Collar or harness??

[nikkip410]

Hey everyone! I have been using a harness on Rex since I got him ..he is very stubborn on walks and basically walks me the whole way or I have to drag him to go the direction I want him to..someone had told me that I should be using a collar preferably one that gets a little tight when u pull it I think it's called a training collar..they also said that a harness is used for pulling and that's why Rex pulls me..I have given the collar alot of thought but feel because of his fat neck that it may Hurt him.Please give me your opinions Thank you

 

[Mack-N-MatildasMommy]

I chose harness, you didn't have the option for both. When walking Matilda we us the step in harness.. I use the collar for her tags and when we go visit the vet.

 

[Sandy]

We use a harness with Buster. He loves it and does very well when we walk him.

 

[anatess]

Whoever told you that is misinformed.

A harness is designed to prevent a dog from pulling effectively. I mean - it won't prevent them from pulling - but it gives you better control of a strong dog so he can't successfully pull you.

A choke collar (the ones that tighten) is not a good way to train a dog. The chain collar is not supposed to choke a dog - it's supposed to just startle the dog with the noise of the chain, but, strong dogs - especially stubborn ones like a bulldog - will learn pretty quick that the noise doesn't mean anything, so they will pull anyway until they get choked and stop. I don't subscribe to the need of hurting a dog so he'll behave. Make sense?

Now, a lead collar (just a regular flat break-away collar, usually with a snap-buckle fastening) is designed to go around the neck. If you can control your dog's head, it will be easier to tell him where to go - that's the idea behind the collar that goes around the neck. It's not meant to choke your dog if he pulls. But, for a bulldog - this may not be enough - I have a 3-year-old bulldog, and it is very difficult to turn her head with the break-away collar. She is so strong that the collar will break-away before she will move her head (break-away collars is designed to open at a certain level of pressure to prevent your dog from getting "hanged" and break his neck if his collar gets stuck). That's why we use a harness.

But, if you want your dog to stop pulling you around, then the collar/harness is not your problem. He needs to be properly trained first. Getting a dog to walk without pulling requires the same type of training as teaching him to Sit or Stay or whatever tricks you got your dog to do so he doesn't wreck havoc in your household. He won't just all of a sudden know how to do it just because you took him out for a walk. He needs to learn lead training BEFORE you take him out for a walk... Make sense?

 

[Piamitch]

We use a step in harness for ruckus. We started him w/ a no pull harness made specifically for that purpose. The one we used was by Sporn. It worked sometimes. I think what did the best was anytime he pulled I would stop walking, tell him "manners" then turn in the opposite direction and continue walking. My 9 yr. old constantly says " ruckus use your manners" and he doesn't even attempt to pull her.

 

[nikkip410]

Yes it makes a ton of sense..it's not that I haven't trained him to properly go on walks I have tried and spent hundreds on a trainer to do so also..I guess I am just not doing it right ..

 

[anatess]

Yes it makes a ton of sense..it's not that I haven't trained him to properly go on walks I have tried and spent hundreds on a trainer to do so also..I guess I am just not doing it right ..

Nah... it's because you have a BULLDOG. They're stubborn brutes! We got our bulldog 3 weeks ago - she's 3 years old. We've been lead training her for 3 weeks and she's still faaaaarrr from learning it. But we're making progress.

By the way - leash-free dog parks usually don't allow harnesses on a dog. They require break-away neck collars for their tags.

 

[Einstein the Great]

Einstein wears a collar when he goes outside to do his business. But when we go for walks or go anywhere the harness is a must have. Einstein does very well when we walk. No pulling issues the only time he pulls is when we're somewhere with a lot of people and he wants to see everyone. Once we had his collar on and he saw his "grandma" pull in and he really wanted to go see her, he pulled so much he started choking. So I don't think that a collar will actually fix the pulling problem just make it worse.

 

[KMARINO]

Both! Collar for going outside to potty and for walks, he does not pull. Harness for Vet visits and nails done, I have better control over him. At 63 lbs. he can be a handfull when he is around other dogs.

 

[bubbaisapig]

Actually, Anatess, I think you are incorrect about the harness. I watch the dog whisperer a lot, (Caesar rocks) and he says that the harness actually is for pulling purposes. He always changes the harness out..usually for a special colar that sits up high on the neck or uses the opposite side of a lead up high. He always seems to get dogs and humans to be trained more easily.

 

[cslafferty]

I had been told by our vet that any of the brachycephallic breeds (pushed in noses) should always be walked with a harness, because collars put more stress on their already compromised respiratory systems. For our bully, she wears a collar for her tags and when we go to the vet, but a harness when we go for walks.

 

[anatess]

Actually, Anatess, I think you are incorrect about the harness. I watch the dog whisperer a lot, (Caesar rocks) and he says that the harness actually is for pulling purposes. He always changes the harness out..usually for a special colar that sits up high on the neck or uses the opposite side of a lead up high. He always seems to get dogs and humans to be trained more easily.

That's what I said... The harness is intended to get better control of a strong dog pulling on a lead. It won't stop him from pulling - that is, you have to teach the dog not to pull - just putting a harness on won't stop him from pulling on the lead. But, it gives the handler better control because it halts the dog around the shoulders where a lot of his strength is when he is pulling. Make sense?

 

[Alice Kable]

We have leash trained using a pincher collar that has a lot of slack in it so it could never choke the dog. It really helps, it is like power steering in a car. It has worked well with all of our dogs. You can take out or add links to adjust the size.

 

[cslafferty]

Actually, I believe that's where I first heard about the brachycephallic breed thing- I was going to order an Illusion collar from Cesar Milan's website for our first bulldog, but their website published a warning to all owners of brachycephallic breeds that they should NOT use a collar, even an Illusion collar, only a harness. After I read that, I asked our vet and he confirmed.

 

[Davidh]

When we go for a walk we use a collar. But when we take them in the car we put a harness on them and strap them in so they are safe if we are in an accident. Poor Buddy boy hates his harness and does not like to walk in it. BeBe on the other hand loves hers and gets so excited when she sees it because she loves to ride in the car.