# Collar vs. Harness



## jfinner1 (Mar 4, 2009)

Hopefully starting in the next week or so, I'm going to start working on leash training my pups (4 month old toy poodles). Right now, none of the pups have ever had a collar or harness on, and don't even know what a leash is for, lol. One of the two adults is used to a collar and leash, but he's not leash trained in the slightest, and pulls like crazy. He's tiny, so it's not a problem for me, but I'm afraid of hurting his throat when he pulls so bad, and because of this, I'm considering getting the pups harnesses instead of collars. My mother-in-law says that they can't have harnesses because they would chew them up. i don't see how this could be an issue, but am I wrong? What would be better, a collar, or a harness?

If I had my way, each dog would get a full-time collar with their tags on it, and a harness for walking. Is that a good idea?


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## Dog Tracks (Jan 13, 2009)

jfinner1 said:


> If I had my way, each dog would get a full-time collar with their tags on it, and a harness for walking. Is that a good idea?


That's what Mabel has. She has to have a collar for her tags and such. But with her prey drive and speed she hits the end of a 6 foot leash at about 100 mph. So when we walk she's in a harness (easier on her neck/throat). It's the same harness she wears as a restraint in the car so it's pretty convenient.


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## Sunshyne (Feb 5, 2008)

I use a harness on my Pug 100% of the time. She cannot chew it - I don't know how that would even be possible! The only problem is they are a bit more time consuming getting on and off as opposed to a collar (but not a big deal).

People will tell you that harnesses encourage pulling, but puppies are going to pull no matter what. If you train them from the beginning the right way to loose leash walk, you will not have a problem. My dog does not pull, she stays by my side or a bit in front of me (I let her, I really don't have strict walking rules except no pulling). Her breed is prone to trachea issues and a collar could cause damage, plus she has no neck  and slipped the collars I originally bought when she was a puppy. I feel much safer with her walking in a harness, and there are a ton of styles to try. I use a nylon harness from Petco for our everyday walks, and also have two Puppia soft mesh harnesses for the beach or vet visits.

Good luck with your pups!


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Hawk and Kechara only wear a harness for Two activities, A walking harness for tracking and an X back harness for Pulling (skijoring, bikjoring, sledding) otherwise I use flat buckle collars on them for going for a walk. and a chain for conformation. 

They never wear their collars in the house. they go naked


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## Ganondorf (Mar 8, 2009)

I use harnesses on all three of my dogs. My grandma breeds Yorkies and said that harnesses are safer for them than a collar.


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

I use collars, but ten again, pulling is not allowed, so they don't get a chance to damage their necks.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

I voted both. Max has a collar on all the time with his tags in case he gets lost and he wears a harness on his walks. I got him one of the Puppia ones because it seems more comfortable than a lot of choices out there. And my experience has been that his inclination to pull decreases with the harness on. It is more time consuming to put it on before a walk but overall I like it better than just a collar. Especially since I think it's safer in terms of chances of slipping out and easier on his throat.


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## Toby4Life (Jun 2, 2008)

We only use collars unless we have his X-back on for pulling the wagon or when we go rollerblading or biking. 

With time a patience, I think a regular buckle collar is sufficient for 90%+ of dogs.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Yes.  Especially with little dogs. My dachshund has a collar with his ID tags on it, and a harness to keep any stress off his neck and to avoid injury. My mutt wears a gentle leader harness, because she pulls like a mad woman. My Elkhound HAS a harness, but he's such a gem on a leash we eventually stopped putting it on.


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## baorb (Mar 14, 2009)

Harness are made for pulling.


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## Sonn84 (Mar 29, 2008)

I voted both as well. 

Anytime we set foot outside they have their collars with tags. And if we are walking I use harnesses. Harnesses feel safer to me.


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## Sookie's mom (Jan 31, 2007)

I was told that a harness is best for very small dogs because it protects their cute little necks...... especially when they pull so much they stand on their hind legs and think they're as big as a GS. I think it's just more comfortable and that would make for a more relaxing walk. If the gentle leader makes one small enough, I've heard great things about them.

Don't know how they could chew on a harness......???


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## Toby4Life (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm just curious about this "little dog" argument. I don't see how a little dog would do more damage to their neck w/ a collar than a big dog would? I realize they have smaller bones and what not, but they also can't pull as hard as a big dog so to me it's all relative. What am I missing?


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## midnight mojo (Oct 7, 2008)

Mojo has both. We have two harnesses for him actually, one is the Gentle Leader and the other is a traditional style harness with the rings for the leash on his back. We pretty much never use the Gentle Leader as their smallest size is a little big for Mojo imo. He also tends to get wrapped up in the leash more with the GL since it clips on his chest.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

My dogs all have both. But we use mostly their collars. Stella is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and alot of Cav owners have to use harnesses. Cavs can have a neurological condition called syringomelia (spelling?) that causes air scratching and pain at the neck area. So a harness helps ease this. However, Stella actually seems to do better with her collar only. She (all 3) have quite a collar wardrobe LOL!


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

we have an easy walk gentle leader harness for iorek. that is all that we have ever used. i bought a collar but never used it since he has too much fur around his neck! i can't get it to go as tight as it should because of all the fur and i am afraid it will slip off. iorek has his tags on his harness and he only wears it when we go outside. the easy walk harness is really easy to clip on, not very different than a collar.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

Keechak said:


> Hawk and Kechara only wear a harness for Two activities, A walking harness for tracking and an X back harness for Pulling (skijoring, bikjoring, sledding) otherwise I use flat buckle collars on them for going for a walk. and a chain for conformation.
> 
> They never wear their collars in the house. they go naked


Exactly! Well, almost exactly. I don't do any skijoring yet but harnesses to me are for pulling. Collars are for simple walks and training.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi Iorecks_mom! Just a side note...Stella, my cav, and Lucy, one of my other dogs, have alot of hair at the neck area, too. Also, Desi, my shih-poo, has a smaller head so he slips alot of his collars lol. I found these great limited-slip collars that are made especially for long-haired breeds, like samoyeds, shelties, etc. They are from a company called whitepine outfitters. They are soft and come in lots of pretty colors (solids). Desi can't slip this collar and it doesn't matt the fur around Lucy's neck. Stella, however, doesn't wear these because she has lots of "bling" collars....you know, for royalty LOL!!!


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## Leroy&Lucy'sMom (Mar 2, 2009)

i can't vote, we use head haltis for walking.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

StellaLucyDesi said:


> Hi Iorecks_mom! Just a side note...Stella, my cav, and Lucy, one of my other dogs, have alot of hair at the neck area, too. Also, Desi, my shih-poo, has a smaller head so he slips alot of his collars lol. I found these great limited-slip collars that are made especially for long-haired breeds, like samoyeds, shelties, etc. They are from a company called whitepine outfitters. They are soft and come in lots of pretty colors (solids). Desi can't slip this collar and it doesn't matt the fur around Lucy's neck. Stella, however, doesn't wear these because she has lots of "bling" collars....you know, for royalty LOL!!!


thanks, i will have to look into the collars. i will probably stick with the harness, though, since he is happy walking in it and we don't have any problems with it. 

iorek's fur is so thick in his "mane" that i cannot see his skin. it is about 3 inches long and so thick that it doesn't lay flat. when he wears his harness you can't even tell that he is wearing anything at all. (uh-oh...simpsons quote just popped in my head..."it feels like i am wearing nothing at all...nothing at all...nothing at all"!! i love the simpsons)


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

Sookie's mom said:


> Don't know how they could chew on a harness......???


Dawn, my older female doberman, is only allowed to wear a harness. She had back surgery when she was a one year old. And she can chew a harness off in less than five minutes. She's perfectly behaved when I walk her. In fact she steps in to her harness. But if I forget to take it off when we get home, or I get distracted then thats another $15 down the drain.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Hi Ioreks_mom! I don't watch the Simpsons, but it is one of my son's favorite shows lol! Yeah, if your harness works, then that is what you should use.
But, just remember these collars if you ever need one. BTW, I can't remember the name of it, but there is even one website that sells them that puts part of the profit toward a samoyed rescue.


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## lucygoose (Feb 11, 2008)

I voted collar.....I have not found a harness that has fit well yet....and I have tried them all, I think.........he doesn't like them either, but then he was not raised on them, so I am sure it would be different if he was.....just my opinion.!

Good Luck!!


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## baorb (Mar 14, 2009)

Sookie's mom said:


> I was told that a harness is best for very small dogs because it protects their cute little necks...... especially when they pull so much they stand on their hind legs and think they're as big as a GS. I think it's just more comfortable and that would make for a more relaxing walk. If the gentle leader makes one small enough, I've heard great things about them.
> Don't know how they could chew on a harness......???


The size doesn't matter, a big dog can damage their neck the same as a small dog. I had a Samoyed, and somehow she chew up her harness and got it off.



Toby4Life said:


> I'm just curious about this "little dog" argument. I don't see how a little dog would do more damage to their neck w/ a collar than a big dog would? I realize they have smaller bones and what not, but they also can't pull as hard as a big dog so to me it's all relative. What am I missing?


Your not missing anything, it's just because they are small. And they don't wanna hurt it.



ioreks_mom said:


> we have an easy walk gentle leader harness for iorek. that is all that we have ever used. i bought a collar but never used it since he has too much fur around his neck! i can't get it to go as tight as it should because of all the fur and i am afraid it will slip off. iorek has his tags on his harness and he only wears it when we go outside. the easy walk harness is really easy to clip on, not very different than a collar.


Yeah they will slip out of them collars, when I had a samoyed. If I were to grab her collar. She will pull her head back, slip out and run.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I only use Sasha's harness for car rides, as it is actually meant to be a doggy seat-belt.

For walks, I use a "Gentle Leader" head collar to curb her pulling. Compared to normal collars and choke chains, the head collar is a MIRACLE. Before, she was pulling and pulling, and I could literally here her wheezing and choking herself!! But as soon as we started using a head collar, she instantly started improving, and now she's almost constantly at a heel at my side while we walk! And it doesn't hurt them like a Prong Collar or Choke Chain would, it just applies a small amount of pressure in all the right places, hence the name, "Gentle Leader!" =D

The reason I don't use a harness, is because I've heard they can actually PROMOTE pulling! It allows them to pull harder, since it's attached to their chest and not their neck, and they actually use harnesses in dog weight pulling events to harness all of their potential strength! Honestly to me, that last bit is reason enough not to use a harness on a dog that pulls! XD


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I use a Harness when I am hiking, because that is his 'free' time...usually we are on trails that allow him to explore, so if the coast is clear, I let him do so on his Flexi; if someone is coming, I tap the brake, and he knows to stop, and come racing back to my side. 

Otherwise, he walks with a regular collar and leash, as he will be doing rally, and agility, and possibly some obedience; harnesses, haltis, and gentle leaders are not allowed in those, unless it is a fun match at certain clubs, but that is only in certain circumstances.


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## Beki659 (Sep 6, 2008)

For Charlee, since she gets excited when she sees something in the bushes, I use a gentle leader halter. Makes my life so much easier.
For trout, since he's perfect on leash, I just use the regular harness (small breed dog) and keep his tags on a normal leather collar. The harness stays on during the day and comes off at night.


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## Raven_Blackblade (Apr 15, 2009)

I have a harness on Chesty. He is a pug and since they already have breathing problems to begin with, I dont want for there to be anything else being an issue


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

Donatello has a collar and a harness. His collar fits loosely around his neck to carry his dogtags, but I use the harness because it keeps the leash out his face when he's sniffing for a spot to pee/poo. I also use the harness when we go places, like to the store or to the park. I don't need him pulling out his collar... I just think harnesses are more comfortable to wear versus something around their neck.


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Toby4Life said:


> I'm just curious about this "little dog" argument. I don't see how a little dog would do more damage to their neck w/ a collar than a big dog would? I realize they have smaller bones and what not, but they also can't pull as hard as a big dog so to me it's all relative. What am I missing?


Here is the reason that most vets recommend a harness for little dogs...

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2096&aid=410

That being said. I use gentle leader harness for walks , regular collar for agility for my collies and a harness for my maltese. So I voted both.


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## sarahspins (Apr 6, 2009)

We use both, but the harness is more of a "I want to grab the dog quick off-leash" tool for us.. and for tethering in the car (and well, getting him in there.. lol) - with a leash we use a collar.


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