Friday, May 4, 2012

Dog Collar Padding

Now that we've committed to using the Gentle Leader Head Collar, we've been trying to figure out how best to  pad the underside of the snout loop. G's delicate fur tends to rub off (you can see a patch in the picture below above her jowl) and she will still take any opportunity to try and scrape it offer her nose if I'm not paying attention.



We looked into the "deluxe" Gentle Leader system, but (we're prissy) we really don't like any of the prints they offer. They tend to be in red, blue or black and we like to minimize the head collar as much as possible by purchasing it in a complementary color to G's coat (we go with the fawn). I've found the darker colors tend to prompt people to think it's a muzzle rather than an anti-pull device.

We've also invested in a 6 foot, 3/8" matching fawn color leash with a much smaller clasp, so the metal doesn't clank against her shoulders or chin when we're walking. Previously, we had been using a 1/2" inch leash and the weight of the clasp seemed excessive and bothersome to G when walking. It seems to have reduced the rubbing somewhat, by I'm still looking for some type of padding.

Our next "try" will include either adhesive moleskin or sheepskin on the underside of the muzzle loop, but was wondering if anyone knows of other possible fixes for this issue? Do you know any other products that might help?

4 comments:

  1. Oh yes, Zoe's had the same issue. We do have the Gentle Leader Deluxe, but it's really not that great. It's thin material, so it doesn't make that much for a difference. For us, the adhesive Moleskin helped, but it didn't solve the issue entirely. We ended up switching from the GL to the easy walk harness. But that also rubs her skin, so we have fleece padding underneath. We also alternate between that and a plastic prong. Sigh, these pitties and their sensitive skin! Good luck!

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  2. I bought some moleskin when I noticed that Mushroom's fur was beginning to wear away due to the nose loop, but I haven't gotten around to adhering it to the head collar. It's been sitting on top of her crate for the past month.

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  3. We used to put sheepskin padding on horses' halters when they were being trailered. They came in real or fake sheepskin that were sewn in tubes that fit all the way around each piece of the halter(the side and nose pieces have velcro). The padding would stay in place instead of rubbing since it wasn't sewn to the halter. Here's a link so you can see what it looks like: http://www.statelinetack.com/item/basic-fleece-4-piece-halter-tube-set/SLT901685/
    You could probably sew tubes of fabric to completely cover both straps. She would look cute with a fuzzy halter!

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  4. I wish I had thought to add something soft to the underside when we had Madden. That's a great idea!

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