Collar (animal)

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Tie up collar correctly used with a headcollar on a stallion

Nylon quick-release buckle collar on a dog with identification and medical tags.

Wooden neck cradle

An animal collar is a device that attached to the neck of an animal to allow it to be harnessed, tied up or for various other reasons.

• Pet collar. A piece of material put around the neck of certain pet animals, such as dogs or cats, for control, identification, or other purposes. Identification tags and medical information is often placed on collars. Collars are also useful for controlling the animal, as they provide a handle for grabbing or means of leading. Similar collars are used with non-pet animals such as zoo animals and domestic animals including calves, goats and sheep etc.
• Anti-bark dog collar, or bark control collar. Produces a citronella spray or a high pitched sound in response to loud noise, to distract and deter a dog from barking.
• Insect collar. Impregnated with chemicals that repel or kill external parasites. They are usually a supplementary collar, worn in addition to the conventional buckle collar on a dog. They are also used on horses, too.
• Cat collar. Similar to dog collars, but often include a bell to warn fauna of the cat's presence.
• Pig dog collar, This collar integrates a wide collar and a breastplate for pig dogs. They are made from multiple layers of extra tough fabric or leather to protect the vital carotid artery and jugular vein of pig hunting dogs should they be attacked.
• Elizabethan collar. Shaped like a lamp shade to prevent an animal from licking something on their body, such as a wound.
• Tie-up collar. Used for bulls and other cattle, these may be a chain (sometimes covered in plastic hose), or a collar of heavy leather or synthetic material fastened with a heavy duty buckle.
• Horse collars.
  • Full collar. Used for horses or other draught animals, this consists of a robustly constructed leather and straw device that sits comfortably on the animal's shoulders around its neck, supporting a set of hames that transfer the draught forces from the animal to the traces.
  • Breast collar. A simpler type of draught collar for lighter loads, consisting of a padded strap around the chest of the animal.
• Horse tie-up collar. A collar designed to teach horses to tie up and to tie stallions at public events. It is constructed from double-stitched wide leather (sometimes fleece lined), with heavy duty dees sewn into each end. The collar is placed on a horse just behind the poll strap of a headcollar (headstall) which is used in conjunction, and a strong rope passes through the headcollar to secure the two dees so that the horse's wind is not impaired in any way. This manner of application will reduce the likelihood of the collar slipping and injuring or choking the horse. Sometimes used for tethering horses, they are expensive and are potentially dangerous if the horse should become entangled in the tether or frightened etc.^[1]
• Mare collar. A simple buckled neck strap that has a plastic ID tag attached.
• Headcollar or halter. Not strictly a collar, this consists of straps around the head for tethering, tying or leading horses or other livestock.
• Cribbing or wind-sucking collar. The "Nutcracker" collar is an adjustable strap with a lightweight aluminium 'nutcracker'. It is placed around a horse's neck to help prevent windsucking by stopping the flexing of the neck muscles whenever it tries to suck in air. Other varieties are also available, too.
• Animal tracking collar. Used for tracking animal migration, or to locate lost pets. In its simplest form contains a radio beacon to allow the location of the animal. More sophisticated devices may contain a GPS tracking unit to record the animal's track, other sensors to record water depth or other environmental information, and a mobile phone or other radio transmitter to report location and other data. May have a timed or remotely-controlled release device.
• Training collar or shock collar. These (usually for dogs) use an electric shock to improve animal training, reinforce commands and eliminate any bad habits. It may be combined with an "invisible fence", a signal wire surrounding the dog's permitted area, the dog receiving a shock if it strays too near it.
• Neck cradle. Used on horses to prevent them chewing at injuries and dressings.

[edit] References

The Horse Breeding Farm, Larryann C. Willis, AS Barnes & Co., New Jersey, 1973

[edit] See also

• Dog collar
• Horse collar
• Collar (BDSM)