What is better for a Chihuahua: a collar or a harness? Harness or collar – which is better to choose for a dog? When should a dog wear harnesses?

When choosing ammunition for their pet, every dog owner is faced with the question: “Which is better: a collar or a harness for dogs?”

It is a system of belts and straps. Its main advantage is that it allows you to remove the load from the dog’s neck and distribute it onto the shoulders and chest. There is no clear answer to the question of what you should buy: there is more than one opinion on this matter.

If your pet is a tiny toy terrier or chihuahua, it is definitely better to buy a harness. A leash can damage the animal's fragile neck. Harnesses for small dogs will properly distribute the load, and an interesting design will decorate your pet.

They often buy harnesses for puppies. However, experts do not recommend wearing a harness for up to 6-10 months, so as not to harm the animal during the period of formation of the body.

To choose the right harness, you need to remember a few things. The most important parameter is size. The harness should fit snugly enough to the dog’s body, but not squeeze or restrict movement. Pay attention to the fasteners: they should not dig into the animal’s body or stick out. The shape of the fastener should correspond to the dog's figure and be concave. Look at how the harness sits on your pet, the side strap should not press against the armpits, for large and medium-sized dogs the distance between them should be at least the width of the palm, and for small dogs - about two to three fingers.

Initially, harnesses were used for dog sledding; this type of sports harness is still actively used today. They usually have a special design and are made of canvas or nylon. There are also special harnesses for tracking work, harnesses with weights, medical harnesses and others. To select such harnesses, it is better to consult a professional: each breed has its own characteristics.

The right decision on what to walk your pet in will be given to you by a veterinarian and other experienced dog owners, as well as by the pet itself: some refuse collars and are happy to walk in a harness, while others do the opposite.

The ZooFriend online store has a wide range of equipment for four-legged friends. will not take much of your time, but is convenient and stylish accessory Your pet will definitely like it.

In this article we are talking, of course, about ornamental breeds. Such as the Yorkshire Terrier,
Shih Tzu, Miniature Schnauzers, West Highland White Terriers and similar dogs. The first thing you should
What the owner knows is that it is not recommended to put a harness on your dog until he is one year old. The thing is,
that the bones of the dog’s spine are not strong before the age of one year, and putting a harness on the dog before
years, you risk that the dog’s bones will not form correctly. Then she can start

hump. Of course rare cases, but this also happens. Therefore, before this age it is better
wear a collar. If you notice that your dog is dying, grunting or coughing when
while walking, the leash pulls, this means that the collar puts pressure on the throat, as a result of which it
is happening. You need to know how to put on a collar and harness correctly. The collar must be worn in such a way that
two fingers were placed between the dog’s neck and the collar, but at the same time it is worth checking whether it can be removed
it is from the dog’s head, if the collar comes off, fasten it one notch more. Not worth it
tighten the collar all the way, it should not pinch the throat and Airways dogs.
When putting on the harness, fasten the leash to it, again the harness should be tightened in this way
so as not to pinch the dog's chest, but at the same time I lift the dog by the leash; it should not hold it
fall out. Remember, if you pull the harness or collar too tight, both will pinch
respiratory system of the body. Walking on a collar in early age, you should train it right away
Do not pull the dog on the leash, learn the command nearby.
And now I would like to talk about the main advantage of the harness. When you walk your dog and your
the dog is safe on a harness, because in case of unforeseen circumstances, that is
aggression from one or more dogs that can appear out of nowhere. You can always lift your dog without injuring it. If the dog is in this
the moment will be on the collar, and you will have to act immediately, this risks sprains
neck muscles, dislocations and even fractures. If you try to lift the dog from the ground, then know that this
moment you seem to sink to the level of a dog and the likelihood is that the dog will attack rises sharply on you.
If he attacks big dog, then under no circumstances should you squat or bend over. Dog tuned in
The attack is unlikely to stop. Remember that the first target of an attacking animal is the throat.
Therefore, if you still managed to lift your pet from the ground, it does not matter how you did it, and stand up completely
height, you should not turn away from an attacking dog. You might do it instinctively, just to hide it.
your pet, but you don’t need to do this. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in the animal world, for example, bears
stand on hind legs to show all your power and show your superiority. You should act on
the same principle. Do not try to pick up sticks or stones from the ground - this may provoke the animal. Try
show that you are not afraid and do not run away under any circumstances - this will provoke an attack.

When using a well-fitting harness, all the stress is transferred to the dog's chest. Relieving the spine is important for all dogs, especially if they suffer from joint diseases (hip dysplasia, spondylosis, etc.) or if they have an excessively long spine (for example, dachshunds, basset hounds, etc.)

Increased safety during walks: the back strap of the harness is convenient for quickly and firmly grasping the dog if necessary. In this case, the dog itself will be more pleased to be grabbed by the strap on its back rather than by the collar (the dog would feel severe pain from the pressure on its throat), especially if the dog is old, sick or very sensitive. At the same time, the probability of dislocating your arm from the dog’s tugging on the leash is much less.

If the dog gets into a difficult situation (for example, cannot get out of a ditch on his own), it is easier and safer to grab him by the harness than by the collar.

About leash length

When going outside, the dog, just like the owner, is exposed to irritants that cause natural physiological and psychological reactions in it. Many owners ignore this fact and demand unconditional obedience from the dog according to the principle “the dog must obey unquestioningly!”

It is believed that a dog should always walk “Rrr next!” The hosts announce the execution of the command “Nearby” the most important rule obedience on walks and pay a lot of attention to teaching your dog this command, using a short leash as a tool.

Most owners are used to simply pulling the dog along with them. For this purpose, a short leash is, of course, more convenient than a long one. You yourself would hardly like it if, while walking with a friend, every time you turned to the side, he, without saying a word, pushed you in the right direction. At the same time, if you did not understand him, he would pull you by the neck and scold you. For our dogs, walking on a leash - especially a short one - looks exactly like this!

Added to this is stress, as the dog experiences a whole range of other types of problems that we almost never think about. This is how dog behavior problems begin when walking.

Tell me honestly, have you ever thought about how long a leash should be? No matter how many times I watched dog walkers walking, I got the impression that many of them don’t care how long the leash is or how long free space they leave it to the dog.

In fact, the length of the leash plays a big role - both for the owner and for the dog. With the help of such a seemingly trifle as a leash, we can create a whole bunch of problems without noticing it!

1. On a short leash, a dog pulls harder than on a long one: the animal wants to smell something, then examine some detail, or leave its mark. It should be taken into account that the ability to receive information through smells and mark territory is one of the most important components of a dog’s communication with the outside world. Therefore, she will instinctively try to do this all the time and in the meantime she will learn to pull the leash even harder.

2. Sometimes the dog simply does not have enough space to maintain a certain distance from the owner, strangers and other objects. For a dog, this distance is extremely important - just as it will be for you. unpleasant feeling, if someone comes close to you or if you are forced to get too close to any object that inspires you with fear. No one except you can determine this distance. The owner also cannot identify her as his dog.

3. Seeing other dogs, your pet will want to say hello, if not say hello. at least, politely pass by. In dog language, this means approaching at a certain speed in an arc, and not frontally. When approaching, dogs make sure to let each other know that their intentions are peaceful. To do this, they use a whole set of reconciliation signals. For example, they lick their lips, look to the side, slow down.

If the owner keeps the dog on a leash that is too short, tugs on it and prevents it from observing all these rituals, he creates a stressful situation for both dogs, which can lead to an aggressive reaction that is unexpected for the owners. In response to this, the owners will punish and scold their dogs.

If such encounters occur frequently, the dog may develop an aggressive attitude towards its neighbors, especially if they are on a leash. Walking will become a source of stress for both the owner and the dog. The walk will turn into a cycle of aggression and punishment.

4. A short leash, especially in combination with a collar, is a kind of noose for the animal. It is in this combination that the dog receives the strongest pressure on the throat by jerking the leash, cervical vertebrae and neck muscles. According to research results (see book), in 70% of dogs such jerks lead to back pain and behavior problems.

5. Many people believe that with the command “Near” and tugging on a short leash, they can quickly and effectively call the dog to obedience, but it will only be nervous, afraid of being punished.

We need to think about the fact that the leash is not a “control lever” for the dog. This is just a means of necessary control over the animal in places where for some reason it cannot run freely. A dog that is well trained to come when called will follow you if you simply call it to follow you. Consequently, such a dog can be led on a leash without physical effort and stress.

Try it yourself: take a leash of 3 meters or more and try to communicate with the dog whenever he needs to change direction. This communication should only include a gentle call and eye contact. Then the dog will learn to follow you regardless of the length of the leash and will do it with pleasure. This method of communication can be practiced at home. To do this, it is enough to call the dog affectionately every time and reward it for paying attention to you. At the second stage of training, you need to try to teach the dog to follow you. If a calm and trusting relationship has developed between you and the dog, the success of the training is guaranteed. It’s amazing that after a while “contact walks,” as experts call them, will become an additional thread connecting you with your dog!

Of course, it also happens that a dog on a walk is too irritated, overly active, and reacts violently to any irritant. Then, before learning contact walks, you need to delve into the reasons for her excited state during a walk and eliminate them.

About leash length

It is believed that a dog should always walk “Rrr next!” Owners declare the execution of the “Near” command to be the most important rule of obedience during a walk and pay a lot of attention to teaching their dog this command, using a short leash as a tool.

Added to this is stress, as the dog experiences a whole range of other types of problems that we almost never think about. This is how dog behavior problems begin when walking.

2. Sometimes the dog simply does not have enough space to maintain a certain distance from the owner, strangers and other objects. For a dog, this distance is extremely important - just as you yourself will have an unpleasant sensation if a person comes close to you or if you are forced to come too close to any object that inspires fear in you. No one except you can determine this distance. The owner also cannot identify her as his dog.

3. Seeing other dogs, your pet will want to, if not say hello, then at least politely pass by. In dog language, this means approaching at a certain speed in an arc, and not frontally. When approaching, dogs make sure to let each other know that their intentions are peaceful. To do this, they use a whole set of reconciliation signals. For example, they lick their lips, look to the side, slow down.

4. A short leash, especially in combination with a collar, is a kind of noose for the animal. It is in this combination that the dog receives strong pressure on the throat, cervical vertebrae and neck muscles by jerking the leash. According to research results (see book), in 70% of dogs such jerks lead to back pain and behavior problems.

What are the dangers of leash tension?

When wearing a collar, all the pressure is taken on the animal's neck and throat, which causes problems with them. It has already been established that two thirds of back diseases and nervousness in dogs are caused by the collar-leash model in combination with jerking. Here you can also include diseases such as hypothyroidism, visual and hearing impairment, injuries nerve ganglia in the neck.

The throat of any animal is the most vulnerable spot, and any pain here is perceived as a threat to life. A jerk on the throat causes aggression in a dog. As a result, it may turn out that your dog just wanted to get to know another person or relative better, but after pulling on the leash, he begins to bark. The owner doesn’t even need to pull the leash for this: the dog will do it itself. On any walk, jerks are inevitable.

Advantages of a harness over a leash

The harness distributes the load on the chest without causing pain. At the same time, it takes the load off the owner’s hands. It is much more difficult to keep a tearing dog in a collar than in a harness: the attachment of the leash to the harness is located in the area of the animal’s center of gravity, and when jerking, the dog loses its balance and can no longer press with all its weight. Of course, you need to train your pet to correct behavior and the “next” team. But even if the dog constantly pulls to the side, in a harness he will never receive the injury that a collar would cause. For short-nosed dogs like pugs and bulldogs, a collar is generally contraindicated, as they already have difficulty breathing without it.

Finally, the harness increases the safety of walks: the back strap allows you to quickly grab your pet and keep it from unwanted behavior. And a small dog can generally be lifted into the air by its harness without harm.

There is an opinion that if a dog continues to pull on the leash and even wheezes in the collar, then it is not in pain: they say, if there was pain, it would walk next to it. However, this is not true: the dog’s psyche is designed in such a way that even serious pain may recede against the background of other experiences. Squeezing the throat is always stress, which reduces the perception of pain. But this doesn’t make her disappear.

About choosing a harness

Harnesses first appeared in dog sleds. Now there are many types of harnesses: sports, medical, for police work, etc. You need to choose a harness for each breed separately to take into account physiological characteristics dogs.

But there is also general rules: the harness should fit snugly to the body in all places, without squeezing or interfering with movements: the palm of your hand should fit between the straps and the dog’s body.

The fasteners are important, as on cheap devices they often cut into the dog’s skin. It is better if there are several fasteners, which will make dressing easier. The side straps of the harness should not pass under the armpits of the animal to avoid chafing: large dogs between the belt and armpit There should be a distance of the palm of your hand, for small ones - three fingers. Finally, the material of the harness itself should be soft and durable at the same time.

However, when wearing a harness, the dog should not be allowed to forget about the collar. Especially if your pet attends exhibitions, where he may become nervous in the ring wearing a collar. It is not forbidden to wear both a harness and a collar together. The main thing is not to attach a leash to the collar.

What is better for a Chihuahua: a collar or a harness? Harness or collar – which is better to choose for a dog? When should a dog wear harnesses?

About leash length

Further Reading

About leash length

Further Reading

What are the dangers of leash tension?

Advantages of a harness over a leash

About choosing a harness

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