A dog is not only a true friend, but also a great responsibility on the shoulders of the owners. A four-legged pet needs daily and fairly long walks, 1.5 hours a day of which should be occupied with the active activity of the animal.
Morning and evening walks of 8–9 months of the year pass in the dark, which makes it more likely that the pet may be injured by a pedestrian, cyclist or lost when chasing a cat to the other end of the park.
All these problems are easily solved with the help of a luminous collar.. Such an accessory will help the dog become noticeable in the dark and avoid a lot of trouble, as well as greatly facilitate the life of the owner.
Principle of operation
Too bright or flashing light is harmful for dogs: reduced clarity of vision. The dog can be disoriented for the first walk, so it is more advisable to use a collar with a nylon tape, which partially drowns out the glow of the diodes. For the same reasons, it is not recommended to use the flashing or flickering mode of operation of the luminous accessory.
The luminous collar is presented on the market in 2 versions:
- with LED strip or 1-2 diodes (equipped with batteries or a USB port for charging);
- with reflective elements (made using special paint or fabric that reflects the headlights).
A luminous accessory for dogs, working with a diode strip and an integrated switch, is considered the most convenient to use.
The backlight mode can be changed at your discretion with a simple click of a button:
- slow flashing
- frequent flickering;
- constant backlight.
Diode collars can be assembled with one diode, which is not very convenient for the owner and can interfere with a dog, or with several diodes - it greatly facilitates the search for a dog at any time of the day, including white pets on a sunny winter day, when the animal merges with the snow the landscape.
There is another type of luminous collars made using special materials that reflect the light incident on them - they are equipped with reflective tapes along the edge. Such a collar will not help to find a dog in the dark, but it can save you from getting under a car.
The luminous collar brings tangible benefits to pet owners during a walk in the dark:
- allows you to easily track the movement of the animal in a dark park and on the way to the house;
- help the pet become more visible to drivers and other people, helps prevent possible accidents.
In the daytime, the backlight can be turned off and use this accessory as a regular mount for a leash.
How to choose?
On sale there are many options for luminous collars, just make the right choice and enjoy buying for many years.
When selecting such a collar, it is necessary to focus on a number of important criteria.
- Type of food. Many of these accessories are powered by batteries, but some models do not provide for the replacement of batteries, and such collars are disposable. Collars with USB charging are most practical, because used batteries must be taken to special collection points for recycling and constantly buying new ones.
- Charge holding time: 30 minutes to several hours.
- Water resistant. A special coating allows you to use the accessory in the rain and when swimming in any pond.
- Size adjustment. Not provided for in all models, then there is a need to select the exact size (after fastening the collar on a medium-sized pet, 1-2 fingers should be placed between the collar and neck, but it should not hang out).
- Carabiner and clasp. It is recommended to choose models with reliable fastenings for a leash and a high-quality fastener (it is recommended to fix a plastic fastener in addition).
Silicone collars with internal illumination must be worn over the main one, they do not have a carbine, are available on the market in various colors, it is easy to reduce the size by simply cutting off the excess length of the tube.
A small neon bracelet may be suitable for small pets instead of a luminous collar, but such an accessory will be absolutely not practical, one-time and go out within a week. Among other things, often such bracelets are made of low-quality materials and have a pungent unpleasant odor.
Luminous accessory will not work for dogs with long thick hair - it is better to use a special flashing pendant of the appropriate size.
How to do it yourself?
Most of the luminous collars are made in China, so they may not be of high quality, and delivery of the purchase will have to wait several months, but you can solve this problem yourself and not too costly.
Making a luminous accessory for your beloved pet with your own hands is quite simple. It is best to use an existing collar as a base.
You will also need a moisture-proof LED strip with a special battery compartment (it is better to buy it in a regular store of electrical goods or lighting devices to make sure the purchase quality is good and there is no unpleasant smell) or a tape with a reflective strip.
When installing single diodes, you should choose those that will not heat up during operation.
Strong linen threads will help to fix the tape on the collar (it is better to place the container with the battery for the LED version on the outside of the collar so as not to create discomfort on the neck of the pet).For a reflective tape, batteries are not required - just select a quality material with a waterproof coating.
The process of making a luminous accessory is quite easy and time-consuming.
You can make luminous not only the collar, but also the harness, as well as the entire leash (with this solution, the battery pack is best sewn into the handle of the leash).
A useful accessory can be bought or made with your own hands, In any case, the luminous collar will come in handy for a walk at any time of the year: it will help the dog to maintain health and life, and the owners will facilitate the care of the pet outside the house.
See the following video for an overview of luminous dog collars.
