Yesterday my gsd was out playing with his friend as usual when they both suddenly started yelping luckily i was out there with them and was able to get to them quickly it turns out that leo the lab had got his bottom jaw cought in max's collar and it had twisted so they were both stuck it was horrible max was chokng and leo was panicing and struggling because the collar was cutting into his bottom jaw, it was a real struggle to free both dogs but eventually we managed to and they both walked away unharmed , i have always used a half check on max but after yesterday i no longer feel comfortable using it simple because there's no clip or buckle to undo the collar should this ever happen again. Does anyone know if you can get half checks that can be opened instead of being put on over the head ?

OMG this happened to my 2 dogs too and both dogs were hurt it was very frightening, see here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=486560&highlight=collar) they were wearing the fabric webbing collars.
Since then I got a leather collar for Kira the ordinary buckle type and quite stiff, she has it on tight enough to discourage Pea from hooking her teeth under it, up to now it seems to have worked.
Hope that you and your dogs are over the shock of it all a bit now :)

I thought i remembered someone else on here saying they had a simalar problem , the dogs seem fine now the situation is made worse by the fact that the lab isn't mine i'm dogsitting while his mum's away, leather collars dont seem to sit right on max because of his fur but it might be worth giving 1 a try , thanks for the advice :)

Yes, you can get half checks with buckles though they tend to be few and far between.

I have to go to the wholesalers early this week so am going tomorrow - will have a look to see what they have there :)

Takara used to wear a half check (not anymore) and the chain part once got stuck between our kitchen flags while she was rolling around. That didn't have a buckle and she was pulling and panicking, I was panicking unable to get her free... it was awful.

I know you can get full fabric combi collars that are like a half check but instead of chain there is just another piece of the fabric the collar is made of (still works the same, but no chain - if you're relying on the sound of the chain it wouldn't work) I don't know if that may be better for you?

The same thing happened to a friend's dogs. They were playing rough and tumble and one dog got its teeth stuck in an unused buckle hole in the other dog's collar. By the time they were seperated, one of the dogs had stopped breathing. We were student nurses at the time and had just done our first CPR course. My friend performed CPR on the dog in the same way you'd do it to a baby and she saved its life!

The same thing happened to a friend's dogs. They were playing rough and tumble and one dog got its teeth stuck in an unused buckle hole in the other dog's collar. By the time they were seperated, one of the dogs had stopped breathing. We were student nurses at the time and had just done our first CPR course. My friend performed CPR on the dog in the same way you'd do it to a baby and she saved its life!

OMG that really is terrible, it just shows how dangerous it could have been I was terrified that Kira was going to stop breathing and die, it seemed inevitable...blimey I don't want to even think about it any more :help:

It is so scary Moonbird, but then I have a friend who's dogs got stuck together playfighting and they weren't even wearing collars.

They got their jaws locked together and teeth stuck in eachother as they tried to wriggle free. One ended up losing a lot of blood and the other had a broken jaw :( :(

The webbing used for the collars is so strong and hard to cut. When travelling the horses we always use leather headcollars in case of an accident and we need to cut them out quickly.

Leather is best when it's treated regularly and goes really supple. If you do have a leather collar or lead, try using Kao-Cho-Line on it. Most equestrian stores such as Parklands will stock it, or you can get it online. Many oils and other branded preparations can dry out the leather though despite what they say!

How awful for you Moonbird. I had this experience once with 2 dogs playing, the clip on one collar, (not a half check, ordinary belt type collar) got caught on the collar of the other dog. You can imagine the struggle and they both panicked as they were attached neck to neck. one was a little Bichon belonging to my assisstant. Luckily both dogs were small and we were able to lift them and hold them close together, while someone else untangled the collars. Nightmare :((

I've also seen a dog get its toe caught and badly damaged in the hanging chain that was weighted down by a heavy ID disc on a half check. Makes you think doesn't it! My dogs have those quick snap release collars. Not sure though how quickly they would snap apart in an emergency and whats to stop them snapping apart on a lunging dog!

How awful for you Moonbird. I had this experience once with 2 dogs playing, the clip on one collar, (not a half check, ordinary belt type collar) got caught on the collar of the other dog. You can imagine the struggle and they both panicked as they were attached neck to neck. one was a little Bichon belonging to my assisstant. Luckily both dogs were small and we were able to lift them and hold them close together, while someone else untangled the collars. Nightmare :((

I've also seen a dog get its toe caught and badly damaged in the hanging chain that was weighted down by a heavy ID disc on a half check. Makes you think doesn't it! My dogs have those quick snap release collars. Not sure though how quickly they would snap apart in an emergency and whats to stop them snapping apart on a lunging dog!

Too right it is a nightmare, it was the quick release collars that mine were wearing...they didn't at all!
That was scarey about the dogs who got their jaws locked together (Lotti mentioned) it makes you wonder whether it's wise to let them play wrestling type games at all.
I can still remember vividly the horror that I felt when I saw how dazed Kira was and her eye full of blood and massive like it would pop it was awful.

Moonbird, I think what happened between those two was a very rare occurence! It's just as possible for them bounce around and break a leg, jump on the others back and damage it, or simply run headfirst into a wall (something Eddy does regularly apparently without injuring himself!).

I think if you tried to avoid all accidents no matter how rare, they'd end up sat in the corner covered in bubble wrap.

I let mine enjoy themselves within reason, calm them down if it's getting too much and just cope with anything that happens as and when.

Let's face it, it's possible they can slip their lead and run under a car but we don't stop taking them for walks. Like I say, I think what happened to Harry and Frankie was just a very spooky one off and not something to worry about particularly.