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Dominant Dog Collars vs. Slip Collars

By Ed Frawley

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Dominant Dog Collars and Slip Collars are tools used to manage dominant or aggressive dogs. In this article, you’ll learn the differences between both collars and why Dominant Dog Collars should be used on almost all dogs.

The challenges of using a Slip Collar

Slip Collars are designed to slip over a dog’s head. It should be positioned underneath the chin and behind the ears. If you have a dog with a larger head such as a Pitbull or Bulldog, you’ll need to have a larger slip collar so that they can wear it.

However, when the Slip Collar has to be much larger in order to fit around the dog’s head, you can have far too much slack around the neck. In the video above, the model dog has at least 6 inches of slack around its neck. With extra slack, a handler will really have to lift their arm up in order to apply pressure.

**Nylon Slip Collar** - Available in several sizes and colors.

Dominant Dog Collars are designed for a secure fit

Dominant Dog Collars were introduced as a better solution to Slip Collars. With a clasp, you can easily place the collar around your dog’s neck then hook the clasp to the floating O ring. You’ll have less slack now that you don’t have to account for your dog’s head size. The fit beneath your dog’s chin and behind the ears will be much more secure than a slip collar.

When properly sized, you’ll have about 1 inch of slack so it won’t require much to put a little bit of pressure on the dog. It makes it a lot easier to apply that pressure and say “Hey, hey, hey. Stop doing that. Whatever you’re doing, don’t do it.” Compare it to the slip collar where you really have to give a lot of upward pressure.

How much pressure should you apply?

The amount of pressure you apply depends on the dog. I look at it like how I look at a correction on a dog. A correction is not designed to punish a dog. It should only be strong enough to get a behavior change. That’s the same concept to use when looking at Dominant Dog Collars.

The story behind the Dominant Dog Collar

I designed the Dominant Dog Collars back in the 1990s when I used to import selection-tested police service dogs. I would bring them into the US and sell them to vendors who would train them for a police department.

A lot of these dogs came from Germany where as puppies, they weren’t properly trained. These dogs didn’t know the rules and ended up being handler aggressive. I ended up having dogs that wanted to eat my lunch so I designed these Dominant Dog Collars to get some control over these dogs and maybe a little bit of respect.

Perhaps I should’ve patented or trademarked the collars. But now, there are several competitors that are selling Dominant Dog Collars.

However, what makes us stand out is the cord we use. We use a solid hollow core cord that won’t stretch. Other places will use a cheaper cord material that can get anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of stretch.

Finding the right collar and size

It is crucial that you have a properly sized Dominant Dog Collar. When you measure your dog’s neck, you need to measure underneath the dog’s chin and right behind the ears with that additional 1-inch of slack on the top. That’s how a Dominant Dog Collar should work. You can also view our Dominant Dog Collar page where we have a size guide that will help you find the proper size for your dog.

Every trainer will have their preferences and opinions. Leerburg still offers the Nylon Slip Collar for trainers who still prefer this option.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder of Leerburg. He has been training dogs since the 1950s. For 30 years, Ed bred working bloodline German Shepherds and has produced over 350 litters. During this time, Ed began recording dog training videos and soon grew an interest in police service dogs. His narcotic dogs have been involved in over 1,000 narcotics searches resulting in hundreds of arrests in the state of Wisconsin. Ed now solely focuses on producing dog training courses with renowned dog trainers nationwide. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.