Dublin Dog Koa Collar Review
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Aspen and Suki may not be Irish, but they sure are loving their new Dublin Dog Koa Collars. Aspen and Suki are Airedale Terriers from England and are two Active Gear Review product testers. They have been putting the Dublin Dog Koa Collars to the test while hiking, running, and swimming in the Colorado Rockies. 
Technology
According to the folks at Dublin Dog, the Koa collar is made of sublimated polyester that is then encased in a medical grade urethane material. Sublimation, drawing from my previous days in chemistry class, is the process of going from a solid to a gas. I am unclear if that is how Dublin Dog made this material but I can tell you that the material it is indeed waterproof, repels dirt and debris, is tough, and looks like new after a month of regular use.
The Koa collar material is very thin and the overall thickness of the collar is about that of a standard nylon collar. Because the Dublin Dog Koa collars are waterproof, there is nothing to get stinky. Prior to trying out the Dublin Dog Koa collar, Aspen and Suki typically wore a collar made of nylon that absorbs smells, dirt, and water. A quick roll in a pile of animal waste would render their collar stinky for the remainder of the trip despite our best efforts to clean it off. The sleek material of the Koa collar means that nothing penetrates the collar and it is easy wipe off.
Features of the Dublin Dog Koa Collar
The Dublin Dog Koa Collar is a flat collar, or standard buckle collar and is equipped with a heavy duty buckle similar to a belt buckle. The collar has pre-drilled holes to allow you to select the best fitting position. once in place, the buckle holds the position securely. There is a also a durable D ring that we’ve used to attach the dogs’ identification and off leash tags too. This D ring also keeps the extra strip of collar material out of the dogs face and serves as the point for attaching a leash. The D-ring is extremely durable and is kept in position by two rivets on each side.
Aspen and Suki are getting older and no longer pull like they used to. However, if you have a young and strong pup, you will be happy to know that these collars have a pull strength of 1200 lbs per square inch. Here is a video demonstrating the strength of the material and buckles of the Koa collar: https://youtu.be/5N6HUx7iijY
Sizing the Collar
The Dublin Koa collar is available in 3 sizes and it is extremely important that you get the sizing right. Unlike a nylon collar that you can adjust quite easily on the fly as the collar double backs on itself, the Koa collar comes with pre drilled holes for easy adjustment. If you order too large you will be left with quite a bit of extra material flapping around in your dogs face. I ordered a size large for both of them and measured their necks with a flexible tape measure, not the handy tool on the Dublin Dog website. I advise that you visit the website and print out the size guide and try it around your dogs neck prior to purchasing.
With that said, I should have opted for a size medium for Suki, the smaller of the two dogs. I ended up drilling a hole in the size large collar to make it even smaller; her summer hairdo makes her collar size go down by about 2 inches. As for Aspen, he has a few extra holes for adjustment for winter, but we also trimmed down the collar length and burned the ends to eliminate the extra flap. Had we ordered the appropriate size all of this could have been avoided. Lesson learned, follow the website instructions and video available here. https://youtu.be/myzPW5X9AQs
After wearing the collar for about a month, Aspen and Suki have not developed any hot spots or fur loss from where the collar rests. The only draw back from this collar is that it is not as simple to slip off as a quick release buckled collar. As a result, I typically keep the collar a bit more loose on their neck so that it slides up and down while they are at rest and to allow room to scratch underneath the collar without having to remove it.
Style
If the no stink and durability haven’t sold you yet, then maybe I need to tell you a bit more about the styling of the Dublin Dog Koa collars. They are available in three distinct style lines: Trout, Shattered, and Oxford series. The Trout series features three options that allow your dogs collar to look like your favorite fish; Brown, Brook, or Rainbow Trout. While the Shattered series offers three bright colors and a fun shattered glass pattern.
I opted for the Oxford series, Raspberry Sorbet for Suki and Alma Mater for Aspen. The colors are vibrant and the stripe design reminds me of a school uniform tie. Overall, Aspen and Suki have been loving their new Dublin Dog Koa Collars and have already been getting some compliments at the local dog park. The collars retail for $28 for the small and medium sizes and $30 for size large. A bit more pricey than your typical nylon collar, yet designed to last for years instead of months. 
