I've been meaning to get a martingale for Pippa for a while and I'm unsure what kind to get. Does anyone have a preference as far as the material used? I've looked at ones that are all fabric, and then ones like the Ruffwear cinch collar that are partially chain.

For those of you that use them, is it best just to put them on when walking and have another collar on all the time for tags?

Thanks everyone!

I have half-check collars (martingales with chains) for my pups and love them. I've never used a martingale before, only semi-slips so I can't say a preference between the two but I really do love my half-checks.I got mine from Indi-Dog so I'm not sure of a good brand here in the US, but I'm sure others will chime in with one. Mine is a half-fabric, half-chain collar and she made them custom fit to my pups neck measurement yet still adjustable for the perfect fit. And there was an option to have a second ring put on specifically for tags, which I got.  If you get one that can't have a second ring for tags, then yes I would get a separate collar for her tags. But if you can have the second ring put on, it makes it handy and I don't have to worry about having a second collar for walks. Here's a couple pics of mine with the extra ring so you can see what it looks like.

The half-check collar with the leash attached properly and the extra D-ring on the side where the tags are attached.


Up close pic of the extra ring.


And the adjustable pieces

Thanks for the response! Do you leave them on all the time, even when they're playing? 

Love Link's little sword charm, adorable.

I prefer the martingales without the chain, personally. I originally bought one from Petco (not sure what brand) years ago and it fell apart rather quickly. Then I bought a Premier martingale collar and have had it for 4 years now and it still looks like new. My sibe wears his martingale at all times except at night. I love his Premier collar and would buy it again if it needs replacing. Bear in mind I walk my dog in harness so his collar is rarely ever attached to a lead.

This is the one I have: Premier Martingale collar

Thanks, Val!

Yeah, I use a harness for long walks/biking/running, but wanted something for quick trips outside. Thanks!

I always have been a fan of lupine. They have a lifetime warranty that even covers chewing.

katiesham wrote:

Thanks for the response! Do you leave them on all the time, even when they're playing? 

Love Link's little sword charm, adorable.

Nope. I don't leave collars on while inside as living in an apartment, there isn't much chance of them getting out and whenever we open the door they're either crated or leashed. As for when we're at the dog park, I actually have a separate nylon collar. If you noticed on Link's close up I have a little rubit charm, it makes it easy to switch between collars. (Thanks by the way, I love his tag too.) If I didn't have that rubit I would probably just keep their tags on the nylon collar.

Bear with me, I can't multi quote. As for Val's post, these are pretty high quality. The lady who makes them personally tests them on her sibes and I've heard nothing but good reviews for them, I doubt they would fall apart but that's just my opinion. I also had a Pet Supplies Plus half-check that I used on Link for a couple months and that withstood even the most sudden of squirrels chases. Val's martingale looks pretty good though, it's definitely something to look into.

As for your post of using a harness for everything else that's pretty much how I am. I just use the half-checks when I only have one pup with me on a trip to the store or for a quick potty break, most the time I use their WYDWL harnesses.

And of course with Jen's post yes, I love lupine too  I plan on getting one of their nylon collars and 2ft leads, you can't have too many collars

Lupine collars are very nice, we use a similar product from White Pine Outfitters.  They do not damage or stain the coat in any way so they can be left on all the time without worry if you so choose.

To add some experience, I use the EzyDog Checkmate: http://store.ezydog.com/checkmate-collars/


Both of the collars I currently use have held up great since I bought them.  Tia's is almost two years old now.  They are plenty durable and I have yet to see any issues arising.  I tried to switch to the Ruffwear Chain Reaction but did not have too great an experience.  Nothing major, but enough to make me appreciate the EzyDog version.  I'm a huge fan of both companies, as they make quality products.

One of my favorite points about the Checkmate is that it's narrower than other styles, which helps it settle down in the fur and lessen the amount of hair that becomes matted.  It makes up for being narrower with increased material thickness.




This one shows it pretty well, though most of the time you can barely see it:

Plastic snap closures, like the EzyDog has, make me nervous which is why I steer clear of them. Not saying anything negative about the EzyDog collar, just that I personally don't trust plastic. Then again I don't trust snap closures either, metal buckle or an adjustable slip on martingale is all I feel comfortable with.

How easy is an adjustable slip martingale to actually adjust? Just in case an emergency? I've been thinking of martingales for walking and training but would probably just leave them on at all times. I'm leery of the collar being loose for any play moments because I had Jaspers paw get stuck and twisted in Bella's at the time choke collar and we couldnt get it off. Not a good feeling to have one dog attacking panicked and in pain while the others not able to breathe. I want to be able to open or at least slid the collar bigger just in case, but i dont really trust the plastic buckles either, too many bad experiences with my old dog busting them constantly. Plus they bite each other on the neck playing ad my sisters pup drags bella around by her collar and Bella will figure a way to bite the plastic herself ruining it or at least jamming it closed.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'm even more undecided than I was before! haha

I think it depends on the fabric of the specific collar. Some will easily slide to adjust, but others would be more difficult. An option would be to just slide the collars on when you needed to walk them? Then you wouldn't need to worry about it at all when they're playing.

Bella_Jasper wrote:

How easy is an adjustable slip martingale to actually adjust?

Hmm, that's a good question which I can't really answer about mine specifically at the moment. I haven't adjusted my sibes adjustable martingale since we bought it 4 years ago...never needed to. It's never gotten caught on anything and it's always been super easy to put on and remove (in a relaxed situation of course). I too would expect the answer to vary with each different collar.

Bringing this thread back, has anyone ever used the Ruffwear Chain Reaction collar? http://www.ruffwear.com/Chain-Reaction-Dog-Collar?sc=2&category=16

I know a lot of people stand behind Ruffwear and Lupine as well as several other brands, but just wanted an opinion on this one as well.


I am thinking of getting rid of Mishka's prong and trying a martingale collar to see if it's effective in the same way. Walking him on a regular collar, he pulls like the devil and I cannot give corrections to him on a harness.

Dizzy's regular collar is the lupine martingale, and I still use the prong. It's definitely is not as effective as a prong collar. I would say on the scale of regular collar to prong collar, it's maybe 1 notch better than a regular collar.

To all, another suggestion would be to use an English slip lead, it's a very simple lead/leash combination that gets put on for walks and removed after.  It can be used with or without another collar.  It is basically a length of rope with a hand loop at one end and a metal ring on the other.  slide the rope through the ring to make a sliding loop to place over the dogs head.  This is a link to the Mendota Products  slip lead, others are available from different suppliers. http://www.mendotaproducts.com/britishsliplead.html They work best if worn high on the dogs neck (like show dog handlers do)