Why I like Martingales
by Debbie
Short version, in my opinion and experience they are about the most slip proof collar available and they combine the best features of a flat buckle collar and the choke collar.
With rescues I never know whether they have ever seen a collar and a leash before in their lives. The last thing I want to happen is for one to slip a collar, get loose and worse case scenario get hit by a car. (It has happened, not to me, but to someone with whom I'm very close.) The metal choke collars can evoke a very negative response, the martingales are much more comfortable for some people to accept.
They are adjustable, lie flat and just slip over the dog's head. They allow for control and correction, much like a choke does. A slight difference though is they allow for more self correction by the dog than do the chokes. Dog pulls, the collar tightens. Dog stops pulling and relaxes, the collar loosens again.
Among sighthound people (Greyhounds, Whippets, etc.) they are the collar of choice. The design puts less pressure on windpipe, as well as the hard to slip feature.
Debbie