Collar Or Harness? Which Is Best For Your Dog?

Collar Or Harness? Which Is Best For Your Dog?

Dogs come in a huge range of different shapes and sizes, from something like a chihuahua to a St Bernard and everything in between. In fact, about the only thing they have in common is four legs and a tail.

Some dogs need a lot more exercise than others, but all of them need to go for a walk at least twice a day, unless you live on a 1,000-acre site of fields and woodlands where you can let them run free, which is not the case for most dog owners.

This means that there are going to be times when you need to put them on the lead, especially when walking in streets that are busy. How do you attach the lead? To a collar or a harness.

Then comes another question: which is better, a collar or a harness? Unfortunately, the answer is “it depends”. It depends partly on your dog and partly on how you have trained him / her.

One of the questions that dog trainers often get asked is how to stop the dog pulling on the lead. However, as one commentator wrote, if dogs could talk, they would often ask the same question about their human! For example, you stop at the traffic lights waiting to cross the road. The lights turn green, and a lot of dog owners simply pull on the lead to get the dog moving. As he said, why not simply say to the dog “OK. Let’s go”? The dog will very quickly learn this and neither of you will have to pull on the lead.

A Harness Distributes Pressure Evenly

That said, if you use a collar, there is always the possibility of harming the dog’s neck and throat, and this is why we produce a harness in a range of different patterns for your dog. Furthermore, an adjustable harness means that they will fit different sizes of our furry friends. It also means that you can use one for your puppy and simply adjust the straps as he or she grows. The harness evenly distributes the pressure across the body of the dog, while eliminating strain on the neck and throat.

Not only that, but when you buy an adjustable harness online from us it has a D-ring both at the back and the front. Many dog trainers prefer a front clip harness because it minimises the amount that the dog can pull on the lead, which in turn provides more control over the movement of the dog.

Take a look at our selection of dog harnesses and choose the pattern that suits you - and, of course, your dog!

Back to blog