Let's Skip This Celebrity Trend

These days, stars influence trends just by rolling out of bed and getting dressed. They wear it, carry it or drive it, and we want it. But there's one trend I see in Hollywood that I hope will fade away as quickly as the rebirth of Mom Jeans: choke chains on celebrity pooches.

Whenever I see a paparazzi shot of a celebrity walking their dog, I reflexively check to see what type of collar the dog is wearing. I'm hoping to see a cute, brightly colored flat collar, similar to kinds you see here:

Tori Spelling, Mike Weatherly and Jessica Alba

Nicolette Sheridan

Occasionally I'll see the metallic shine of a choke chain around the dog's neck, and my heart sinks. Why?

Choke chains are holdovers from an outdated type of dog training based in fear and force. "Training collars" (the euphemism often used to describe choke chains) can cause a variety of injuries including severe tracheal damage, neck sprain, bruising and loss of hair. There's an emotional component to using a choke as well; instead of working in harmony together, walking a dog on a choke can turn into a tug of war, frustrating the owner and intimidating, scaring and possibly hurting the dog. Some trainers say that the dog reacts to the jingling sound that the choke makes, when it fact it's the painful tightening of the collar around the neck that provokes a reaction. It's called a choke chain for a reason!

I applaud the celebrities like Mariah Carey, Jake Gyllenhall and Jessica Alba who recognize that "do's and don'ts" apply to their dog's couture as well.

A colorful, dog-friendly flat collar? Always in style!