German Shepherd is one of the breeds that ticks all the boxes for a man's best friend. These dogs will always stand to defend you in the face of a threat. They are sensitive to their owners feelings, and are like experts in reading body language. This makes them the perfect cure for loneliness.
However, German Shepherds were bred as working dogs. They are muscular and energetic, with massive pulling power. This makes it challenging to control them on a leash when they're determined to do something.
The only solution to keep them under control is to leash-train the dog, and then get a collar sturdy enough to withstand their force. In this guide, we'll walk you through some of the toughest, strongest and most comfortable collars that work well for German Shepherds.
Best Collars for German Shepherds - Secure and Strong for a Powerful Breed
Before we get into how you can know whether a collar suits a German Shepherd, let's first see their physical and behavioral characteristics. As the name suggests, German Shepherds were initially bred to help herd sheep and protect them from predators. As a qualification for this job, the dog needed to be physically strong, have high speed, a keen sense of smell and, of course, intelligent.
The breeding was so successful, that the German Shepherds ended up ranking position three as the most intelligent dogs in the Stanley Coren's Intelligence of Dogs research. These dogs can learn commands and follow them with 95 percent accuracy after five repetitions only. In terms of physical size, these dogs fall under the large breed category.
Males weigh 77 to 95 pounds, with a standing height of 24 to 26 inches. Females are slightly smaller, weighing 55 to 73 pounds, with a standing height of 22 to 24 inches. When it comes to speed, German Shepherds can hit a sprinting speed of up to 30 miles per hour.
The combination of this physical capability and intelligence is what made German Shepherds a perfect option for a military service dog during World War I & II. For instance, in World War II, 25 percent of the dogs used in combat were German Shepherds. Even nowadays, German Shepherds are still used by the U.S military to search narcotics and explosives as well as attack enemies.
If you have a German Shepherd or you're planning to adopt one, know that you're dealing with a powerful, versatile, and intelligent K-9 grade furry friend who is ready to guard you from anything he perceives as a threat. Unfortunately, the dog's judgment of threat is not always right.
The perceived threat might be another pet, dog, Amazon delivery driver, or your neighbor. So, to prevent scenarios of dog attacks, you must get an equally versatile and strong collar to keep him under control. Here are some features to check to make sure the collar is sturdy enough to withstand the German Shepherd's strength.
Material
As we said, German Shepherds are strong dogs, and the sturdiness, durability, and reliability of the collar are your first priority. The collar's sturdiness depends on the material - and the best material depends on the German Shepherd's traits. Here are some of the German Shepherd characteristics and how they affect the choice of collar material.
- German Shepherds are energetic and require rigorous exercises to keep them stimulated. Expect these dogs to have lots of pent-up energy by the time you're getting back home from work. During these times, they pull strongly due to the over-excitement of exercise. That means the material must have high tensile strength.
- German Shepherds love to explore and will usually wander off the trails when hiking. Expect rough plays around bushes and rocks. A collar made of cotton fabric or polyester will easily fray, get abrasions, punctures, and finally break.
- German Shepherds are heavy chewers. Note that these dogs have strong jaws that deliver an incredible bite force of 238 to 291 PSI. That's enough force to destroy most collars. So, avoid leather collars, as real leather smells good and feels good to chew. This will only encourage destructive chewing behavior.
When you consider these traits, the only material that ends up working best is nylon. We suggest you go for collars made of tough nylon webbing, from 1000D upwards. This nylon is resistant to abrasions, punctures and doesn't smell or feel good to chew.
Comfort
Considering that these dogs rank position three in intelligence, they can easily tell when a collar is hurting them. The result? Your furry friend will start refusing to wear collars. Another thing is that the German Shepherd's outer hairs are silky and smooth. If the collar is not well-padded and rubs these hairs, it will break them. Then, the dog ends up with bald spots around the neck.
So, to make sure the collar is comfortable for your four-legged friend, go for collars with paddings, like sponge or neoprene. But we highly recommend neoprene because German Shepherds also love swimming, and neoprene is water resistant. The sponge soaks water and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.
Closures
As a dog bred for guarding and protection, German Shepherds know the neck is a sensitive area. That means they are always ready to protect their necks. When you get a collar that goes over the dog's head, the dog views it as a threat to its vulnerable area, and won't be comfortable about it. Consider getting a pinned or buckled collar that you just wrap around the neck and close it in place.
Best Collars for German Shepherds
It's one thing to know the features to look for and a different thing to pick a collar that meets the unique German Shepherd requirements. But don't worry. We have already tried many collars, and here are the collars we found to meet the German Shepherd's strength, agility, and training requirements.
Rose-Gold Chocolate 2-inch Luxe Martingale Collar
On average, a German Shepherd has a pulling force of about two to three times its body weight. In fact, there are German Shepherd service dogs that pull wheelchairs weighing more than 350 pounds. Another thing is that German Shepherds are independent thinkers.
Although they are loyal and affectionate, it's not uncommon for these dogs to do what they think is best rather than what you command them to do. That means they are not the gentle dogs like the Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. They are active and always aware of their environment, and will react immediately to stimuli.
So, the very first thing you need to do to gain control over these dogs is to leash-train them. Of all the dog collars we have tested, there is no collar that has proved effective in training a German Shepherd like the Rose Gold Chocolate 2-inch Luxe Martingale Collar.
This collar is designed to tighten whenever there is pressure on the lead. Since German Shepherds are intelligent, they'll immediately stop pulling when they feel the added pressure around the neck. This helps discourage pulling without engaging in tugs of war.
That way, you can use treats to encourage good leash walking behavior, with the collar giving you an upper hand if the dog unexpectedly decides to respond to stimuli. The best thing about this collar is that the tightening is controlled. That means if your dog is caught by something like a fence or branch, the collar can't choke him.
Rose Gold Honeydew 2-inch Tacti Luxe Dog Collar
German Shepherds have strong guarding instincts, and can easily attack. In fact, the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology statistics show that the German Shepherd ranks position four among the breeds most likely to bite. Although there are low chances of these dogs becoming aggressive without provocation, it's better to take precautions, and always keep them under your control.
The Rose Gold Honeydew 2-inch Tacti Luxe Dog Collar is undoubtedly the best collar for keeping these strong dogs under control. From the construction quality, this collar is made of 1050D nylon webbing. 1050D nylon is the famous ballistic nylon that was used to make military protective gear during World War.
Nowadays, this same webbing is used to make police belts, backpacks, and safety harnesses for climbers. The webbing is strong enough to withstand abrasions from rocks when mountaineering. So, when it's used to make a dog collar, there is no way the dog can pull and break it.
Another thing is that the collar comes with machine-welded, hot-rolled D-rings. That means the closures aren't going to snap even if your four-legged friend throws the 90 pounds against you at 30 miles per hour.
Gold Camo 2-inch Tacti Luxe Dog Collar
The Gold Camo 2-inch Tacti Luxe Dog Collar is made from the same incredibly durable 1050D nylon and comes with hot-rolled D-rings, just like the above collar. But we want to mention something about the German Shepherd's coat. These dogs have double coats, with the outer coat being coarse, straight, and dense. These are the types of hairs the collar usually sits on.
If the collar is not wide enough and the dog pulls, there'll be excessive pressure on these straight hairs, breaking them and exposing the inner coat. The result is an unhealthy-looking coat or bald spots. But you won't get such scenarios if you use the Gold Camo 2-inch Tacti Dog Collar.
This collar is 2 inches wide, which means there's better pressure distribution across the neck compared to the 1.5-inch and 1-inch collars. On top of the bigger width, the inside of the collar is lined with neoprene, the synthetic rubber that makes swimsuits. So, the collar is as comfortable as your normal swimsuit.
Another advantage of neoprene lining is that the material is water and sweat-resistant. That means your dog won't have the irritations that result from trapped moisture. Also, there won't be bad odors after long hikes or exercises.
Something else you'll probably like about this collar is the aesthetics. Since you're already dealing with a breed commonly used in military service dogs, the camo color makes your dog look like a true K9 unit.
Black Double-Pinned Expedition Dog Collar
The Black Double-Pinned Expedition Dog Collar comes with a dual-pinned design, making it look like a standard belt. But before we dive into the aesthetics of this collar, let's start by reassuring you that the construction quality of this collar is similar to the above Luxe collars. The collar is 2 inches wide, so there's proper pressure distribution.
It's also made of 1050D nylon, and the inside is lined with neoprene. That means when you go for this option, you won't be getting anything less in terms of durability and comfort. But you can take advantage of its design and color to match outfits with your furry friend. You only need to wear a black dual-pinned belt, and then your German Shepherd wears this collar.
Another thing is that German Shepherd common coat colors are pure black, sable, bi-color, and black and tan. As you can see, black is common across the board, which means this black collar will always blend with the dog's coat color. In terms of functionality, this collar comes with a handle on top.
If the dog pulls and the leash breaks, or you're using a long leash that's giving the dog a pulling advantage, you simply grab this handle and gain immediate control of your furry friend. Another advantage of the dual-pinned design is that the webbing has a set of holes. So, you adjust the sizing depending on your dog's neck size.
How to Properly Fit a Collar on a German Shepherd
As we mentioned, the German Shepherd size varies widely, ranging from 55 to 95 pounds depending on things like sex. The same wide variation applies to their neck sizes. Their average neck size ranges from 18 to 24 inches.
To make sure the collar fits your dog, we recommend going for collars that allow you to adjust the size from 18 inches to around 24 or 26 inches. Wrap the collar around the neck and close the closures, the same way you fit collars on other dogs. But since German Shepherds are large breed dogs, leave enough room to fit three figures.
Conclusion
German Shepherds are loyal, affectionate, intelligent, and will always protect you and your home from threats. But these dogs are strong and agile and require strong collars to keep them under control. We have tested the above collars, and their durability, comfort, and reliability work great for German Shepherds.