About a month ago, I bought Max a spiked leather collar. I thought it would look cool on him.

The funny thing is that as soon as I put it on him, I noticed a change about him. Now, he seems to bark more. He also seems to take more liberties with Mia, who is the dominant dog. For example, he'll sniff her mouth, or wander too close to the food dish while Mia is still feeding.

One night, I heard the two of them fighting. I went to have a look, and Mia was out of control, with Max on his back. This was serious fighting. I separated the two, and sent Mia outside for the night. I think Mia felt her dominance was in jeopardy, so she set Max back in his place.

Now, Max is still a lot less shy, but seems to respect Mia more. When we take them to the dog park, Max now runs all over the place. No longer does he stay by the fence.

Was it the collar?

Probably not. Just coincidence. I think Mia has really helped Max break out of his protective shell.