Golden retriever with a cone around collar.

Question
Hello, we have a golden retriever, Dixie, 4 years old, gets along well with our two small poodles. At the end of June we brought all the dogs to a out of town pet kennel sitter for 6 hours while we attended a graduation. That evening I noticed a bite mark above the Dixie's eye and also one on my 13 yr old poodle muzzle. Kept a close eye on both and all seemed to be healing fine until one week later when I noticed Dixie scratching her neck. Was 4th of July so had to wait till Saturday when a vet was open and in the meantime gave Epson salt soaks and tried to cover with ace bandage to keep her from scratching more.
The vet had to put her under to shave off her hair. The sore was huge and vet put her on antibiotics, Prednisone and a topical cream...along with a cone for her collar.
Sore has healed up twice with both times being reopened once again after removing the cone. She eats Iam's Rice $ Lamb food so I don't think it is allergies and this is the only spot she is itching.
Concerned this has become a habit. The the shaved area feels weird so thats why she is scratching...any idea's on how to get the cone off and Dixie back to being a normal dog. PS She is walked and played with everyday and seems happy.

Answer
First of all, spread the word about that pet sitter, and (if it were me) you might consider taking her to small claims court to recover the cost of your veterinary expenses.

Second, talk to your veterinarian about a short course of Clomicalm, which is a drug (Anafranil) used to address obsessive compulsive behaviors in dogs.  She might have to wear that cone far longer than normal, but at all cost that wound must be protected, as there are possible life threatening complications involved.  Perhaps a longer course of collar plus meds might resolve this problem.  You might want to consult a second veterinarian as the first one doesn't seem to have adequately addressed this problem.