How to Put Your Dog's Tags on With an S-Hook

Just as you wouldn’t leave home without your driver’s license, your dog should never be without its ID tags. Some tags, such as rabies and registration tags, are required by law in many areas of the United States. Because your dog's ID tag provides proof of legally required vaccinations and registration, you'll want to be sure the tag doesn't fall off in the event your dog gets out of the yard or house and is wandering around the neighborhood. Attaching your dog’s tags to its collar with an s-hook is a good method for keeping its tags securely affixed to its collar.

Remove your dog’s collar from its neck. It will be easier to attach the tags if you don’t have to fight against your wiggling dog.

Slide one end of the s-hook through the hole on each tag. Your dog may have up to three tags, including a registration tag, a rabies tag and an identification tag. Place all three tags on the same s-hook to avoid cluttering up your dog’s collar.

Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to close the gap between the end of the s-hook and the center of the s-hook. Pinch them tightly together so that there is no room for the dog’s tags to slide over the end of the s-hook.

Hook the other end of the s-hook to the d-ring on your dog’s collar. Attach the tags to your dog’s regular nylon or leather collar, not to a training collar such as a choke chain. If your dog’s tags get snagged while attached to a training collar they can cause choking.

Pinch the remaining end of the s-hook closed around the collar’s d-ring with the needle-nose pliers. Tighten the s-hook tightly enough around the d-ring that it won’t be able to slip off.

Place your dog’s collar, now complete with tags, back around your dog’s neck. Leave enough space for two of your fingers under the collar to ensure that your dog has enough room to breathe.