My Puppy Hates His Collar!? What Do I Do?
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Does your puppy hate his collar?
If you just brought your puppy home or only had him for a few days I’m guessing your answer is a resounding YES!!!
In fact, people tell me all the time in a frantic mood…”My puppy hates his collar!? What do I do?“
The answer is not that difficult: “just leave the collar on your puppy until he gets used to it.”
But he’s scratching at it, trying to bite it, chew it…he hates his collar! In a calm voice…”leave the collar on your puppy until he gets used to it.”
Of course, make sure you have it sized properly, but besides that, you need to just sit back and let your puppy get used to his new collar.
It’s that easy, but you didn’t think that’s all I had to say about this matter did you…you’re correct!
QUICK TIP: We start our 8-week-old puppies out with a basic nylon buckle collar. See the pic of Dublin below.
My Puppy Hates His Collar!
I’ve been raising guide and service dog puppies for over 12 years now and every puppy I’ve ever brought home absolutely hated his collar and none more than my second guide dog puppy in training, Derby.
He didn’t just hate his collar, but he had a vengeance against his pet tags.
Here are a few things I learned about puppy collars and pet tags after raising Derby.
UPDATE: I’ve now raised several Golden Retriever litters, a German Shepherd mix litter, and a Chihuahua mix litter, and one of the things we do very early on is start training our puppies to get used to their collars. By the time our puppies go home with their puppy raisers, they have no problems wearing a collar. Unfortunately, not all litters have the advantage of being raised and trained to wear a collar.
Tips For Wearing A Puppy Collar
- I actually learned this one before Derby. Just leave the collar on your puppy and he’ll get used to it within a few days/weeks.
- Get a puppy collar with a buckle system. The buckle makes it easy to remove the collar when needed.
- Make sure the collar fits properly. I usually make sure I can fit a couple of fingers under the collar while it’s on my pup’s neck. You want it tight enough so it does not slip over your pup’s head, but as mentioned you want it loose enough to fit a couple of fingers underneath while it’s on your pup’s neck.
- Certain materials may stretch or loosen while your puppy is wearing the collar (plus your puppy will grow) so make sure you check to make sure the collar has not become to loose or tight over time.
- Have fun with your collars! We have some seasonal collars, different designs, and materials. Have fun! Just make sure whatever you get is safe for your puppy.
Tips For Wearing Pet Tags
- Guide Dogs of America issues us school tags, but I also recommend getting a personal tag so if your puppy gets lost people can contact you. Make sure you register your puppy. You’ll receive another tag for registration.
- Even if you have tags you should microchip your puppy. Collars/pet tags can fall off and if your puppy gets lost people will have no way of knowing how to find you.
- Are you tired of the jingling of your puppy’s tag? Try the Pet Tag Silencer. I got a couple from our guide dog group and love them.
- Is your puppy chewing on his tags? Derby taught me this one. While the pet tag silencer did stop the jingling of pet tags it did not deter Derby from chewing on his tags. What did I do? Simple really, I taped his pet tags to his collar with a little bit of cloth tape. No more jingling and no more chewed-up tags. A very inexpensive solution to what was at the time a big problem.
- Have fun with your pet tags! There are different designs and materials. I also like to get tags for certain accomplishments. For instance, I bought the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) pet tag for Stetson when he passed his CGC test.
In no time your puppy will be used to wearing his brand new puppy collar and his shiny new pet tags just leave them on and they’ll get used to it.
By the way, this probably doesn’t apply to most people, but most of my puppies hate wearing their “Puppy In Training” bib/jacket a couple of my pups even chewed up the sides of the material.
I try to get my pups used to the service dog jacket by making them wear it quite often at home even before going out in public. Nowadays I keep a close eye on my pup to make sure he doesn’t chew on the material when wearing his jacket.
First things first. Make sure your puppy is comfortable wearing his collar (and service dog jacket). Once he’s used to wearing his collar you might start introducing him to other products he might need to wear during training like a leash and harness.
QUICK TIP: As mentioned earlier if you don’t like the jingling of pet tags then you can DIY it and tape them together or get a fancy pet tag silencer like the Quiet Spot Dog Tag Silencer. We got one for Stetson and his jingling pet tags.
Do you have any tips for puppies who hate their collars and pet tags?
Tell us about your experiences with puppy collars and pet tags.
UPDATE: This post was originally published March 6th, 2012. We made some updates and left some of the content the same. We’ve learned a lot over the years and it reflects in the new information.
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I’m having this same problem with my Shih Tzu cross. She’s 3 months, fully vaccinated and we’ve had her 3 weeks. She was a bundle of love, fun and energy – until we introduced ‘The Collar’. We’re now on our 3rd attempt but it’s like she turns into a different animal. Whenever she or we get her on her feet she panics and runs to a safe space (den, blanket, long grass) and lays down. She obviously itches it a lot also. We’ve left it on for a day and half now. She will go for walks and likes that. And she’ll play with new people and dogs. But, when she’s just with me around the house she mopes around, sleep most of the day, doesn’t play at all. It’s so upsetting to see. I intend to persevere with it but I do worry that she’s now losing weight, hair and confidence because of stress.
You can start by checking some of the schools at the Assistance Dogs International website. Some of these schools may offer assistance to owner trained service dogs. Also, you might start checking with your local area trainers to see if they have experience working with service dogs. We’ve worked with trainers from Karen Pryor Academy and CCPDT Certified trainers that can train dogs to perform certain tasks required of service dogs.
Regarding the websites that sell IDs, vests, and certificates these things are not required for a service dog. A service dog does not need to be certified, nor do you need an ID, and a service dog is not required to wear a vest. I’ve been meaning to write up some more in depth information on this subject, but for now a good place to start is looking at the laws – the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that protect service dogs. Check out the FAQ about Service Animals for more information.
I’m wondering if you know where I can get service dog training in my area? Are the ones you buy on line with vests, I’d, certificate, real, authentic? They don’t involve training.
Thank you
Cheryl Park
Mine’s the same also!!! been struggling on and off for weeks now
My puppy hid from me after i put his collar on and then kept distance for awhile (besides scratching it like crazy. it’s a small nylon one and appropriate size and fit). Once i took it off, he still seemed mad at me and avoided me for about 15 minutes. I later tried just putting it on floor and then praising him when he came near it (that even took awhile) and he did approach it more, but now he started to chew it when left. Any tips?
If this were my puppy I’d definitely contact my veterinarian or emergency veterinarian. Hopefully your puppy is okay.
I have a 15 week old Chi /basset she chewed the flea collar of my older dog last the collar is 6 months old it was a 7 month flea collar. Not sure what the brand was. She even ate the buckle will she be ok. What should I Do
Good tip! We have some friends who use harnesses as well. On the reverse, we had one of our guide dogs not make it because he was sensitive to wearing a harness and ended up career changed. Every puppy is different!
Awesome! I’m glad your puppy go used to his collar.
I got her a harness instead. I think the collar being around her neck gives her discomfort. Since she was kept in a crate, I assumed that wearing a collar made her feel restrained. So I bought a harness to at least lessen her burden. I made sure to have fun with her and distract her when she’s wearing it. Also made sure to let her wear it as often as possible. I take it off at home so that she doesn’t feel like she has to restrain herself from anything. And so far so good! Whenever I show her the harness, it tells her that we’re going somewhere fun. And I just love her reaction everytime! Hope it helps.
Thanks for the advice! After one week of wearing his collar, my puppy finally adjusted to it.
Mine is the same? What did you do. My heart breaks when he looks so sad and won’t come to me. Please tell me what you did to make it work?
My puppy has been wearing colar for 3 months. His surface is in trouble eith parasites now. Is it about wrong wearing?
I’ve had my minpin, Thalia, for almost a month and a half now and I can proudly say that we’re getting along just fine despite the fact that she was already eight months when I got her.
Recently, I bought a collar for her and immediately tried it on her. She didn’t resist and I thought it was a good thing. She never showed any signs of dislike towards it. She didn’t try to bite or chew. However, after a few minutes of leaving it on her, she started moping and she showed an expression of sadness. I know, it sounds exaggerating but I swear her eyes became droopy and the mood she was emitting was sort of a depressing feeling. I thought she was just a little uncomfortable since it was new to her so I dismissed it.
It started to feel a bit weird to me when she wouldn’t look at my face anymore. When I called her, she wouldn’t come and she wouldn’t let me touch her. I finally took the collar off and it took me a short while to get her in her normal mood with me. I tried showing her the collar again but then she turned her head to the side, avoiding the thing as if she was afraid of it. I asked my mum about how she was treated at the shop and I was told she was in a crate so it suggested that no trauma has been done that would cause her to dislike a collar. I don’t know what to do. When we go out, I have to carry her because I’m afraid I might lose her. I apologize if it’s quite a lengthy comment. I am just concerned for my dog.
My Bernese Mountain Dog doesn’t like her’s either. When we go on walks, she always is trying to bit through her collar. Always!
In the end, I think it gets better overtime as the dog gets used to it (as long as their fitting properly).
Great article, thanks!
Yeah, I have my fair share of experiences with dogs who totally hate their collars. Took me some training and acclimatizing before they stop trying to take them off.
Have never had a pup that hated their collar…the kennel? Yes. Not the collar. I am with you on this one, though. Leave it on. They will get used to it. It is a necessity. They can’t go without one.
We usually start out with the nylon buckle collar. After out puppies have gotten used to the nylon buckle collar they don’t have issues with the other collars we’ve tried. In the past we’ve also used leather and fabric collars. We also sometimes use martingales with our dogs. Raven even has a rubber collar.
If your dog gets used to his collar do you think he would be used to any type of collar after that? Or would you have to go through the same “wait it out” technique each time you switch collars? Like if you started with a fabric collar and the switched to a leather one?
It can be frustrating if your puppy hates his collar. Derby tried over and over again to chew his collar. He mostly got a hold of his tags and pretty much destroyed his GDA tag.
Knock on wood, I haven’t had a puppy that hated their collar. They have scratched at it for the first day or so, but nothing major. These tips will come in handy though if we do get a puppy that hates their collar.
My 6 month old labradoodle bites his leash. Every time I take him out he starts biting it. He’s chewed through 2 leashes which broke the first time he took off after a rabbit, cat, squirrel, bird. I’ve tried spraying the sour apple spray on it, but I’m pretty sure that’s his favorite flavor. Lol.
Please help. He cannot go outside without a leash. We live too close to a busy street.
Thank you.
This is my problem too what can i do see my comment Hanna
We have a little schnauzer 8months old and when we put a collar on he lies down and in some cases he is rubbing his head on the carpet, jump on the couch and hide under the pillows on the couch, this is such straing thing to see. He does walk on a leashe.We tried this from very small puppie and thought it will change by getting older —— NOW NOT AT ALL He gets totally passive and does not want to go for a walk poo or whee~whee. We stay in a complex and he need to ware a collar and name tag. Is it something that happen with Burth
What can we do he is such a sweety at all times. We stay is South Africa. Trust i will get answers,
We raise mostly larger puppies Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, but we’ve always just left the collar on and over time they eventually get used to wearing it.
I’m in the same predicament as many of the responses I have read. I have an eight week old 2 pound puppy, since she is so small housebreaking will be an issue. She’s doing very well but I want her on a leash; had to do the caller first. She absolutely hates the collar. She curls up and goes to sleep as soon as I put it on and she won’t move. Your site was the first when I read about “leave it on” I guess I’m writing just asking for reassurance. Thank you
I’ve been lucky to raise my last few puppies from birth and have a collar on them from the day they are born. Yes, when I get a puppy at around 7-8 weeks of age I usually just put the collar on them and only remove it when I’m crate training. Good luck with your new puppy.
I just got a Maltipom. He hated his light weight collar. He’s only 7 weeks. Should I just keep it on him. He doesn’t like sweaters too. He’s only 3.4 lbs
In order to prevent his hair falling out, there a few things you can do. 1. Give him coconut oil in his food and rub it on his fur. He should probably have about a tablespoon at dinner and have the oil rubbed on him about once a week or so. When rubbing it on his fur, do not go so crazy! It will irritate his skin if you do this too often or use too much. 2. Get a new, soft collar and make sure it is loose enough. You could also just make sure that his current one is loose enough. It should be tight enough that he cannot slip it over his head, but loose enough that you can stick a few of your fingers through. 3. He might even not be itching because of the collar! Make sure he gets all his vaccines and is put on all the essential flea/tick medicines.
7 months old! First of all, and this is for everyone as well as any future pups you may get, MAKE SURE YOUR DOG GETS A COLLAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! All my dogs have gotten their collar within a week of bringing them home! This helps them get used to it quickly, because they are not old and stubborn. When they are puppies, they do not really know what to do, so you have to guide him/her into getting used to the collar.
I have an 8 week old puppy that is still getting used to his collar- I leave it on all day (when he isn’t in the crate) and take it off at night when he goes in, but he scratches at it all the time, and today I noticed that his hair is starting fall out in the spots he is scrating. Any other suggestions? I know he will get used to it eventually, but I don’t want him to go bald around his neck during the process. Help me!
One of our friend’s dogs got his collar caught in the wiring and nearly choked himself to death.
Why don’t you have them wear collar during crate training?
Ours inches at collar a lot but we’re folloing advice and just leaving it
When we bring home our guide and service dog puppies we put on their collars and don’t take them off unless we are working on crate training.
My two months old puppy hates her collar. Every time i put it on, she tends to hide herself and cries. It is like she is mad at me and does not care when i call her name. Like ignores me completely! She doesnt eat nor run around, just hides herself and becomes so silent. The longest i have put it on her is 4 hours. I couldnt stand the fact that she ignored me. So what should i do?
Sorry for the late response. It can be difficult when your puppy doesn’t like her collar, but in every case with our puppies we just left it on them and eventually they got used to wearing the collar.
My dog is 7 months old and we just got her a collar. She HATES it! She just sits around and does absolutely nothing! She won’t play fetch anymore, It’s like she’s a ststue. HELP!
Congratulations on your new puppy! It’s difficult to tell what’s going on with your puppy without being able to witness first hand. When we work with our own puppies we will put on their collar and leave it on at all times except when we are crate training. Most of our pups adapt quickly to their new collars, but some do take longer than others. Hopefully this helps. Good luck with your training!
Our new puppy was doing great letting us know when she needed to go outside, as soon as I put that collar on her she started going in the house. The puppy just cries and whines. We are getting ready to go on vacation and I need her to wear her harness so she can be walked during potty breaks. Any suggestions?
YAY! I’m glad someone took my advice and it actually worked 🙂
When we first got our puppy, she hated her collar. She just moped around for 2-3 days because of her collar. When I asked you what I should do, your advice was to just keep it on and that she’ll get used to it. You were right! Thank you for the great advice.