[poohbearsmom]

Mike,

In 40 some odd responses, I counted a handful of people who suggested that a spiked collar was not a good idea due to public perception.

There were many links given in this thread that provided the OP with options of buying spike and similar collars - along with links that provided information on alternative collars.

I would think that your responses had been deleted because perhaps you were not thinking of the BREED, but thinking of your personal rights. You do indeed have the right to put whatever collar you want on your dog, go for it, but be prepared for a certain amount of backlash from those who truly invest their time into education and the irradication of ignorance. *hint hint - "ignorance" is not derrogatory:

ig·no·rance
Pronunciation: \ˈig-n(ə-)rən(t)s\
Function: noun
Date: 13th century
: the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness

(Definition courtesy of Miriam Webster Dictionary online)

When you choose to use a spiked collar, you are not only doing damage to the public perception of YOUR dog, you are damaging the public perception of MY dog and Rottweilers in general. Speaking for myself, when you or anyone for that matter, damage the public's perception of MY dog, that pisses me off. I spend the majority of my time training my dogs, teaching people about responsible dog ownership and educating others so that they may find mutually rewarding relationships with their furry friends. So when someone else's actions undo the hard work I put in, well, you can understand how I might be a little passionate about things. Same goes for other people who also take Rottweiler ownership VERY seriously. If you want to dress something up, get a Barbie Doll.

I will repeat myself again; it impresses people more to have a well trained, under control, safe dog in public. If one's agenda is to have a "cool" dog, then one should train the dog and teach it skills that benefit the breed, and even dogs in general. I personally am more impressed with people who put time, money and effort into training, rather than money into unecessary trinkets.

You've only been on this forum a short time, Mike, I invite you to stick around and be educated yourself. Sometimes it's a good thing to forego one's "personal rights", and worry more about our "pet ownership rights" for which we have been in constant battle for for years now. If you'd care to do something positive for the greater good of all, I invite you with open arms to do so.

My 7 centavos.