Dog collars are your dog’s best friend, no pun intended – they include all your dog’s pertinent information, his tags and ID included. Shopping for a collar for your dog can be a challenge for a lot of us, but hey, let’s put it this way – at least you have choices. If you are researching your options, these easy ideas can help you out.

You need to find a collar that will fit around your dog’s neck exactly. Once you have ensured this, then you can go on to choosing your desired style, pattern or color collar.

For small dogs, pick out a collar that is neither too heavy nor too light. If you own puppies, you can either go with a thin leather collar or a nylon collar due to its soft texture. Wider and stronger collars would match larger dogs, such as sporting dogs or large working dogs like a St. Bernard. You can always use this quick test to ensure that you have chosen the best fit for your dog – the distance between your dog’s neck and the collar should not be narrower than two finger’s width. It should be a tight squeeze though, as you don’t want to the collar to be too loose. You want that excess strap dangling from the collar to be cut off as well, unless you’re comfortable with your dog mistaking it for a sausage link.

So that you can easily adjust the length of the dog’s collar, you want to look for a snap-on fastener as an alternative for a buckle collar. As for choke collars, they are cool looking but shouldn’t be used on younger puppies – gentler, training collars are better.

Here are a couple of neat facts about leather collars – one, they are versatile in terms of the colors, styles and widths you can choose from, and two, they become softer on a dog’s skin due to the dog himself and the natural oils produced from his skin. Nylon collars, on the other hand, are washable collars that retain their durability, and are best suited for younger and smaller dogs. Nylon collars are also suitable for larger dogs, but you would need to choose those with heavy webbing.

Since there are some dogs with specific needs, there are collars just right for them. Did you know that your canine Kelly Slater can have his own dog collar made from the same material as the wetsuits surfers wear? And for those impatient dogs that pull on your leash during walks, head collars are the best option and are often used in training. A harness can come in handy with an anxious or hyperactive dog as well, as it is positioned around the dog’s chest and ribcage to prevent choking – some harnesses even allow you to buckle your dog into your car!

Dog collars generally come with matching leashes, and when talking possible designs and colors, let’s just say they are countless. Research well and do not make any hasty purchases as you search for the best collar for your dog, because his comfort is your peace of mind at the end of the day.

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