Customer Support

Fitting the Receiver Collar Correctly

The single most important thing you can do for your dog's comfort and safety is to fit the receiver collar correctly and check it every day. It takes about a minute, and it prevents nearly every collar problem we get called about.

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Why fit matters more than anything else

To be effective, your SmartReceiver's contact posts must maintain contact with your pet's skin. Without that contact, pets cannot feel the correction when they approach the boundary.

A collar that is fitted correctly does two jobs at once. It keeps your dog safely inside the boundary, and it protects the skin underneath. Getting the fit wrong compromises both.

The Two Failure Modes

Too Loose, Too Tight

Too loose

If your pet's collar is too loose, it will not be able to deliver the correction stimulus. It can also cause skin irritation, because the collar moves constantly while making contact only intermittently. A loose collar is not the safe option it sounds like.

Too tight, or left on too long

Contact requires a small amount of pressure, and pressure that is never relieved is what causes trouble. This is why the collar comes off for part of every day and gets repositioned when possible, rather than sitting in one spot around the clock.

A golden retriever puppy resting in a front yard wearing a receiver collar, with boundary training flags set along the yard behind — A correctly fitted collar during the training weeks, with the boundary flags still up.

Daily Routine

Checking the Collar's Fit

Your Pet Stop representative is trained to adjust the SmartReceiver collar to fit correctly with low skin contact pressure. Keeping it that way is a short daily habit.

A yellow Labrador wearing a receiver collar, with the receiver sitting snugly against the underside of the neck — The receiver sits against the underside of the neck, where both contact posts can stay on the skin.

Take the collar off for at least 6 hours a day

We recommend removing it for a minimum of 6 hours out of every 24 to relieve the slight contact pressure. Overnight is the easiest way to make this automatic.

Move it slightly whenever you can

Shifting the collar to a slightly different position through the day moves where the contact posts sit, so no single spot carries pressure for long stretches.

Check the fit and the skin every day

Taking the collar off gives you the moment to check it. Confirm the fit has not become too loose or too tight, and look at the skin underneath while you are there.

What this prevents

Following these recommendations should prevent pressure sores, which can lead to a condition called pressure necrosis. Similar to bedsores, pressure sores are caused by extended periods of unrelieved pressure on the skin. Relieving contact pressure frequently is what prevents the issue.

If you see redness, sores, or hair loss where the contact posts sit, take the collar off and call us at (205) 982-5196. If the skin is broken, see your veterinarian.

Common Questions

The collar should fit snugly enough that both contact posts make constant contact with the skin, and no tighter. Fit has to be judged with the collar on your dog, because it depends on your dog's build and coat. Your Pet Stop representative sets it correctly at installation, and it drifts from there as your dog gains or loses weight and as the coat thickens or sheds. That is what the daily check is for. If you are unsure, call us while you are with your dog and we will walk you through it.

Remove it for at least 6 hours out of every 24. Repositioning it slightly whenever you can throughout the day also helps, because it moves the contact points rather than leaving pressure in one place.

Two things, and neither is good. The contact posts lose reliable contact with the skin, so your pet may not feel the correction near the boundary. A loose collar also moves constantly against the skin with intermittent contact, which can cause irritation on its own.

It is skin damage caused by extended periods of unrelieved pressure, similar to bedsores in people. It is preventable. Removing the collar for at least 6 hours a day, repositioning it when you can, and checking the fit daily are what prevent it.

Daily. Taking the collar off each day gives you a natural moment to look at the skin underneath and confirm the fit has not become too loose or too tight. Dogs gain and lose weight, coats change with the season, and puppies grow.

Call us at (205) 982-5196. If you see redness, sores, or hair loss where the contact posts sit, take the collar off and contact us, and see your veterinarian if the skin is broken.

Not Sure the Fit Is Right?

Fit can only be judged with your dog wearing the collar, so call us while the two of you are together and we will walk you through checking it. If you would rather we look at it in person, bring your dog along. Adjusting fit is a normal part of owning a system, and we would far rather hear from you early.

Call (205) 982-5196 →