When it comes to owning a dog, one of the most important items that you will need to get for them will be the leash as it allows you to have a control over your dog when you bring them outdoors. But while the leash is important, you will still need to connect the leash to the dog via a dog collar or a dog harness. Now, this is where things get a little complicated because right now you have a choice between either the harness or collar for the dog. There are two separate camps that believe either of the collar or harness is the best or optimal choice for most dog owners. Let us find out more!
Dog collar or dog harness?
The main function of the harness and the collar is to restrain the dog whenever necessary. But the type of restraint that you require is highly dependent on the task that you have for your dog. This is really because of how the collar and the harness are being designed.
For the case of the collar, the force is mainly focused on the neck area, and if the collar is being used in correctly, in can cause tracheal collapse in dogs, and this can be potentially fatal. If you are looking at just an accessory, then the collar might be more suitable.
For the harness, it is usually designed to distribute the force across the dog’s body, hence lowering the risk of any part of the body to be subjected to a large force. But they are hardly aesthetical by nature, so they are not usually worn on show dogs.
With that, here are the different types of tasks that is required and the best type of restraint that is suitable for the said task.
Daily walks
If you are just looking to bring your dog for their daily walk, the collar will suffice since it is easier to attach the leash onto it. However, if your dog is a strong puller, then the harness might be a better choice since it affords you control that you desperately need when you walk the dog. You would not want your dog to break away easily when you put the collar onto them!
Also, the reason why harness might be a better idea for walks is because of the design mechanism of the harness itself. You see, some harnesses are specifically designed to restrict the dog’s range of motion when it decides to pull away.
Dog training
For the purpose of dog training, usually owners will prefer to use dog collars since it allows the dog a larger degree of freedom as compared to the harness itself. It allows you to lead the dog around while you train them to respond to your various commands. It is also comfortable for the dog to don a dog collar as compared to the harness for the purpose of training since the harness will probably create more friction between the dog and the harness itself.
Rigorous activities
If you are looking at bringing your dog on road trips, or even bringing your dog on hikes or any other activities that are more strenuous or dangerous, then the harness will be a better choice here. There are many reasons for this. First, the harness allows you prevent the dog from pulling away as the mechanism of the harness helps to restrict or discourage the dog from pulling away. This might be a potential life saver! Secondly, it allows you to control the dog more effectively, hence you can simple pull your away before it is tempted to lunge into the bush or even to jump into a water body! Last but not least, some harnesses do come with reflectors that helps to reflect light, hence helping to improve vision at night. This can help you to locate the dog if you are still in the midst of the activity when night falls and trust me this is quite an important feature to consider!
Larger dog breeds
If you have a larger dog breed, the harness should be the main choice for you. This is because of the large dog breeds’ strength when they pull. The force that it exerts on the collar means that it can be easily broken, but if you are using a harness, it will be less likely to be disengaged when the large dog pulls. Of course, the harness will also be more comfortable for the larger dog breed too as it envelopes the dog’s body, and this itself helps to distribute the dog’s weight around its body as opposed to being isolated at the neck.
Why dog collars might be a bad choice for pullers or for small dogs
While we are clear that the type of restraint required does affect the choice between a harness or a collar, we have to make it extremely clear that dog collars is an extremely bad choice if your dog is a puller. This is because if your dog is a puller, it can easily break the collar away, hence putting the dog at risk of being lost or even subjecting itself to danger.
But having said that, we would also discourage you from putting the dog collar on small dogs. This is largely because of the smaller dog’s susceptibly to suffering from tracheal collapse. Tracheal collapse occurs when the dog, while wearing a collar, pulls away from you and the resulting force is isolated at the dog’s neck, and that large force causes the tracheal to collapse. This is potentially fatal for the dog.
Wrapping up
As you can probably guess, we are strong advocates of dog harnesses especially if you are intending to use the harness on a daily basis. The amount of control it affords you is much more than what the collar could give to you. Also, when it comes to the dog’s safety, it does seem that the harness is coming out tops too. Of course, nothing is stopping you from buying a collar to put on the dog just because you can, but always get a harness at the same time too.
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