24/10/2025
‼️WHY WE CHOOSE A HARNESS OVER A COLLAR
This is a conversation I've had with clients quite a lot recently so I thought I'd do a post on it... Have a look at this image from Fit Dog Harness ⬇️ Look at all the important skeletal structures, muscles, arteries, veins and glands that are in the neck.
⚠️ Now think about the damage that is done when your dog pulls while wearing a collar. Does your dog sound like it's choking or have rasping breath when you walk? That's because the collar is crushing your dog's windpipe. Ouch. Damage to the windpipe can be irreversible, btw... We wouldn’t yank other people or children around by their necks so why would we do it to our dogs? Seatbelts go across our body not around our necks. Funfair rides harness our bodies, not our necks. And there's good reasons for that...
🧑🔬 A study conducted in 2020 (Carter, McNally & Roshier) tested the forces going through a dog's neck with seven different types of collar. They found that even with the lowest level of pressure, ALL collars exerted a level of pressure known to cause tissue damage and tissue death in humans - and we need to remember that a dog's skin is much thinner and more delicate than human skin. At higher pressure (think strong constant pressure, or lead jerking - either caused by the human jerking the lead or the dog lunging), a variety of detrimental effects were shown including vascular obstruction (blockages in blood vessels), and changes to the pressure in the eye potentially leading to corneal damage, glaucoma, and loss of vision.
👩🏻 Stinnet (2017) summarises that dogs being choked on a collar are at risk of suffocation, neck muscle injury, spinal injury, damage to the jugular veins, carotid arteries, nerves, trachea, oesophagus, and thyroid gland. When the thyroid is injured, it causes inflammation triggering the immune system to produce antibodies to attack the thyroid's inflamed tissue. This results in a lack of production of thyroid hormones.
🛑 For those who think loose lead walking training can only be achieved on a collar, let’s pause a moment and think why that might be? Might it be because when the dog pulls they feel an awful, painful pressure on their throat/neck? So they adjust their walking to ensure that pain doesn’t happen again. That’s not a dog walking on a loose lead through great training, that’s a dog who’s avoiding consequences.
➖ This is called negative reinforcement. The desirable behaviour (loose lead walking) is strengthened because the dog is working hard to avoid the punishment of pain. We do the same thing - we adjust our behaviour when we see a speed camera - we slow down to avoid the punishment of a fine. Does this give us great joy? Is it enjoyable and rewarding? No, not really. We’re just relieved we saw it in time and thus avoided the punishment.
➕ I would rather my dog walks nicely on lead because it’s rewarding for him. Because it means great things happen., not because he’s trying to avoid bad stuff happening.
‼️ CONFESSION TIME‼️ Sometimes, despite all my training and my longer leads and my harness, MY DOG PULLS. Sometimes he smells The Best Smell Ever and has to check it out. Sometimes a pesky squirrel runs right across the path in front of him. Sometimes there’s a C.A.T just begging to be chased. And just for a second, there’s tension on the lead. And do you know what? That’s ok. Because he hasn’t damaged his thyroid or trachea, he hasn’t strangled himself and caused himself pain. He hasn’t run the risk of pain-associated fear conditioning. And do you know why else it’s ok? Because I’ve taught him what to do when he feels tension on the lead and that’s to head back to me for treats 😊
🛑 I've said it before, I'll say it again... NO PIECE OF EQUIPMENT CAN TEACH YOUR DOG TO PULL. So, if you are told by a trainer (or a breeder (heaven knows why they're getting involved but they do)) not to put a harness on your dog and use a collar only - ignore them - they are merely demonstrating their lack of knowledge and understanding. The only reason you might find your dog pulls more when wearing a harness than a collar is because it isn't causing them the same level of pain and discomfort.
🐕🦺 A dog who (still) pulls on a harness is doing so for any (or all) of the following reasons:
- lack of loose lead walking training
- other musculoskeletal pain/discomfort (walking at your pace can just be excruciatingly uncomfortable)
- over-arousal - maybe caused by over-excitement, frustration, or fear/anxiety.
Resolve these issues and you will find the pulling is a thing of the past.
(Image courtesy of Perfect Fit)
