Dog Collar Safety Checklist: Everything You Need to Know I'll be honest—when I first started helping my sister with her two Labrador retrievers about seven years ago, I thought a collar was just... a collar. Something you buckled around the dog's neck, attached a leash to, and moved on with your day. Then her younger Lab, Murphy, got his collar caught on a fence latch during what should have been a routine backyard play session, and the panic in that moment taught me more about dog collar safety than any manual could have. What started as a casual accessory suddenly became a piece of equipment I needed to understand completely. This dog collar safety checklist covers everything from fit and materials to breakaway features and proper maintenance—whether you're outfitting a ten-week-old Beagle puppy or switching collars for a senior German Shepher ...