Martingale Collars for Small Dogs

Martingale collars for small dogs can be particularly hard to find at local pet stores, as this type of collar has yet to gain widespread use or popularity.

An Artful Canine Martingale Collar on a Small Italian Greyhound Dog

If you speak to any trainer, rescue advocate, or dog owner who has a dog that escapes from a traditional collar, you will learn much about this fabulous tool. If you are you are looking for this type of collar, or want to learn more, this article will help you do both.

What is a Martingale Collar Anyway?

A martingale collar is designed for 2 uses: to aid in the process of leash-training your dog, and to prevent your dog from escaping their collar. The martingale collar was originally designed for sight hounds (greyhounds), a dog that has a very narrow head that is smaller than their neck. This type of dog can easily back out/escape from a regular collar because of this disproportionate body type. There are many other breeds, both large and small, with this same head type: Italian Greyhounds, Salukis, Whippets, Bulldogs, Collies, and Shelties, to name a few. Other terms used for this this type of collar are no-slip collar, limited-slip collar, and safety collar.

Martingale Collar Safety

For a small-headed dog, regular collars present a potentially dangerous situation. All your dog has to to do is make a sudden stop when on leash and he/she is out of their collar in a flash! Fortunately, martingale collars for small dogs put a stop to that. We like to call this a safety collar when used for this purpose, because it really does keep a small dog safe when on leash. Martingales are designed to be used on leash only. When not hooked to a leash, the loop will hang in front of your dogs neck, and could get caught in objects.

Training with a Martingale Collar

When a martingale collar is used for leash training a small dog or puppy, its design becomes an aid to the owner/trainer when giving voice commands. Many professional trainers will recommend a half-check martingale, which is a martingale collar with a chain loop (verses a nylon loop). When a trainer is teaching a dog a certain command, say, to sit, the trainer will pull on the leash quickly (at the very same time he/she is given the command) and then release the pull. This method seems to help the dog understand and learn commands more effectively. The sound of the chain, in conjunction with the voice command, brings the dogs attention to the trainer.

So How Does a Martingale Collar Work?

This type of collar is buckle-less, and slips over your dogs head. Once on, the collar is adjusted down to fit (just like a regular collar is adjusted to fit). When the leash is attached to the d-ring of the collar and the dog moves forward or pulls, the entire collar tightens around the dogs neck, making it impossible for him/her to pull out of the collar when on leash. The beauty of this collar is that it is limited in how tight it will get (thus, the term “limited-slip collar”). Unlike all-chain slip collars or choke collars, where there is no restriction in how much it will tighten around a dogs neck, a martingale collar has a limited range in which it tightens, and is considered much more humane that a choke collar.

Will This Collar Hurt My Small Dogs Neck?

A natural concern is the fear that the choking action will damage a small dogs trachea or choke them. This should not happen if a martingale collar is fitted properly, and used as designed – only when on leash. To fit your dog properly in a martingale collar, we suggest you to check out our video, Fitting Your Dog for a Martingale Collar. We also encourage to you read up on martingale collar use for the techniques used by trainers in how the leash is held. It is important to note that if your dog is constantly pulling when on leash, any collar, regardless of the style, could cause damage over the long term. In such cases, we recommend using a step-in dog harness. When not escape-proof, they are designed for dogs that cannot have any pressure against their necks.

The Artful Canine offers a selection of over 40 different martingale designs in small martingale collars for small dogs and x-small dogs under 20 lbs. We also offer customised versions of our martingales for your small dog should you want features that are not offered in our in-stock martingales.

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