studded collars

[greydoe]

Hi all!

I know I saw a thread about this already, but I was brand new here and can't remember which section it was in! Anyway, I wanted to reply to it right away, but wasn't registered yet.

The vast majority of the replies about studded collars were negative. I think that's because studded collars are seen as a "macho" thing (and probably usually are). However, I wanted to say this, as today I am very glad to have gotten Mack one of these collars.

About two months ago, while walking Mack (I was in my scooter, Mack, my service dog Rottie, on my left side as usual), a dog that appeared to be a GSD/Rottie mix came barrelling out of his garage and attacked Mack. There was nothing I could do, as he was on Mack in a flash! In horror I watched as this dog tried desperately to grab Mack around the neck. But guess what? The studded collar worked! The dog had to settle for grabbing an ear, and even though it meant a visit to the Vet for ten stitches in the cartilage of one ear, and a few puncture wounds about his head, the Vet said that collar saved him from much worse injury.

I was also worried that Mack would now stop being dog-friendly, but thankfully he still loves other dogs (cats, kids, rabbits, mice - ).

Since then he has been attacked twice more, by two different dogs - one of them a miniature pinscher! This dog barely came up to Mack's knees, but was trying very hard to grab a leg. Mack sort of danced around him and looked at me as if to say "What IS his problem?" The other could have been a complete disaster. It was a pit bull who slipped his collar and ran from his owner. Since the attack by the GSD/Rottie mix, I had purchased a stun gun just for such an occasion. I made sure the gun wouldn't kill/maim, as I'd never heard of one being used on a dog instead of a person before, but I was assured it would affect a dog the same way it would a person. It did. The dog simply stopped attacking and sat down - hard, looking dazed but uninjured. The owner caught up to him and apologized to me profusely. I advised that the collar was too loose or he couldn't have slipped it.

I just wanted to put in my two cents in the defense of studded collars. I would be completely lost without my Mack, both because he's my beloved best friend, and because he's my service dog.

Yours,

[Diamond Dog]

glad your dog is OK and came out with relatively little damage

I would suggest that you carry pepper spray on your walks. I have found this to be very effective.

[greydoe]

Thanks diamond dog.

[Ilovemypuppy]

I am also glad your boy is alright...there seems to be a lot of this...stray or off leash dogs attacking dogs being walked by their owners. Where we live, there are no stray dogs..thank heavens..but I wouldn't hesitate to get studded collars to protect my Rotties if I were in your shoes. The stun weapon is a good one in your case...mace spray could get into your dog's eyes or yours. I hope your dog continues to show no ill effects from these terrible attacks.

[mrjackal]

Will chain collars do the same?

[greydoe]

Hi Jory -

I think the same about mace and pepper sprays. When two dogs are fighting, how do you know which will get the spray? In almost all cases, the attacking dog's head was right by my dog's head. Plus everything is moving so fast. The stun gun worked great. I got the kind that's a baton, so my hand is kept a bit of distance from the attacking dog.

Here is a message I saw about legislation being considered on attacks against service dogs (it's way to common an occurrance, and sometimes the attacks are by a *human*)...


<snip>
When HB 2445 reaches the Senate he will do what he can to
amend the bill to cover medical or vet cost, replacement or
retraining costs for dogs and lost wages. She also found out that the bill includes a paragraph that states a felony in the third degree which carries a penalty of 3 1/2 to 7 year prison term and or $15,000 fine. We all need to call our Reps. and Senators.
<snip>

I don't know yet if this got passed, but I'll find out...

Thanks,

[rasmy]

I have a nice idea for studded colars, I use the same prong collar used for training as s studded collar when I take my Rotty for a walk, but I put it the other way so that the hurting face is facing outword and it works, he once had a fight with 2 years old GSD and it saved him (He was only 5 months)

[BIGWRIGHT]

I am all for spiked and studded collars people alwasy think we are trying to make our dogs look bigger and badder but when you are faced with another dog barreling down on you and your dog and you have no other options protection of your dog is best done with least lethal means spiked collars prevent unecessary bite problems. I had a situation with two pit bulls the spiked collar did it's job because most pits will go for the throat and they did but got a case of spikes to the mouth. Especially at 11:50 PM and noone else is around.