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All the things I wish I knew before I got my first ever puppy!
Collar VS Harness: Image
The biggest debate since Brexit…
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This topic seems to be a big row starter on the Facebook pages/dog forums. Although when I say row starter, it's just one of those topics where people just can’t seem to accept that it’s okay for other people to have a different opinion to them! So as such, I thought I’d do a post on it and put both sides of the argument over and my thoughts so far, because at the moment I’m neutral…call me Switzerland!
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Day to day I walk Cooper on a harness, but when I go to dog training I got shamed every class for having him on a harness, so now before we go into class, I change his lead over to his collar. Talk about peer pressure eh?!
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I don’t personally have anything against either method, I’ve just been doing what I feel is right for us at this moment in time.
From what I can tell, collars are by far the more old school traditional method of walking your dog, and whether you use a harness or not, your dog by law must be wearing one with a tag when out in a public place.
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The puppy class I have been going to with Cooper don’t ‘make’ you use the collar per say, but EVERY class they publicly shame you for using a harness, well maybe shame is too strong a word, but they definitely emphasise that they don’t like them! In their words, harnesses are for cart animals, and you supposedly get more control over your dog with a collar. For a quiet life and to avoid the harness shaming 3 times a week, I now clip Cooper’s lead onto his collar pre class. I’m really not seeing the benefits right now.
Cooper walks 100x better in his harness than he does on a lead, having the lead clipped to his back means that it doesn’t fall around his head and move around his neck, he’s pretty much oblivious to it. Also, as a retriever, he loves to eat EVERYTHING on his walks. In training, if he starts to eat things, pulling the lead on the collar doesn’t stop him eating, he just gags while continuing to try and eat. When his harness is on him I can use the handle at the back to quickly lift him up and away from whatever it is he is trying to eat and he knows that that’s it.
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Another comment I’ve had is ‘well if you want your dog to stop pulling, put him on a collar, a harness will only encourage him!’ For one, I never said to the person who said this that Cooper pulls excessively on the lead, he actually is the opposite, his heel work isn’t bad at all. However, attached to his collar, he seems to think he’s a husky and I’m the sled he’s meant to be dragging along. Maybe I just have a weird dog… I don’t know!
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Anyway, I decided to do some research into the pros and cons of both. This is what I found…
Collar VS Harness: Sports Articles
COLLAR
PROS
Comfortable and secure way to keep ID tags on a dog.
Most dogs don’t seem to notice wearing them.
Come in a wide range of types and materials so you can tailor to your dog.
Some collars detach under pressure, eliminating the risk of suffocation in an accident.
Collar VS Harness: List
Cons
Some dogs can become experts at getting out of their collar.
Can be hard to fit on smaller dogs.
They are known to cause thyroid and/or trachea damage to dogs who pull.
They create eye pressure which can worsen any existing eye problems like glaucoma.
Collar VS Harness: List
HARNESS
PROS
Designed to fit all shapes and sizes.
Puts pressure on the body, not the neck.
Front clip harnesses have been proven as the most effective way to train dogs not to pull on their leashes.
In the event of a harness getting caught on something, the dog is safe from hanging.
Allows your dog to breath freely without restriction.
Provides you with more control over your dog.
Collar VS Harness: List
Cons
Some dogs take a while to adjust to the feeling of a harness on their body.
If they’re not fitted or adjusted properly they can cause your dog discomfort.
An improperly fitted harness can inhibit movement and alter the dogs natural movement.
They can chafe around the elbows if worn excessively.
They should be removed if they are playing/rough housing with other dogs.
Collar VS Harness: List
So basically there are pros and cons to both and at the end of the day it is a personal decision as to which one you and your dog prefer, don’t let other people bully you into one or the other!
Collar VS Harness: Text
Collar VS Harness: Sports Articles
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