I let Kiba out this morning to use the bathroom and 5 minutes later i heard this distinct snap and metal clanking sound. I look out and kiba had broken free of her line and was making her way down the street Thankfully i got her back almost instantly because all i had to yell was "Dinner Time" (lol) but she sprinted back up to the house as soon as i promised food. Thank God because for a minute i envisioned my morning being spent chasing my dog around the neighborhood.

So that brings me to the cause of the issue. I regularly check her collar, leashes and line to make sure everything's secure so it took me a bit to find the issue. Turns out that i accidentally attached her lead to her license and ID tags instead of the collar ring. She snapped the little key chain ring like it was made of putty. After today, id like to find a new way to attach the ID tags to the collar so i don't make that mistake again but there's no other place to put them. Any thoughts or suggestions on this?

2 words Ruff Wear! They have a place to hook the leash and then a small ring to attach the tags, they also have a great collar with a metal clasp! But if your putting her out on a line even for just a little bit you can't go wrong with putting a harness on her, would prevent her from snaping her neck if she were to go bolt after something.

Okay ..hand to forehead moment ! I have an awesome harness so i don't know why i hadn't thought to utilize it for that purpose. Thank you for the good idea!! I didnt want to just attach her tags to a random spot on the collar b/c i figured it would irritate her neck. i wish more companies thought to have more than one ring instead of just the one.

her collar is a Titan with a metal clasp specifically for tie outs so its great except for that one lacking feature

I have a Lupine martingale collar, and it has a couple of extra loops, so I attach the tags to one, and the leash to one of the other ones.

BackcountryK9 will have 20% off ruffwear coming up, saw an email today. Went with that collar after doing the same thing as you and hooking the leash to the tags, can't miss the metal clasp for the leash, no more hooking tags.

I have a collar that I got from Pet Supplies Plus that I love, and it was pretty inexpensive. I can't remember the brand at the moment though. It has a nice metal clasp and separate ring to attach to, though I agree that a harness should be used with a tie out!

And Jen, when is that Ruffwear sale supposed to be? I've been thinking about one of their harnesses...

In the mean time a beefy S hook that you can twist to make it perpendicular should be way more secure and sturdy than a key ring.

http://www.backcountryk9.com/?gclid=CMWghdjKk7cCFcXe4AodCB0AOg
sale is going on now!

http://www.backcountryk9.com/402/0/Products.aspx
this is the collar we use
http://www.backcountryk9.com/284/0/Products.aspx
and the leases we use, love the clip on the end and the snap on the handle to hook around things if your out

Sweet- thanks!!!!

Hey Jen, with that clasp on your leash, has it ever failed??

I had a Top Paw leash with the same clasp and it failed on me three times. Somehow Kennedy would move just the right way and get the one side to release. Granted, Top Paw is a lot lower quality then Ruffware.. but it still worries me!

nope never had it unclip on me yet! i do miss the locking cabiner the old style had but so far so good, hell i have a hard time pinching it together and unhooking it from the tag on the RW collar. i think they made the opening on it just a hair wider then the clip on the collar so they really work well together, maybe if it was just a thin ring on another brand collar it may slip off....

I was just looking at the Flat Out leash to replace ours. Ours got snagged on something and has started to unravel. Plus it has a traffic handle, which I love, but it's a completely separate loop at the end of the leash and Bode tends to get his front leg stuck in it if it's hanging loose at all, so I like the traffic handle design on this one.

lol i have the Kong shock-absorbing leash with a traffic handle and that happens to us as well. Kiba stops to sniff something and then steps right into the traffic handle part. When i have it paired with the holti and she gets her foot in that it just makes it ridiculous. other than that i like the traffic handle though- super useful!

Just to add some experience here....I won't use anything but martingale-style collars now. They are typically reserved for training purposes, but they work very well for sneaky dogs (ie-huskies). If Kiba ever gets super-excited or tries to back out it may be worth looking into...

I purchased two new Ruffwear Knot-a-Collar collars for the pups when I first brought Loki home. I made sure it was nice and snug, but nonetheless the first time I took him out Loki managed to back out of it. Being new to the household he almost gave me a heart attack. He flips out with excitement when he sees other dogs, so I really have to watch him.

The martingale styles tighten slightly when the dog pulls, which prevents it from ever coming off. It won't completely tighten and choke the dog, but it will tighten enough to prevent them from backing out. I currently use the EzyDog Checkmate, but as soon as I have some spare money I'll be switching to Ruffwear's re-released Chain Reaction collars. While the EzyDog collars have been amazing, I've always had experienced better durability with Ruffwear products. Both the EzyDog and Ruffwear collars have separate locations for clipping the leash and attaching the tags.


Just food for thought...


I definitely agree with Jen, though, that a harness would be your best bet. If it's ever anything other than walking the dogs I use a harness.




PS- Glad Kiba is okay! I'm sure we've all experienced scares with these escape artists...it's not fun.

The Ruffwear harness is great, it just takes a little time to adjust to the ergonomic control of it. The attachment point is almost midway up the pup's back so it changes your control point.

So far, I found mine best for hiking and swimming with Link and the handle up top is an awesome tool for in the water especially.

Also, by the way, Lupine has a lifetime warranty that even includes chewing.

Papabear wrote:

Just to add some experience here....I won't use anything but martingale-style collars now.

The martingale styles tighten slightly when the dog pulls, which prevents it from ever coming off. It won't completely tighten and choke the dog, but it will tighten enough to prevent them from backing out.

I definitely agree with Jen, though, that a harness would be your best bet. If it's ever anything other than walking the dogs I use a harness.

I definitely agree that on walks, I will never use a regular buckle color. I've got semi-slips and half-checks (chain martingales) that both work wonderfully. My only issue with the semi-slips is that sometimes the fabric on the collar loosens down the buckle, so I have to regularly check it to make sure it doesn't get loose enough for them to slip out. The half check fabric is pretty sturdy though and never loosens. So I tend to use the semi-slip for potty breaks and the half-check for walks.

But obviously, I also agree a harness would be a good idea as everyone said! You already check on her regularly, so I just would be making sure she isnt trying to 'chew out' of her harness while on the tie out.

Jeff you know there is a loop on the end of the harness to hook to right? The only time I hook to the middle is in the car. And yes the handle rocks, selling point for me I can lift jack who is 57lbs with one arm! Great for getting the pups over tricky hiking spots. RW is also great about backing up the product if it fails. Jacks pack got a tear in one of the chinching straps and they sent me a new pack, did not have to return the old one either.

pretty soon i feel like ill own one of every type of leashes and collars known to man lol. So far i have a harness, mushers belt, shock leash w/ traffic handle, holti, one of those extension leashes so she can run around, and a regular collar. The thing is, i don't regret any of it because each and every thing has served a very useful purpose so i really dont mind finding new things that work. its just funny how my collection keeps growing and pretty soon she'll have more "accessories" then me haha!

jbealer wrote:

Jeff you know there is a loop on the end of the harness to hook to right? The only time I hook to the middle is in the car. And yes the handle rocks, selling point for me I can lift jack who is 57lbs with one arm! Great for getting the pups over tricky hiking spots. RW is also great about backing up the product if it fails. Jacks pack got a tear in one of the chinching straps and they sent me a new pack, did not have to return the old one either.

The towing loop on the very back? Yeah I know that one I just have never needed to use it yet. I thought that loop was only for pulling or joring type of stuff.