as it hangs loose and sits lower on her neck than the martingale, so it doesn't interfere.

{did that make sense at all?}

[jys1011]

This is great for not losing them!!

I'd love to get something that we can walk with without rubbing all the hair off their neck. That's our biggest problem with the leads we currently use. The pulling is getting better (we have some regression every now & then).

Do all of Nick's collars have the fleece lining??

[Mantis]

that is what is nice about this collar, it is loose until pulled. you can adjust the collar.

I did basic training with Caesar where we walked and when he would pull, I would stop and not move until he sat. when the walking without pulling was a problem, I could move the collar to the position where the leash pulled straight up to the sky, and it was an uncomfortable position, not choking, but uncomfortable, so he would slow down.

these collars arent choke collars though.

[jys1011]

Oh, ditto, ditto, ditto on Nick's collars. We must have at least a dozen of them here. It is the only kind of collars my dogs wear for every day life. If you go to my website (listed in profile) you will see all the dogs wearing Nick's collars.

Andrea-do you mean that you keep these on all day & it doesn't cause their fur to rub off??

[Quercus]

@jys1011:

Andrea-do you mean that you keep these on all day & it doesn't cause their fur to rub off??

yep, they wear them all day, and night. What I have found with the Nick collars is that they are loose enough they don't wear the hair much. I went back and forth for years ( you will notice on the website there are lots of pics of them without collars) about whether or not they should be nakie. Their neck hair *does look better when they haven't been wearing collars, but IMO the likelihood of them getting loose, and being unidentified was far greater, and scarier to me than having some worn hair. That being said, if we are coming up to a big show, I may take the dogs collar off for a few weeks before the show, so the hair can grow in.

Also, I found when we started having some fights amongst our girls a few years ago, a collar was a necessity for separating them without getting bitten

We use brass ID tags that bolt right to the collar, rather than hang, because I *don't like the idea of them getting the tags caught in teeth and mouths while playing.

[Mantis]

Mine have had theirs on all day and they are fine. I will wash them in the sink when I give the bs a bath as well….

they dont tend to have lining if they are the smaller collars.

[bellabasenji]

@bellabasenji:

One question, though… If she would have this collar on and get caught on something, would it tighten up and keep her from getting loose? Could it be a potential choking hazard? I don't remove Bella's collars even in the house just in case she should slip out the door, she always wears her ID.

I am really interested in this collar, not only is it handsome, but also looks quite functional. I just want to make sure I understand how it works before I purchase it online since I can't try it on her first…

[Mantis]

Nick (who makes them) will send it to you with a bill so you can make sure you like it. I have had mine done in the Taj Mahal ribbon (in the pics) and almost every color over the years. My basenjis are indoor only and that ribbon is sensitive and may fray if your b is outdoor. The other fabrics are much more durable.

The fake fur ones are super cute!!

[jys1011]

We use brass ID tags that bolt right to the collar, rather than hang, because I *don't like the idea of them getting the tags caught in teeth and mouths while playing.

where did you find the tags that bolt right on the collar?? Unfortunately we've had to change their tags since they like chew each others :mad: and there's teeth marks on them.

[jys1011]

Mantis-whats the difference between the Martingale & the Safety Choke??

[Quercus]

@jys1011:

where did you find the tags that bolt right on the collar?? Unfortunately we've had to change their tags since they like chew each others :mad: and there's teeth marks on them.

i think I googled pet tags, or something like that, and found them at an online order place

[Quercus]

@jys1011:

Mantis-whats the difference between the Martingale & the Safety Choke??

The Martingale looks like a loop, that has a smaller loop at the top where the leash connects. So the big loop goes over the dog's head, and then the leash attaches to the small loop which pulls the ends of the big loop together to tighten or loosen. It looks a figure eight when you view it straight on.

The safefy choke, also called a limited slip collar, looks like a sideways P when viewed straight on. I prefer the limited slip, because it is harder for dogs to get their jaws caught up in each other's collars when playing. It also lays much more flat when on the dog.

[Mantis]

I agree….

I bought a generic martingale from Petsmart and it just hangs sloppy. Call me crazy, but I think the safety choke looks smart and I get people asking me about them all of the time.

Nick also has real brass hardware if you want that gold look that won't rub off.

I just cant express how great this collar is. You can pick out any ribbon and customize it for the same price of a regular collar that is so bland at a petstore.

[BDawg]

Has anyone ever heard of one dog chewing another dog's collar off? I was telling my friend about my recent fabulous collar purchases from Bella Bean and she said she wished she could get some for her dogs but that one of them chews it off the other dog's neck! What the heck! (She has a Heinz57 and a Coon Hound) I just thought that was really weird!!

[seko]

That's one of the reason I never leave collars on at home, leather collar where their favorite