It seems “Tactical” is all the rage these days. Tac-lights, tac-visors, tac-shades, tac-knives, etc, etc. As a former Marine, I’m a fan. What can I say? I love the idea, and having crawled through the mud and muck for 16+ years, I know how tough some of this stuff really is. Tactical dog collars. I wish I had thought of it.
On the serious side, these collars are highly functional, and quite safe, and you can personalize the collar you don’t normally see.
Want to add your pooch’s name? You can do it.
Need a “Do Not Pet” badge for your service dog? The tactical dog collar can accommodate this.
All of this, and they keep your dog safe too, and that’s the main point.
Dogs are more than just pets. They are our best friends and constant companions; most of us will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. For the ultimate in safety, check out our Tactical Dog Harness review. We have also done a review on the FI brand Series 3 GPS tracking smart dog collars. We have two dogs with FI collars, and we like them.
As you read through this site, you’ll find that I am a fan of the Tactical items. It’s not just what they create and sell but also how they test items.
It’s always good to know that a Kong chew toy can withstand being run over by a 30-ton tank.
I’m making that up, but you get the picture. Then again, my dogs seem to be more destructive than a 30-ton tank.
You can find some very sturdy chew toys at Bullymake. We’ve been happy customers for over two years now.
You can’t ask for more reliable information about what to look for than from the Humane Society for details around fit and function.
How comfortable is the tactical dog collar?
Ask Fido. Does he look like he hates it?
Our dogs let us know when they are wearing a collar they hate.
They try to chew it off (and often get the bottom jaw stuck in it), try to catch it on things like tree limbs, shelves, etc., to pull it off, and, I swear, they talk to each other about it.
I cannot count the times our dogs have been playing, and a collar ends up in the dirt.
If your dog is not comfortable wearing the collar, it will show.
How safe is the tactical dog collar?
Very safe. That’s really the main point.
The “I love my dog” market is huge and growing, and the folks making the tactical collars realize this.
They have created an amazing product that does a great job of keeping your dog safe.
The collar will not accidentally unbuckle. It is thick enough so that you can tighten it adequately without worrying about it pinching or causing breathing problems, and no matter how hard of a puller you have, the collar is made strong enough to withstand it.
Fido will not break free from this collar.
The weak link will be the leash (there are tactical leashes, too!) or your arm. The collar will be fine.
Two things to look for here are the tensile strength of the collar material itself and the buckling strength. Usually, you’ll find the buckle’s breaking point is considerably less than that of the webbing that makes up these collars, but these are both important metrics to consider when considering the safety aspect of the collar.
Dog collar material
The specs for the webbing will often read such as 1.75″ nylon webbing with 5,000lb tensile strength. Some won’t give the actual tensile strength, but you can estimate by the width (1.75 inch vs. 1.50in or 1.25in). Note that these collars typically range from 2 inches wide at the largest to 1 inch or perhaps 1.25 inches.
This table shows a few of the more common materials you’ll find dog collars to be made from and how durable they are compared to others.
| Collar Material | Durability | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Nylon | Moderate | Everyday use, training, various colors |
| Leather | High | Classic, durable, stylish, long-lasting |
| Biothane | High | Water-resistant, easy to clean, outdoor |
| Chain | Moderate-High | Training, behavior correction |
| Rope | High | Rugged outdoor activities, slip leads |
Dog collar buckles
The specs for the buckle will be similar and often denote a “type” of the buckle (often COBRA) and also a tensile strength. 2,500 lb tensile strength is a good rating for a collar buckle. COBRA buckles are the best around – they’re used by fighter pilots and astronauts. You can read more about COBRA buckles on the AustialPin website.
The table below details some of the more common buckle brands and types you’ll see on dog collars:
| Buckle Type | Strength & Durability | Ease of Use | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| COBRA Buckle | High | Moderate | Tactical, Outdoor |
| AustriAlpin Cobra Buckle | High | Moderate | Tactical, Outdoor |
| ITW Nexus GT Cobra Buckle | High | Moderate | Tactical, Outdoor |
| Duraflex Stealth Warrior | High | Moderate | Military, Tactical |
| Nylon Quick Release | Moderate | Easy | Everyday Dog Collars |
| Magnetic Buckle | Moderate | Very Easy | Various Collars |
| Plastic Quick Release | Low-Moderate | Very Easy | Everyday Dog Collars |
| Buckle with Pin Lock | Moderate | Moderate | Various Dog Collars |
Tactical Dog Collar Reviews
Below are the ones we find to be top of the pack with respect to safety and durability.
I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth mentioning that we run a dog rescue here and have many large dogs. Our dogs often run free over 7 acres of woodlands and creeks and play pretty rough. These have been tested, and we’ve found them to be well worth the money.
Clicking the links or images below will take you to the respective Amazon pages.
The Excellent Elite Spanker featuring control handle
A nice feature here is an easy-to-grab handle for close supervision of your pooch. The velcro spaces are also nice for adding badges or other personalizations. This is a solid color regardless of the size of the dog and works well for the largest of them.
OneTigris Military Adjustable Dog Collar
Kind of a no-frills collar here…just very strong. Solid metal buckles, a typical “web harness” approach. Sturdy and stylish. Price is on the low end compared to the others so if you are looking to just test something out, this is a good pick.
Redline K9 Maxtrac
Diezel K9 Tactical Military Style – 2 inch
The Diezel offering sports a lot of customizations around coloring and personalization badges that can be affixed. The standard cartridge belt double-pin buckle is a good look.
What can I add to a tactical dog collar?
A lot of the fun with these tactical dog collars is deciding what kind of patches you’d like to add. This can be fun, functional…or both.
How about a patch with your furry friend’s name on it?
How about a badge of honor? You decide what it says.
The options are (almost) limitless.
Most of these have velcro for exactly this purpose. You’ll find that these collars are a bit wider than most collars, providing additional strength and more room for identification patches or other accessories.
Below you’ll find some examples. Click any of them to be taken to the Amazon web page. You may not want that exact one, but it’ll get you in the ballpark so you can find the ones you want.
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This one allows you to customize it to say whatever you want.
Here you can buy a bundle of patches to suit your mood. Couple of flags, skulls, Don’t tread on me’s, and some skull/flag combos.
Pretty cool…I mean, right?
Another bundle of patches, this time 6 of them. You get the flag, the skull, “In God we trust”, Si vis pacem para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war), Don’t tread on me, and Molon Labe (Come and take them). This last one was said by King Leonidas, the Spartan king when Xerxes commanded the Spartans to lay down their weapons. The rest, of course, is history.
This guy probably doesn’t need a tactical dog collar, but he’s too cute not to share. I don’t know. Maybe he would need one?
The best tactical dog collars – recap
I hope this helps and you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read. Of course, the idea is to entertain but also help as much as possible. You can spend hours looking at reviews and researching these collars, so the intent here was to save you some time.
There are many other tactical dog collars on the market, and of course, we recommend doing your due diligence. Your dog’s safety is important, so take the time to read this article, other articles, and the reviews for the items you are considering.
A bit of extra time here can save you much grief later.
We do reviews now and then, not as many as I’d like, but you can see reviews on comfy dog beds, indestructible dog beds, invisible fences, toughest dog chew toys, and more on our Reviews page.
Happy Dogging!
