A different kind of cone

This post is a few days out of sync, but is from when Cybi was neutered. He destroyed two buster collars from the vet in a matter of days, so we went for a slightly different third approach. Unfortunately, it wasn't an option to leave the collar off completely, as he kept going in for a sneaky pull at his stitches so we had to find an alternative. I considered a few possibles -

A variant on the "traditional" buster collar:

This version is made by the Company of Animals, and is a translucent cone with padding on the inside and outside edges. I decided it was too similar to the ones he'd already wrecked, so probably wasn't worth a third attempt. Reviews of the cone on one of the sites that sells it (e.g. Pet Supermarket) show that it seems to be good for some dogs, but not collie proof.

This one is also Company of Animals, and fastens via a drawstring round the dog's neck. Given quite how much of an idiot Cybi is, and the fact that I'd have to take my eyes off him sometimes I just didn't like the idea of having a string round his neck. I also thought the solid colour would make it tough to see things and probably increase his frequency of crashing into..everything...
From its apparently quite wide fan shape and the flexibility of the material, it's also likely that a wiggly and agile dog like mine could work around it to get at his stitches. I think it'd probably suit a more mellow type who was distressed by the jarring of crashing a buster collar into walls but didn't mind actually having it on as it's flexible and lightweight. (Also found at Pet Supermarket)

The third cone "variant" I considered was the James Pet Health one, called the comfy cone.

 The side-opening velcro, the padding, and the ability to adjust the cone shape from long and narrow to wide as your dog's anatomy or activity determines is pretty useful. It isn't cheap though, and it's still a cone that extends some way beyond the dog's head in order to be useful, so based on the cost, lack of ability to see through it, and my pup's ability to headbutt anything I opted against this one too.




Non-traditional cones:
Three main candidates here, all variations on a theme. These cones are effectively an inflatable inner tube in a tight "C" shape, which then velcroes across the open part of the C to create a ring.

Option #1 is the Buster Inflatable Collar, an inner tube covered by a strong, nylon weave.
Next up, the Pet Project Comfy Collar - also an inflatable inner, but this one covered in vinyl.

And finally, the Kong Cloud E-Collar (link via Amazon)

Given these three similar products to choose from, I based my decision on the covering, opting for rip-stop nylon over vinyl because it had to withstand the other idiot jumping on it/attempting to chew it. I haven't been able to ascertain what the Kong one is covered in, though it looks furry. Other factors were price (the first two are fractionally cheaper than the third) and my own personal biases - the only place it seems to be straightforward to buy the Kong Collar in the UK at a sensible price is via an Amazon seller called "Pet Supply Company USA", and this company also advertises prong collars for sale in the UK. I rarely believe in absolutes when it comes to dogs and training, but I firmly believe there is no place for the use of prong collars in the modern day, and so will not support a company that sells them by purchasing anything from them.

So, a rush order of the Buster Collar it was. I'll post some photos of Cybi wearing his new collar and give my thoughts on how we coped with it rather than the traditional Elizabethan collar style. It was a largely affair, and my shins and calves, and the doorframes, all benefited from him being able to see better.
See how we got on here.