A dog crate provides a cozy, secure haven for your dog. To make sure your dog is safe, always remove his collar before placing him in his crate. Dogs have strangled themselves while in the crate with collars on. Remembering this simple precaution can save your dog from injury or even death.
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Collars
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Your dog's collar could get caught on the bars or the latch pieces. One pet owner returned home to find his dog dead. His dog's collar had hooked itself between the crate's wire bars. A panicked dog will struggle to free herself if her collar gets caught and she could injure or strangle himself.
Tags and Hooks
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Tags and hooks on your dog's collar can also catch on the crate's bars or door--another reason to remove your dog's collar. Don't leave the collar on top of the kennel or your dog might be tempted to try to reach it and chew on it, especially if you are crating your dog in a wire kennel.
Chewing
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Some dogs will try to chew their collar, either out of boredom or discomfort. One dog owner stopped placing her dog in his crate with his collar on after finding he had chewed through his leather collar overnight. He had eaten a large piece of leather and required expensive and risky emergency surgery to remove the blockage from his digestive tract.
Scratching
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Another owner's puppy scratched her neck raw trying to remove her collar. If your dog is scratching at her collar, she could also get her leg caught between the collar and her neck and injure her limb.
Prevention/Solution
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Get a quick-release collar to make it easier to take it off before crating. Make the crate an inviting place by providing your dog with a blanket or fitted crate pad and a dog-safe toy.
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