Hi, I just adopted my first husky last week and had a few questions relating to collars that I was hoping some more experienced husky owners might be able to help with.

First off, about him...  He's four years old and 40 pounds.  He's pretty good about not pulling a whole lot on his leash, every other husky I've ever walked pulled much more than he does.  He does keep it taut for the most part though and will occasionally pull fairly hard.

So my first question was about martingale collars...  Right now I just have a cheap collar from Walmart on him and am going to order a nicer one.  I obviously didn't have it adjusted quite right at first and he slipped out once.  I tightened it up and he hasn't slipped out again, but when I tried to see if it's possible to pull it over his head it had to be juuuuust right but it was possible.  I think a collar that fits his neck any tighter would be too tight so I thought maybe a martingale would be a good idea to be completely safe, but I've never used a martingale before and of course I don't want him to be constantly choking himself.  Do you think a martingale would be a good idea, or do you think that he would be choking himself all the time on walks?

My second question was on collar width but is one that I probably know the answer to...  The collar I loved by far the most of all I looked at was only listed as available in sizes up to 15" and his neck is 16".  The seller said that they could make a bigger one for him, but that the only width possible for that one is 3/4".  I'd imagine this would be too thin for a husky, right?  His current collar is 1".

Thank you!

Instead of a collar you may want to look into a front clipping EasyWalk harness which would be more comfortable and discourage pulling. If you're sold on a collar, I'd get a check chain martingale at leasttt 1", 1.5" if you can find one. I personally like PuddlejumperPups and DreamNDesign (both on Etsy). Hope that helps!

I have a 3/4 inch on my female and haven't had issue. It just gets lost in her fur a lot easier. Make sure the clip is metal.

The nice thing about how martingales work is that they apply more even pressure all around the neck and can only go so tight so as long as you are sized right he shouldn't be choking himself all the time, unless he just really doesn't get the hint on pulling, then you will probably need to look at the front harness as Kate mentioned.

My boy wears a 1" wide martingale collar and when fully tightened as far as it can go it neither chokes him nor can he get out of it. I have had mine for so many years now that I have no idea what the length adjustments are anymore.

As for a 3/4" thickness, I have never actually bought one that thin (I only buy the 1" width) but the collar that we were given when we adopted him from the shelter was 3/4" wide and I didn't find it to be an issue although he only wore it for a couple weeks max until we replaced it with a better collar. I think how thick the collar is is more important than the width. For instance, a double layer 3/4" wide collar would hold up a lot better than a single layer 3/4" wide collar.

If he is choking himself all the time on walks then you really need to focus on training loose leash manners more than the style of collar. Martingale collars are not training collars, so if you need something else for training purposes there are other options available like head collars, training harnesses, prong collars, etc.

Thanks for the input...  I probably made it sound like he pulls more than he does.  He will occasionally pull if he sees another dog he wants to meet or something like that, but for the most part he's very good about not pulling.  With the martingale, I was more wondering if he would be choking himself constantly just by keeping the leash taut.  I guess it sounds like if he's not choking himself with a regular collar he probably won't be choking himself with a martingale, but then I wouldn't have to worry about him slipping out of it.

Also the 3/4" collar I really liked does look like it's definitely a double layer so I'm glad I asked that, I was expecting the answer to be that it wouldn't be wide enough so it's good to hear that there have been people on here who had no problem with it.  

I went ahead and told them I'd like the 3/4" in a martingale, I think it sounds like that'd be fine and I'd feel a lot better knowing he won't be able to slip out of it.  If it doesn't end up being good for him, oh well, I'll order something else and go back to using this one until it comes.

Our husky will occasionally pull too, but is otherwise very good about keeping the leash loose. For short walks we use just her collar (I believe it's 1"), and anything over 20 minutes I like to use a harness. We special ordered one from PuddleJumperPups on Etsy because they're really great quality and come in super cute patterns, but that is just personal preference. I'm all about putting less stress or strain on a dogs neck, but I know plenty of dog owners who use just collars and they seem fine.

Also, congrats on the adoption! Huskies are a ton of fun!

Hey jc7721!

I used a martingale on Echo since he started pulling at around 4 months up until recently when I switched for a regular buckle collar because I got too annoyed at having to loosen it all the time just to take it off his neck.  Also the martingale didn't end up doing anything.  He got used to it.  Neck squeeze and choking be damned he just pulls and pulls.  I recently switched to the easy walk harness and it's great.  Still pulls, but it's more manageable.  I tried a halti and he was having NONE and I mean NONE of that.  He chewed through the first one and broke the buckle on the 2nd one from pawing at it incessantly.

I also personally tend not to like to have his collar on when he's inside.  I'm always impressed when I hear tales of a husky being able to slip out of a collar.  I think you have it too lose?  Or maybe my husky just has a fat head and skinny neck.  It is physically impossible to slip out of a collar for Echo, i've tried helping with him many times...and it isn't possible.  Remember, the standard is it only needs to be loose enough to slip two fingers underneath it.  

As for collar width, I personally use one that is 1.5 inches.  Echo is extra fluffy and anything smaller just gets lost in his fur.  I do a lot of night walks, and I got a collar that is completely wrapped in reflective striping, so I needed a fatter one so you can still see a bit of the reflective striping at night =D.

I also don't know about your pup, but I also switched from using nylon/woven fabric collars to ones made of rubber.  I got really annoyed at having to constantly soak, scrub or clean his collar.  Echo gets into a lot of stuff, and also the collar just absorbs a lot of his natural fur oils and it just stinks no matter how clean I keep it.  I tried everything.  Baking Soda, toothbrush, toothpaste, dish detergent...you name it.  Huskies are generally a very clean dog, but I found he always stank with the traditional nylon/fabric collars I used to use.

Here's what I use right now.  I am in no way affiliated with this company nor do I make a profit out of posting a link to their product.  I just recently got it and have been using it for a month now and absolutely love it.  It's made of recycled bicycle tires which is environmentally friendly, it's easy to clean, doesn't stink EVER, and you can upgrade the buckle to a metal airline-seat-like-buckle which is EXTRA sturdy - Echo tends to have a tendency to break out of his collar buckles.  They also have a max reflective option which I like because I always walk my dog daily late at night in a bustling downtown city.  To top it all off, the metal loop also acts as a bottle opener! HA!  Check it out.
https://www.cycledog.com/product/silver-max-reflective-collar/

Hope this helps!

Good luck deciding on a collar!