Puppy is scared of a collar

[ShinyGreenApple]

I got a puppy on Saturday (A coworker grabbed him from a friend of hers who was going to dump him at the pound), and our best guess is that he's some sort of a Rat Terrier mix. Very small, very high energy. He has his adult incisors in on top but the rest are still baby teeth, so we're not sure how old he is. He's happy, bouncy, and absolutely into everything, as puppies are. Last night I bought him a collar, but when I put it on him, his whole personality changed. Instead of going nuts for 15 minutes like he usually does when I come home from work, he sat on the floor and looked at me like I'd ruined his life, then alternated sitting in mine and Mom's laps, curled up into a tight ball and sleeping. When my nephew came home, he hopped out of the chair and then squealed like something had hurt him. I took it off again and he was fine.

I tried it again this morning, only when I put it on, I gave him a treat and made a big deal out of how good he was. He ate the treat but then started the same unhappy "Hold me, I'm so depressed and my life is over" stuff again. It's not tight and I haven't tried attaching a leash. Took it off and now he's growling and barking and bouncing and annoying the other two dogs again. I've never seen a dog act like this, any tips? I'm taking him to the vet's in a bit for his shots and such, so maybe they'll know.

[Aethian]

Maybe the "friend" use to pick him up by the collar? I had someone on a route whose kid used to do that. Poor thing.

Anyhow neighbor there got the dog and instead of collar uses a harness which doesn't have the same reaction.

[Sapphire Silk]

It could be simply that it is something new and unexpected. The puppy will get used to it in time, and dogs really should wear collars and tags.

Goldie (EE's dog) feels naked without hers, though she didn't like it at first.

Cats should really wear them, too, though I have yet to have a cat who couldn't get out of it in less than an hour

[MaggieTheCat]

Cats should really wear them, too, though I have yet to have a cat who couldn't get out of it in less than an hour

You have to be careful with cats, though. Since they're jumpers, they can get their collars caught on things and strangle themselves. My vet's daughter had a cat once that had a collar on and tried to jump a rather tall fence. Its collar got caught on the fence and it would have died in moments had my vet not been nearby and saw it when it happened.

Breakaway collars are the safest route, if you're going to use a collar. The best thing to do is to get pets microchipped and keep the information up to date, that way if they don't/can't wear collars or lose their collars, they can still be identified if they get lose. I second the suggestion of trying a harness, too.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I asked the vet and they said he just needs to get used to it. He's wearing it now with his new rabies tag and moping, but it seems like he's starting to come back around. We also thought that maybe someone had tried putting a bark collar on him before and he's afraid something will happen; he is a noisy little fellow so I could definitely see someone doing that. (not that I approve, mind)

I like my animals to have collars in case they get loose or lost. I know I'd be less likely to try and keep an animal that had a collar than a naked one. I'm going to get him chipped when I take him in for his parvo/distemper booster next month so he'll have that protection, too. Both my cats wear collars as well, and people are amazed when they see. I guess I just got lucky with them

[Moirae]

He almost sounds like he was an abused puppy. Strange reaction.

You have to be careful with cats, though. Since they're jumpers, they can get their collars caught on things and strangle themselves. My vet's daughter had a cat once that had a collar on and tried to jump a rather tall fence. Its collar got caught on the fence and it would have died in moments had my vet not been nearby and saw it when it happened.

Breakaway collars are the safest route, if you're going to use a collar. The best thing to do is to get pets microchipped and keep the information up to date, that way if they don't/can't wear collars or lose their collars, they can still be identified if they get lose. I second the suggestion of trying a harness, too.

To address this... my cat had one for a while, and flipped out. She actually managed to work it free enough one day that she got her jaw caught in it. She starts doing flips and crying. I finally just stopped even trying. She freaks too much. I hate to think what would have happened if I hadn't been around to help when she got her jaw caught.

[Kiwi]

is the collar too tight for him? you should be able to get two fingers side by side underneath easily or it can restrict breathing. Is it heavy and thick leather collar, could you try a really lightweight version to start with? I think it's something he might need to get used to.

[Treasure]

none of my animals have had problems with collars, even my cats - don't gt me wrong Razz could get hers off if she were determined enough, but she rarely got that way - it doesn't hurt that her collar(s) were the kind that had sparklies on it - she was a very regal lady.

Bonny - my dad's dog, knows that when she takes a bath, daddy takes her collar off, and he sometimes doesn't get it back on her for a day or two, and she pouts after her bath, until she gets her collar back on - then she stops sulking, and will cuddle w/ daddy once more...

[ShinyGreenApple]

I can fit two fingers easily, and he's only 8.2 pounds to begin with. It's a lightweight, nylon collar.

[Kittish]

Does sound like it's just something new that the puppy needs a little time to adjust to.

One tip- to make it more likely that you'll get your pet back if one of them gets lost and is found by someone, on the back of the tags engrave 'Needs Meds'. I've heard of lots of cases where people found lost pets with collars and tags and made no effort at all to contact the original owners, simply kept the animal themselves. But if someone thinks they'll have to incur expenses and inconveniences right from the get go, they're a bit less likely to do something like that.

[Kiwi]

I would keep trying the collar for a few weeks, perhaps for an hour or so at a time and give him LOTS of love and cuddles and attention when you do it. If he was abused with the collar as part of that abuse it may just need to be positive reinforcement. If you show him that the collar is not a bad thing then he might "grow" out of it so to speak.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

SGA (huh) Shiny did say he's getting used to it... although a harness might be better anyway for such a bundle of energy! Glad you have such a good lil' guy... and best luck training him! J.R.'s are insane.

[jedimaster91]

Here's another good way to get a dog (or cat, but YMMV on that one) used to something it's unsure of. Step one, get a clicker. Then place the object somewhere the dog can investigate at his leisure. Click and treat the dog initially for just looking at the object. After awhile, click for touching the object. Gradually work up to being able to get the collar on the dog without any fuss. It's really easy to do during commercial breaks from you favorite TV show. Most dogs catch on pretty quick.

[ShinyGreenApple]

He's not squealing when it's on anymore, just trying to get hold of the tag. It'll definitely come off at night though so he doesn't keep me awake jingling all night, hehe. The vet's said they think he's a Chihuahua mix, but I still stand by my opinion that he's got Rattie in him.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think this thread needs a pic or two. At least. Maybe we could get a better idea then.