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Harness or Collar?

Violet Turner

Violet Turner

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Harness or Collar?

I was wondering what is the pros and cons of a harness. And what’s the pros and cons of a collar?

Is there any great brands out there that’s suitable for a Miniature Schnauzer sized dog?

What would I be best with for Olive a leather lead, flexi lead or a fabric lead?

Thanks any comments helpful.
 
Harness in my view, because of the risk of damage to the trachea. And flexi leads / long lines should only ever be attached to a harness, because when the dog is running out they don't know when they will reach the end, and the jerk they get when that happens can cause injury to the neck and throat if the line is attached to a collar.
 
I only use a harness on Harri in the car and if he's on the long line. He's grown out of a couple already and I find it a nuisance to have to keep adjusting the fit as he grows and to make sure it isn't pinching or rubbing every time. He's not always very co operative! Once he's matured a bit I'm hoping to only use it in the car for his restraint system.

I don't like the flexi leads- the mechanism always seems a bit flimsy to me and I'd be afraid of it breaking if he really pulls. Even a 9kg dog can exert a considerable force when off at full speed.

We started with a light fabric lead and collar when he was tiny. Both are now leather. I try and avoid man made fabrics and plastics whenever possible as they are non bio degradable. I also like the proper buckle you get on the leather ones. The fastening on the light fabric one slipped a couple of times and he was out of it.
 
Caro Perry said:
I only use a harness on Harri in the car and if he's on the long line. He's grown out of a couple already and I find it a nuisance to have to keep adjusting the fit as he grows and to make sure it isn't pinching or rubbing every time. He's not always very co operative! Once he's matured a bit I'm hoping to only use it in the car for his restraint system.

I don't like the flexi leads- the mechanism always seems a bit flimsy to me and I'd be afraid of it breaking if he really pulls. Even a 9kg dog can exert a considerable force when off at full speed.

We started with a light fabric lead and collar when he was tiny. Both are now leather. I try and avoid man made fabrics and plastics whenever possible as they are non bio degradable. I also like the proper buckle you get on the leather ones. The fastening on the light fabric one slipped a couple of times and he was out of it.
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Okay i will have a look, the collar you have is there one similar online (because i like the idea of a proper buckle)?
 
I prefer a harness on puppies as they are learning to walk on a leash and understanding the restriction of length they can go, then I move to a regular flat collar once we move the leash from a harness to collar, and then I move to chain martingales once they know how to walk.
 
At first, I used to use a harness on Jasper when I wanted him to have a bit of freedom, sniffing and weaving as the fancy took him, and used a collar for loose-leash training - the first attempts could result in taking 10 minutes to cover 50 metres, but it meant he could learn faster that tension on the collar meant that he woudn't be going anywhere.
 
JudyN said:
At first, I used to use a harness on Jasper when I wanted him to have a bit of freedom, sniffing and weaving as the fancy took him, and used a collar for loose-leash training - the first attempts could result in taking 10 minutes to cover 50 metres, but it meant he could learn faster that tension on the collar meant that he woudn't be going anywhere.
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Okay thanks :)
 
I would always use a harness unless your dog walks well on a collar and lead without pulling, for same reasons as JoanneF stated and also the knock on effect from a dog pulling on a collar is the muscle strain, not just in the neck but the shoulders and back .
 
Well, that was well timed guys!
 
'an obstinate puppy has to be controlled by a quick yank of a pronged collar': that's appalling advice :(
 
And "the prongs prod your puppy’s neck" but it doesn't hurt! Yeah, right.
 
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