Collars
Collar or Harness? The choices can be overwhelming. Hopefully the information in this article can help you to make a well informed decision.
Let’s start by taking a look at the anatomy of a dog’s neck.
There are many delicate structures found in the dog’s neck
Looking at the picture above, you can clearly see that there are many important structures sitting directly under where a regular collar sits on the neck.
Every time your dog pulls forward against the narrow band of the collar, slip lead or choke chain, they are adding pressure to their lymph nodes, mandibular gland and thyroid gland. They are also narrowing the trachea and oesophagus. The hoarse, rasping noises they make when pulling is due to the narrowing of their airway. You’d think they’d realise, but unless they’re taught to walk along side you without pulling, they don’t understand that they are causing their own problems!
Collars are for attaching an identification tag to and taking hold of your dog quickly in an emergency, but they shouldn’t really be used for much else.
Head collars/Figure 8 leads
The popularity of the canine head collar has increased in recent years. The aim of these is to give the owner more control if the dog is pulling. However, head collars are rarely well tolerated by a dog because, as you can see below, the bridge of the dog’s nose has many blood vessels and nerve endings and so is highly sensitive.
Head collars are prone to rubbing the skin over the top of the nose, riding up into the eyes or being pulled off the nose by the dog themselves. They rarely fit well because the shape of a dog’s face does not lend itself well to a head collar, and they can cause permanent damage, especially to eyes. The discomfort they cause distracts the dog, meaning they are not in the best state of mind to learn through training. A head collar can also prevent the dog from using proper doggy body language which can lead to potentially dangerous situations arising from aggression from other dogs.
Harnesses
The harness is my favourite and here’s why:
Most assistance dogs, security dogs and other dogs working in public wear harnesses. It can’t be about control because these dogs are incredibly well trained. No, they wear harnesses for the sake of their health. Let’s take a quick look at the scientific and veterinary evidence.
“91% of dogs who had neck injuries had also been exposed to jerking on the leash by the owner or been allowed to pull hard on the leash for long periods of time.“ “Injuries include bruising, whiplash, crushed trachea (windpipe), damage to larynx, fractured vertebrae.” Anders Hallgren
Can a harness really help avoid eye problems in dogs?
Not many people would associate eye problems with collars and pulling on the lead. Here’s a quote from a scientific veterinary paper that might make you think again.
“Neck pressure caused by a collar caused a significant increase in base-line eye pressure. This did not occur with the use of a harness. This type of intraocular pressure can cause serious injury to dogs already suffering from thin corneas, glaucoma or eye injuries“ Pauli et al
Simply put, if your dog has an underlying or undiagnosed problem with their eyes, pressure from a collar can make them much, much worse. Nothing beats loose lead walking for reducing pressure from a collar, but first, they have to be taught how.
Thyroid Problems
Looking at the quote below, (getting a bit technical now), but a dog’s neck is responsible for more than just holding its head on. Sharp pulls and tugs, or continuous pressure from a collar can easily damage many important structures in the dog’s neck.
“The collar rests on the area of the neck where pressure is applied to the lymph nodes, mandibular and thyroid gland as they are pushed against the trachea and oesophagus. Trauma can occur whenever the dog or owner pulls on the leash”“Trauma > Inflammation > destroyed cells as immune system tries to remove inflamed thyroid cells >deficit of thyroid hormone > hypothyroidism > depleted immune system” Dr Peter Dobias
Yours and your dog’s comfort For the sake of your dog’s health and wellbeing, (and your own), training your puppy or dog to walk on a loose lead is really important. While you are working on that (it takes time!!) a well fitted harness keeps pressure off the dog’s neck. A harness is less likely to cause injuries whilst the training takes place.
Perfect for use with a long lead
If you’re working on recall, you might choose to use a long lead for training while allowing controlled freedom. There’s a knack to using a long lead and not all dogs and owners “get it” straight away (give me a call on 07747 771360 if you’d like some help with this!) If your dog runs, they can get quite a bit of speed up before reaching the end of the line. To avoid unpleasant experiences for either dog or owner, recalls can be trained starting with a short lead first. You can progress to the long lead when they become more competent at returning when called. Having some high value treats like these or these can help greatly when training recall, or walking on a loose lead.
So, which harness?
Unfortunately there are lots of harnesses that have been manufactured without much regard to a dog’s anatomy. They may look nice or claim to stop your from dog pulling, but they could actually be causing physical problems. There are two main types – restrictive and non-restrictive.
Restrictive
A restrictive harness typically sits across the shoulders, which can affect the dog’s gait and restrict movement. In addition, pressure on the front of the shoulder could affect the biceps tendon. There is some debate as to whether this may cause problems such as tendonitis and altered gait which can cause increased pressure on shoulder joints. For me, the biggest issue with this type of harness is about safety while walking. They are too easy to back out of. Your dog gets spooked by something – traffic, for example and pulls backwards. The harness pulls off over their head very easily. Your dog has disappeared and you’re left holding a lead and harness.
Harnesses of this type are shown below:
Non-restrictive
The “Y” harness is non-restrictive and has straps that fit around each side of the dog’s neck, almost like a collar, and meet a third strap (the girth) that runs under the dog’s chest.
The neck straps should be snug so they do not slip down and put pressure on the shoulders and the centre of the Y strap on the front of the neck should not sit too high or too low.
The “Y” harness places the majority of the pressure from the harness on the manubrium. The manubrium is the part of the dog’s sternum (chest bone) that is closest to the front of the dog. It is very stable and supports the dog’s entire body.
There should be no friction or rubbing, and pressure should be distributed evenly. This type of harness allows both front legs to move freely. Having the D-ring on the front teaches the dog that pulling is ineffective as it will cause them to pivot and face their owner instead of getting to where they want to go any faster. At the same time, you are able to ‘steer’ the dog.
I have found the best combination to be a well-fitting, non-restrictive harness with D-rings on the chest and back, coupled with a double ended lead (like this one* https://amzn.to/36RNuMV).
My recommendation
The Perfect Fit Harness is my personal choice. This harness comes in three separate, fleece lined, fully adjustable pieces. Each piece can be replaced as the dog grows allowing you to go up a size without the expense of a whole new harness. It has a “Y” shaped front which means no pressure on the dog’s neck, biceps muscles or supraspinatus tendon (the one which allows your dog to extend its front legs). The ‘head hole’ can be made smaller than the dog’s skull, making them very difficult to slip out of. These harnesses can also be fitted to three legged ‘tripawed’ dogs comfortably.
Drop me a line on 07747 771360 or email me at carey@stneotspetcare.co.uk for a personalised fitting and a harness to perfectly fit your dog. I am also able to help and advise on any training issues you may be having with your puppy or dog.
*affiliate link
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