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Bolting and Breakaway Collars
We had a terrifying situation occur last night. Thunderstorms had been happening for a few hours. Caber had been quietly snoozing in the living room not minding the storm sounds overhead from inside. He started to get restless and I knew he needed a potty break. The storm had slackened off, so I tossed on a raincoat and leashed him up to go out. I took him out front to check on some storm water drainage issues we’ve had at the house. When we were about halfway down the driveway, a loud BOOM of thunder happened. Rather than pancaking on the ground like he does when scared of other situations, Caber suddenly bolted. His breakaway collar immediately unsnapped and he was loose and scared running towards the road. I panicked and started running the opposite way towards the house to get my husband’s help. Thankfully, he saw me running and chased me right back into the house safely.
With all that said. Are breakaway collars designed to give away like that when a dog bolts suddenly? Any recommendations on how to counter condition that bolt response? We’ve done loud noise exposure inside our home, and he’s calm during storms inside. He’s been exposed quite a lot to loud construction noises due to a bridge replacement at the end of our driveway the last 8 weeks with no bolt reactions.
For now, all potty breaks on leash or off are happening in the fenced in backyard. Needless to say, I’ve been a mess since this happened.
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12 Replies
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First, I’m so very glad all is well. You did the exact thing you should have done; run the other way! It’s so counter-intuitive and hard to do. If you had chased after Caber he might have kept running thinking you were right behind him! I’m so glad he’s okay (and you are too!)
Why is he wearing a breakaway? Does he really need one? My girls are nikked when together because I don’t like any collars during play. They both have sturdy collars for leashed walks… but now you have me wondering if they’d hold should a dog bolt? I don’t know. It’s good to think about! (Magic would be the one to bolt… I’m really gonna have to think about this, thank you for bringing it up!)
A limited slip/martingale would be my next easy choice, then a body harness like Blue 9 Balance which is more secure than some.
Bolting in fear is not a conscious response, so it would be very, very tough to work on. At his age, he is who he is with regard to startling. You can work on the next 5-10 seconds though, getting him to engage his brain with super-loading powerful recall games. I can’t guarantee he’ll hear you though, if that panic mode lasts very long.
I’m looking forward to what others have to say on this!
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Oh and here’s where I claim my dog owner ignorance. I didn’t know the difference between the buckle styles of breakaway and non breakaway collars. ???? I picked a collar based on its cute design not practical application as the website didn’t mention what type of buckle was on the collar. https://grayandhound.com/products/lets-hike-summer-dog-collar
grayandhound.com
A beautiful hiking dog collar for your hound! Featuring our unique design on easy-to-clean recycled canvas, polyester webbing, and stainless steel hardware. We have four collar styles to choose from including a plastic buckle, fabric martingale, limited-slip, and cobra buckle. … Continue reading
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What a scare, @PerpetualCleric . I’ve honestly never heard of breakaway collars for dogs, only for cats. I looked at the link you shared — it doesn’t say anything about the design being purpose-made to break away. When quick-snap collars have broken off dogs — in my past experience — it’s been due to faulty design of the snap, not an intentional design feature.
I’d personally want to have quick-snap closures that reliably don’t break away, and instead choose when to remove collars — like during play or when left alone in the house or in a crate.Catherine mentioned martingale collars which, when properly fit, won’t allow a dog to back their head out of the collar. But even with that style of collar, I strongly encourage that it include a quick-snap open/close feature. Without the quick-snap, I’ve heard of incidents where two dogs are playing, one gets a mouth caught in the other dog’s martingale, and then panic and choking ensues. It happened once in the play yard at a prison where I used to oversee a pet/prison program — the poor inmate handlers had to plead for an officer to run to get scissors so the collar could be caught off the choking dog. It was a happy ending — no dire injuries — but what a scare.
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I’ve sent a question over to the collar company to see if that was what the buckle was intended to do – open without human intervention. Regardless, it’s rated on their site to withstand pulling up to 350 lbs which I highly doubt little 44# Caber could do.
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@virginiad OMD what a scary thing for all at the prison. geez. So glad the guards were compassionate and quick. Sharps aren’t easy access in an environment like that!
You are exactly right about the quick snap and on the martingale too, especially when there are two dogs. Maybe safer with just one dog, but I’m still not sure about leaving collars on anymore. “lost” risk is mitigated somewhat with chipping, but I still prefer to have ID on the dog. Both my dogs’ collars have embroidered names and phone numbers because tags come off or get beat up and unreadable.
@PerpetualCleric so far as pulling force… bolting is so sudden that, well, physics. It’s more than a steady pull but I lack the science to tell you why. You’ve made me think though, and I’m going to put the collars on leashes, step on the collar and give it a good yank! Both collars have plastic quick snaps, and we’ll see if they hold up.
I’m glad you wrote the company… seems they spent their money on the design and not the buckle quality. Again, so glad nothing horrible happened except sheer terror!
If you’re looking for a pretty, well-made metal buckle collar, I’ll suggest Trailblazing Tails. Handmade biothane and gorgeous (click through the photos to see more designs), plus the owner, Tricia Case, aligns with our values of compassion & sustainability.
trailblazingtails.com
Premium Dog Collars (The Hedda)
Inspired by the beautiful craftswomanship of leather makers across the globe -- we created our premium dog collars to match the luxury and color of our waterproof, odor-proof, and durable dog leashes. Now your dog can hit the streets in … Continue reading
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Wow, those collar colors — veritable eye candy!
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Caber’s collar maker identified that most likely this was a faulty buckle from the manufacturer. They’ll be remaking his “Let’s Hike” collar design with a military grade metal buckle instead. Yay!
I do acknowledge now that little Caber is more athletic than I thought. He broke out of a collar Friday night. Last night, rather than stopping before he hit a massive tree when running full steam in the backyard, he slightly turned and went up the tree instead. Banking off it like a race car ????
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Glad you’re getting a collar replacement!
AND, sounds like Caber should be a parkour dog. ????
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haha omd – “banking off it like a race car” Go Caber! And I second Virginia’s parkour recommendation!
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Christina
I’m so glad everything turned out ok. I tried using a break away collar when I first got my puppy but it would unsnap with almost no pressure so I went with the snap collar right away. Caber is adorbs. Is he a Border Terrier?
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Nope, he’s quite a mix – Aussie, pittie, poodle, and a wee bit of lab. He’s 99% lovey, 1% teenage velociraptor.
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For only 1%, the velociraptor features prominently! ????
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