Martingale Collar For Greyhounds: Good Or Bad?
The Martingale collar is a type of dog collar that causes pain and injury in greyhounds and other dogs. There are other alternatives to keep the dog safely under control.
Greyhounds are often mistreated, which is why some animal rights activists have specialized in this breed. Often they are scared because they have already been through a lot.
Greyhounds are easy to recognize by their particular, thin and fragile body shape. They often wear a wide Martingale collar. But is this really suitable for a greyhound?
What is a Martingale collar?
Again and again you see greyhounds with this nice looking collar. It is wide and made of leather or fabric. It consists of two parts, one of which is fixed and ends in two rings in which a movable part is hooked.
The leash is tied to the moving part of the collar: if the dog pulls on the leash, a pull stop brakes it.
Martingale collars for greyhounds are very easy to find. And there are many craftsmen who make them to measure and decorate them with lots of colorful fabrics.
Why is the Martingale collar used for greyhounds?
The main reasons martingale collars are used on greyhounds is because of the unique head-to-neck ratio in greyhounds and the fear many of them have.
If a dog of another breed becomes anxious and tries to escape, it will not be able to remove a normal collar. Because the neck is much narrower than the head and the collar cannot slip over his ears.
But in the case of the greyhounds it is different, they have a very broad neck in relation to their head. So if you want to run away, you can escape a normal collar with no difficulty.
Since the Martingale collar contracts in the neck, you cannot take it off if the worst comes to the worst.
Why the Martingale collar is unsuitable
What many greyhound owners fail to consider is that the Martingale collar does damage. We have already reported on the health problems of dogs pulling on a leash, all of which are caused by prolonged pressure on the neck.
This type of collar causes health problems that almost always occur in dogs who wear collars as punishment or certain training collars.
That is, collars that constantly tighten around the neck, just like a Martingale collar. Instead of metal spikes, this is done with a strip of fabric, but the pressure is still applied.
Although the Martingale collar for greyhounds has a pressure stop or padded fabric, they put excessive pressure on the neck, a very sensitive area in any dog.
Also, some greyhound owners do not remember that dogs have muscle memories; these are sensations or memories associated with touch.
If the greyhound has been held by the neck with pressure in its previous life or during the abuse, it will experience a sense of fear and helplessness every time this situation repeats itself.
When the Martingale collar contracts, you can never forget this memory. With this, recovery from abuse will be impossible or slower and more difficult. We therefore recommend a different collar.
Alternatives to the Martingale collar for greyhounds
Regular collars cannot guarantee the safety of a greyhound as it could easily escape. The normal harnesses don’t seem safe either because their chest is so wide.
There are more and more so-called three-point harnesses or escape-proof harnesses. These are normal harnesses that are attached to the dog’s chest and ribs, but have an additional gripping point in the lower part of the abdomen; on the thinnest part of the body.
The dog cannot escape through this third point, the shortest strip of the harness. The pressure is applied to the chest or ribs, which are less sensitive than the neck.
In addition, the dog is safer than just wearing a collar. When an abused greyhound is in pain, there is no recovery and will continue to feel anxious and sad. We therefore advise against using a Martingale collar.
