Dog Neck PainChoosing the correct dog collar could make a huge difference...Dog Neck Pain can have many causes but the incorrect use of a collar shouldn't be one of them. There are many types of collars and we look at a few of them and the effect they could have on your dogs neck.This is something we don't often consider but with the help of a Doctors point of view, we can all be better educated on what could be a very painful subject! While visiting my own chiropractor, she recommended that I read "The Well Adjusted Dog" written by Dr. Daniel Kamen. As I read this book, I came upon some information that was interesting about dog collars and in what way they can cause dog neck problems. It is really about the improper way humans us leashes with certain collars. Below is what Dr. Kamen had to share on dog collars:
What are the Types of Dog Collars? I was thinking I have been doing a good thing by placing a dog harness on my dog. Was I wrong! The book taught me that this collar could be a reason for the dog neck problems my pooch has been suffering at the spot where his neck joins his shoulders. What was also surprising to me is the collar that Dr. Kamen thinks is the best one to use. Typically, the five main kinds of dog collars which most owners of dogs use include the traditional flat leather and nylon collars, choke collars, prong collars, the head or leader collars, along with the harness-style collars. Traditional Leather and Nylon Flat Collars: The traditional leather and nylon flat collars probably are the most used of all collars, even though they could also be the most harmful kind. This type of collar has a place for the dog's tags to attach, and it is easy to connect a leash to its metal loop. However, this type of collar never should be the collar of choice for training. It can also be hard to control your dog with it while walking it. Owners as they get frustrated make the mistake of pulling back on their leash to get their dog to stop running and/or pulling. This could happen too to get the dog back walking after it stopping to check out something. The pulling back on the leash can make the muscle tighten up in the neck area, and can cause cervical subluxations. [Subluxation = dislocation of the vertebrae...in our case, the dogs neck.] In fact, this is a main cause for disc problems and other issues with the neck in dogs. Sadly, many of the disc issues do not appear until the dog gets older. When they occur, dog owners choose to give their dogs medication to relax the muscles or for pain control. They may also choose surgery to repair the degenerating discs. Head or Leader Collars: These collars seem to be the best way to train your dog. The head or leader collar goes over the dog's head, similar to a muzzle. Your leash connects to the metal loop that is located under your dog's chin on the collar. With this collar, you turn your dog's head to make it go where you need it to go. At times, you could turn the dog's head to quickly or hard if you get frustrated training your dog. This collar because of this could cause upper dog neck problems. Choke Collars: This is the most used collar by trainers on dogs. The thought with this collar is when the dog pulls against this too much, the collar tightens and chokes it and this will make the dog quit pulling on it. However, what really happens is that when the collar tightens the dog will pull trying to get away from the collar, making the collar even tighter. Your dog can choke itself and can wind up in a coma. Wrongly trained dogs and owners can cause dog neck problems and more issues. The Harness: This is made to go over the dog's shoulders and fastens on the dog's chest. While this design of collar is an improvement on the traditional or choke collars, the harness style can be the cause of lower-neck, chest, foreleg and shoulder subluxations. These are caused again by the owners getting frustrated and pulling back too much on the leash. This makes the harness place too much stress on the chest and shoulder areas. Prong Collars: These collars have the appearance of a torture device used in the medieval times. They are made from metal and have a ring of spikes on the inside. As training takes place it only takes the slightest resistance to get the dog to be restrained by applying even pressure on the neck. Dr. Kamen says in the book, " Some trainers liken the prong collar to "power steering" where even the slightest touch will produce the desired result." The doctor has discovered that the dogs that wear this style of collar have a lower occurrence of upper cervical subluxations compared to the other kinds of collars. So this is the recommended collar for the dog to wear, when walking it or training it...assuming the human in command also understand "slightest touch"! What are Other Causes for Cervical Subluxations to Occur in Dogs? A number of other things could cause the cervical subluxation problems for dogs. Certain requirements in dog training such as the dogs being made to sit and look straight up at their owners can bring on neck strain. Other things can also bring about dog neck problems include such things as improper bedding, dog is obese, the leash length, dangerous play activities, bad breeding practices, the owner's size and dog's size being matched. It would be difficult to watch everything your dog does. He might like the hard floor next to the fire instead of that comfortable bed you just bought. You could have over played on the Frisbee catching today and made your dog have to jumped real high to catch it, this can cause neck pain. You just need to replace the harmful things as much as possible to lessen the risk of neck subluxations from happening with your dog. This way he will not have dog neck problems and have less pain along with being so much happier.
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"The improper use of collars is the number one cause of cervical (neck) subluxations in dogs. Of all the places to put undue stress, the cervical region, especially the upper two cervical vertebrae, is the most harmful. It is at this point that the body meets the brain." 
