Dog Information

Are leather dog collars better than nylon?

Do leather collars cause less irritation around the dogs neck? I try to remove his collar every night to give him a break, but it seems his nylon (at least I think it's nylon) collar is irritating his skin (throat area). And no, it's not too tight!

Public Comments

1. Some dogs have skin allergies. My sharpei is allergic to alot of metals and it does the same thing to him. Leather can be less irritating because it's more natural, its also more durable.
2. Im not a fan of nylon collars personally, I do prefer a real leather collar, dont cheap out and get a shitty quality one, I think they're just as bad. I don't know if they're any better or any worse, I just prefer leather. But if the collar is possibly causing this rash, I'd have it checked out, could be allergic to nylon??? no clue if that is possible but yeah lol
3. A collar should not irritate a dog at all. If it's definitely not too tight, you should check the area for a rash or some kind of abnormality. He may have an allergy to something in the collar. Try a new collar and if that doesn't help, get a vet to look at it when he next has a checkup
4. It depends on the dog. They are all different and some can be sensitive to certain materials. Just try another collar and find out what suits. Some dogs get irritated by anything around their neck. If thats the case, see your vet cause he might have a skin condition that needs treatment.
5. some dogs have more sensitive skin than others. i've actually had more luck with nylon than leather. try the round (rolled) slip collar kind- because it's round, it doesn't have edges to chafe the dog's neck, and they tend to be pretty soft. wash it before the dog wears it, if you choose, putting it through the washer and dryer may make it even softer. it's good that you take it off as often as you can. i've seen some dogs also have allergies to the nickel plate on the buckles- there are collars that have plastic closures that you might try... i have contact dermatitis from cheap metal too, and i'll tell ya- it's NOT FUN!! sometimes trial and error is the best thing you can do.
6. Dann is right could be an allergy to something in the collar. Try washing the collar well and drying it and see if this helps. Also, you may want to switch to a harness to give your dog's neck a chance to heal.
7. dogs are not allergic to nylon...she is wrong....people use nylon cuz some dogs are allergic to polypro webbing....thats why they use nylon....but the polypro is more durable....wont fade, wont lose color, wont get moldy, is water proof....but can irritate so they use nylon...nylon does fade, loose color,is not water proof, does get moldy ,does fray....but a thick hard leather collar can rub to causing irritation....leather is no more durable to that of polypro collars...nylon is not the best choice.....so its an even tie with leather / polypro....although polypro can come in many colors...i like the rustic look of the leather colars:)
8. I like the nylon ones because they have that quick release feature and because they don't bleed color onto the dog's coat if you get them wet or bathe the dog with it on. Quality varies though. Check out the inside of the one you are using--it may have some rough points on the inside. ) The leather ones are more attractive, they are very durable, and completely secure because they are almost all buckle collars. Dogs never 'pop' a leather collar. Some of them do bleed color if they get really wet though.
9. Always take your dogs collar off his neck at night. It is not natural for them to be collared 24/7 , they were not born with collars, so we have to apply common sense when dealing with issues like this. Once my dogs are in no collars and no harnesses. They are put on when we go for walks and taken off once we get home.
10. They may cause less irritation but remember that leather stretches so i would not advise leather collars.
11. I prefer nylon collars and leads, when I was a kid I remember a leather one snapping when on our dog near a road, dog was okay, but since then always go for nylon. My mum still prefers leather collars for hers. I do not think irrate the skin.
12. I think in almost all cases a leather collar is better than nylon. Leather is generally more "giving" than nylon and so feels more comfortable. Also a dog is less likely to suffer from an allergic reaction to leather than to man made materials such as nylon. Hope this helps, Anthony