EDUCATION: Is Your Dog Constantly Chewing Through Their Collar?

Ever wondered...why do dogs bite their dog collars?

You are not alone! It can be so frustrating to purchase a beautiful new dog collar for your adorable fur babe...only to come home later and find the carefully selected collar on the floor tattered to bits and no longer wearable. Or worse! To have your little fur pal be hanging out at the park with you while you sip your coffee and greet your neighbor, only to suddenly see them streaking through the park after a squirrel because they managed to chew through their collar in a matter of 5 minutes! Scary! No pet owner ever wants to experience that! But what are you to do?!

We promise! Your adorable little pup is not plotting some vengeful attack because you didn't pick out the right color collar (Though they may have been trying to send you a message that any collar other than a Geopetric collar with a boss geometric print is unacceptable - too soon for jokes?). All that is happening is that someone is trying to send you a very important message the only way they know how (That is unless you managed to teach them English. In which case - please...stop the madness and share the dets on that golden knowledge). What they are trying to say is:

1) They are super bored and yeah they really do insist on having your attention NOW!

and

2) Their beautiful collar was not fitted to them properly.

Don't panic! We can help. Here are some quick tidbits to ensure that your fur babe's new collar is a pawfectly safe fit. Follow these steps and your pup will be comfortable and they'll be rocking that poppin' geometric Geopetric personalized collar for quite some time (that is until they insist on getting the latest design they just saw on Instagram).

How to properly fit your dog collar

1) DO ignore the 2 finger rule (sort of). While the two-finger rule isn't a terrible standard (that's the rule where you should be able to fit the width of two fingers between your dog's neck and the collar when it is fastened), everyone's fingers are different sizes and that can create a lot of variation in the actual result of your dog's collar fitting. Instead, take the two finger rule under advisement, but prioritize fitting the collar to a snug fit resting under their chin and slightly higher on their neck. This allows the collar to sit further back and veer upward if they are tugging when on a leash instead of over and out and also avoids putting too much pressure on their trachea.

2) DO let your dog get a little taste. And by that we mean when you put your dog's new collar on and you think you have it fit properly, try slipping it around their head. Play with it in the same way they might to see if the collar has too much give. Your dog is like a master yogi (they don't call it downward dog for nothing). Your dog is pretty capable of bending their necks in all sorts of directions. So be sure that they can't contort their heads to slip even one little tooth under their collar...because if they can it's bye bye Tri Tail, custom name engraved collar, and hello www.geopetric.com for a new one (but of course we'd love to have you shop us as often as you like - haha).

3) DO consider walking your fur babe on a harness or Martingale collar instead of a clip dog collar. This one may not seem to make as much sense but stay with us. Collars that clip on and have adjustable sizing are not the best device for walking your pet. However, when fit properly - they make stylish and useful identification tools (for multiple reasons but that is a discussion for another day). Using a harness or a Martingale collar which is an infinity collar that snugs when your pet tugs safely, is safer tool and reduces the amount of friction on your dog's collar once it has been fit properly so that the collar's secure fit is not lessened from tension and you don't have to worry about constantly checking their collar sizing every second.

4) DON'T forget to check your dog's collar size every so often. While obviously you don't want to have to check your dog's collar size for a proper fit daily...depending on how you use your dog's collar and where they are at in growth, or even simply how active they are - it is important you check their collar regularly (this will vary based again, on your dog's individual needs). You don't buy a T-shirt and wear it every week, wash it, and so on and expect it to always fit the exact same as the day you got it right?! Think of your dog's collar like this and be sure they always have a proper fit and you can't go wrong!