Dog Collar Best Practices: Should You Remove It At Home?

We hear it all the time, should I take off my dog’s collar at night? And the answer is, YOU BET! Keep reading why this is important for your dog’s health, training, and safety.

Should You Remove Your Dog's Collar At Home?

As a dog owner, there are a million questions you can ask yourself daily about caring for your furry friend. We are here to address a common question we hear from owners: should you remove your dog’s harness or collar when they are relaxing at home? The answer is yes, and here are a few reasons why.

Think about when you come home from an exhausting day at the office, what’s the first thing you do? Some may say raid the fridge. Others may say plop down on the couch. We would argue almost everyone can relate to the relief of taking your work shoes, tight clothes, and other accessories off after a long day. Your dog should feel the same.

Why Collar Removal Is Important

If you have trained your pup that wearing a harness or collar means you are going outside, you should also practice taking their collar off when they are back home and relaxing. But, this doesn’t have to be the moment you are back inside. It can be at the end of the day or during what you think should be “relaxation times”. We’ve highlighted a few key reasons we think it is important for you to remove your dog’s collar when they are safe and relaxing at home.

1. Grooming Purposes

If your dog has long hair, removing their collar daily can help prevent matting where the collar lies. The same goes for short-haired dogs and their skin. The break from the collar gives their skin time to breathe and prevents rashes, irritation, or unwanted odors in that area.

2. Daily Inspection

Taking the collar off daily not only allows your pup to rest easy, but it gives you time to inspect the area for any unusual findings. In addition to checking for skin irritation, it also allows you to check for things like ticks, fleas, and other unwanted insects that can hide under a collar. If you go days or weeks between taking off your dog’s collar, you could run the risk of a scary vet trip for a very sick pup. For advice on how and where to check for unwanted critters on your dog, check out this article by the American Kennel Club.

3. Safety

The daily inspection of your pooch is important for the above potential health concerns, but another reason to take their collar or harness off at night is for safety. If you have a young pup who still sleeps in his crate at night or a dog who likes to relax in tight spots, they could run the risk of getting their collar stuck on something. This could cause panic if they are unable to break free. This can cause some worst-case scenarios for your furry friend that no one wants to experience. Taking the collar or harness off eliminates that possibility, giving you peace of mind.

4. Training & Relaxation

Harnesses and collars are great training tools. When your dog wears their collar they are focused and “at work”. Taking off the harness doesn’t mean it is a free-for-all. The lack of a collar just means they know it is time to relax from the day.

Other In-Home Collar Suggestions

We just discussed many the important reasons to take your pal's collar off regularly. However, we understand that some owners may not feel comfortable taking their dog's collar off as frequently. That's okay, too. Every owner is different and every dog is different. If you worry about how your dog will behave without a collar but still want to practice regular removal of their collar, check out our Jingle Free Tag Collars. These collars are designed for the serenity of your home. Similar benefits, like the ones mentioned above, can still be experienced with this collar. You can have an outdoor and indoor collar for your dog. This will still allow them to learn when it is time for relaxation and when it is time to do their "work". Plus, the removal of the outdoor collar and replacement with the indoor collar will still give you the regular removal piece mentioned above.

So What Are You Waiting For?

At the end of the day, all we want as dog owners is to have a healthy, happy, and well-behaved pup. Taking your dog’s collar off when they are relaxing is a great way to ensure your dog is safe, healthy, and well-trained. What relaxation looks like is different for every canine and every household. As we always stress in our trainings, consistency is key. Remain consistent on when you decide to take the collar off and when you leave it on. Dogs thrive on schedules and routines. Find a routine that fits best with your needs and your dog’s needs. From there, relaxation will be within your reach.

Be sure to check out our latest leash models and styles perfect for all your training, adventuring, and daily walks!