These are the best dog collars from cool American collar brands to express your adventure-loving dog’s style while helping to keep them safe and comfortable, no matter what mischief they get up to!
Because we’ve put together this cool dog collars buyer’s guide with stylish and demanding adventure dogs in mind, you won’t find cheap or basic dog collars that you’ll find in a regular pet store on this buyer’s guide.
All the dog collar brands and styles featured here have been designed with premium durability, functionality and style in mind that you often don’t find at a generic pet store.
Ruffwear Crag Dog Collar – Best Reflective Dog Collar
- Cost: $30 (other Ruffwear styles range from $15 to $30)
- Collar material: Polyester webbing with reflective details
- Buckle style: Plastic side-release pinch-clip buckle
- Other features: Silicone tag silencer
Ruffwear is one of the best brands for adventure dog gear, including leashes, cooling vests and harnesses as well as collars.
In addition to the reflective Crag Collar, this Oregon-based brand also offers other styles of dog collars including waterproof collars, collars with heavy-duty metal buckles and martingale collars for dogs who tend to slip out of their collars, all within the $15-30 price range.
See the full range of Ruffwear collar options on the Ruffwear website.
Wolfgang Man and Beast – The Best Dog Collars For The Most Vibrant Trail Dog Style
- Cost: From $18
- Collar material: Polyester webbing with UV stable, fade, water and mildew resistant print
- Buckle style: Plastic side-release pinch-clip buckle
- Other features: Curved reinforced buckle to match the shape of your dog’s neck, pull-tested to over 800 lbs
Wolfgang Man & Beast has the widest range of bring, fun and interesting dog collar designs out there for small through large dogs, all at a great price!
Their collars are made in the USA with adventure dogs in mind, with durable webbing, strong stitching and a reinforced buckle.
With so many cool designs to choose from it can be hard to buy just one of these collars – be warned 🙂
Check out their range of fun designs on the Wolfgang Man & Beast website, where you can also find matching leashes, harnesses and other dog and human gear to complement your dog’s new collar!
Banded Pines – The Best Fi-Compatible Dog Collars
- Cost: From $43 for XS with Fi collar compatibility
- Collar material: Polyester webbing
- Buckle style: Plastic or metal Cobra buckles
- Other features: Optional Fi-compatible upgrade to attach your Fi Series 2 or 3 tracker to the collar.
Idaho-based Banded Pines offers a range of beautiful, well-made collars, leashes and bandanas for adventure-loving pets.
One of the awesome things about this American small business is that they also make some of the best dog collars that are compatible with the popular Fi GPS smart collar dog trackers!
This means you can attach your dog’s Fi tracking device to a specially-designed Banded Pines collar, which happens to be what Trail & Kale’s resident trail dog Kepler wears on a daily basis.
Check out the full range of Banded Pines collars and products on their website, and read our in-depth Fi dog collar review for more information on this best-in-class dog tracking device.
Herzog Dog Collars – Best Silicone Dog Collars
- Cost: $42
- Collar material: Silicone-coated
- Buckle style: Plastic side clip
- Other features: Silicone material is waterproof, scratch-resistant and anti-bacterial
Herzog makes some of the best silicone dog collars which are perfectly designed to withstand the demands of a dog who loves to swim and adventure on the trails.
Silicone is strong but super comfortable and this material is waterproof, antibacterial and scratch-resistant, providing a durable alternative to PVC-coated collars.
Check out the color options available for Herzog dog collars at REI.
Leeds Dog Supply – Cool Dog Collars Made In California
- Cost: $25
- Collar material: Polyester webbing
- Buckle style: Plastic clip buckle
- Other features: Leeds Dog Supply donates a percentage of every sale to no kill rescues and shelters
Another USA-made dog collar brand, California-based Leeds Dog Supply offers adventure-inspired soft webbing dog collars in a range of fun and adventure-inspired designs.
What to look for in a dog collar
Types of dog collar for everyday wear
The best dog collar for everyday wear for most dogs is usually an adjustable, flat collar that has a leash attachment and a ring for putting tags on.
If your dog is going to be wearing their collar all day, every day, then it’s also important to consider the collar’s durability, how easy it is to clean, and, yes, how stylish it is because it’s going to be on your dog all the time.
Material
Flat dog collars are typically made from one of these types of material:
- Nylon / Polyester webbing
- Biothane or other waterproof TPU/PVC coated webbing
- Silicone-coated webbing
- Leather
Nylon dog collars are the most common and cheapest option, and can be available in a wider range of patterns and prints than biothane or leather collars.
These webbing collars also tend to be amongst the lightest dog collars, which can be important if you have a small dog.
Biothane is a polyester webbing with a TPU or PVC coating that makes it more durable, waterproof, easy to clean and weldable. It’s also not slippery to grab onto, even when wet.
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Biothane is sometimes referred to as vegan leather and is popular for stink-free leashes as well as collars for dogs.
Silicone dog collars are another waterproof option, which is great if your dog likes to swim or roll around in the dirty stuff and want a collar that’s easy to clean and won’t stink afterwards.
Leather dog collars are a classic, and known for their durability.
However while leather dog collars can be a good option if you don’t need a waterproof dog collar, they tend to be heavier, cost more than collars made with other materials, and stink when wet or dirty, so are less appealing as an option for adventure dogs!
Buckle type and material
There are three main buckle types for flat dog collars.
Many more traditional collars such as leather colors are made with a buckle similar to a belt buckle.
This is very secure but has the disadvantage of not being a quick-release option.
Quick-release buckles are a better choice if you may need to quickly get the collar off your dog, even when it’s under tension (for example, it gets caught on something or another dog grabs it).
Quick-release buckles tend to be either pinch-clip styles, or the more heavy-duty, durable military-style cobra buckles.
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Pinch clip buckles can be made from either plastic or metal. Some of the best dog collar brands offer very strong and durable plastic buckles, which have the advantage of being lighter than metal alternatives.
Metal buckles are more appropriate for larger or stronger dogs, and dogs that pull – especially if you walk them with their leash attached to the flat collar.
Collar width
A standard collar width for most medium and large dogs is 1 inch. Collars for smaller dogs can be narrower, with 5/8″ being a common width.
Length
Most flat dog collars are designed to be adjustable, so choose the length that best fits your dog’s neck with some length to spare.
You need it to fit a little looser than their neck’s circumference so you can get a couple of fingers under the collar, without it being so loose that it may slide off or get caught on things as your dog goes about their day.
To measure your dog’s neck and therefore what collar length you need, you can use an existing collar, shoelace or piece of cord and then compare it to a tape measure.
