What to Choose: Harness or Collar for Your Puppy?

Are you wondering what is suitable: a harness or a collar for your puppy? Both aim to provide the utmost comfort to your puppy without restricting their movements and joy.

Your puppy’s choice between a harness or a collar depends on your requirements and preferences. Both products perform extremely well in their domains.

For instance, a harness promotes the overall stability of the dog and keeps the movement of your dog relatively stable compared to what a dog collar can do.

However, maneuvering and controlling your dog is much easier when a collar is wrapped around its neck. So, the ball lies in your court about what you should get for your dog and what purposes.

In this blog, we will learn more about how to make the right choice for your dog, depending on the pros and cons of each.

Let’s get started!

Harness for Puppy

1. Overview

A dog harness provides the utmost comfort for the dog since it ties itself to the dog’s chest and back. It distributes the pressure evenly on the dog and offers more control of the dog to the owner.

Moreover, harnesses come in various shapes and designs as compared to collars. Harnesses decrease the stress on the dog when they start pulling, leading to decreased stress on the neck and joints.

As compared to collars, harnesses rarely get entangled, making them easy to use.

2. Pros & Cons of Dog Harness

Pros

• Tough to Escape: Harnesses are tough to escape because they are tied to their body, so if you have an adventurous dog who loves to goof around, the harness should be your choice over the collar.
• Fewer Health Risks: Since harnesses support your puppy’s entire body, they don’t strain your dog’s bones and muscles. A harness can greatly help alleviate the back pain, and there is a decreased chance of your dog’s throat being injured while pulling.
• No-Pull Harness Options: Like no-pull collars for your puppy, there is an option for the no-pull harness. When your dog wears a no-pull harness and starts pulling, the dog will automatically turn toward you. This helps train the dog and teaches them that nothing will happen if they pull on the harness.
• Enhanced Security: Harnesses offer a snug fit, and it’s not easy for your puppy to escape the harness. Puppies can escape collars more easily than the harness, making the latter a safer option for your everyday needs.

Cons

• Chances of an Improper Fit: Harnesses can be challenging to put on and take off, at least until you get acquainted with taking them off and on. A well-fit harness is important because if the harness gets too loose, your puppy might slip out, and a tight harness can make your dog uncomfortable and cranky.
• Pet ID Tags are Tougher to Wear: Dog ID tags can be easily attached to the puppy collar. However, you must be creative when attaching the pet ID tag to the harness. Few harnesses come with a dedicated space for pet ID tags.
• Requires More Strength: When your dog is wearing a harness, they start pulling more since there is relatively less pressure on a dog’s neck. So, if you have a large breed dog, it would require extra physical strength to manage and control the dog while training and on regular walks.
• Uncomfortable: Harnesses are thick and cover many body parts of your puppy, which your dog might not like since they feel that the harness restricts their movement.

Best Harnesses to Try

1. Voyager Step-in Air Dog Harness

This comes in various shapes and sizes, so you can use it from when you have a puppy to an adult dog.

Its all-weather mesh setup provides the utmost reliability to your puppy all year since it is breathable and stays afresh for a longer duration.

The reflective straps enhance the visibility of your puppy when you are taking a stroll in the early morning or evening, protecting your dog and you from unwanted accidents.

It is easy to get on and off the puppy with a single clip-on. This saves time and hassle as the dogs are always redundant while wearing a harness, so easy installation is handy.

2. PoyPet No Pull Dog Harness

A no-pull and no-choke dog harness is your perfect companion for your puppy playtime.

This dog harness is equipped with 2 easy buckles on the belly straps, and there is one more lockable quick-snap buckle on the neckline for quick and easy on and off, which means less struggle with your puppy to get the collar on.

Moreover, there is no need to slip this harness over the dog’s head and adjust the straps every time you put it on.

This front lead dog harness has two metal leash attachments with webbing, and it is accompanied by a front clip to discourage the pulling behavior of most puppies.

The soft fabric also provides the utmost back comfort for relaxed walks.

This pet harness is soft, non-toxic mesh padded, and ensures that the pulling pressure is evenly distributed on your puppy’s body to prevent unintentional choking and other injuries.

3. BUMBIN Tactical Dog Harness

The heavy-duty vest tackle harness is made of soft cotton fabric with a clean and clear texture for an elegant look.

It provides extra durability and wear-ability, making it suitable for all field use and in all kinds of weather.

The soft padding can protect your dog’s skin and avoid chafing, while the breathable air mesh keeps your dog ventilated and comfortable, making them feel afresh for longer durations.

The arc of the dog harness back is extended to ensure comfort without chafing the dog’s skin. The reflective design around the harness will keep you and your dog safe while walking, even at night and on evening strolls.

4. EcoBark Dog Harness

This no-pull and no-choke dog harness is suitable for small to extra dogs. It is double layered, and soft mesh fabric is highly durable and can easily last you for years. It’s much stronger than a typical harness while staying extra soft and breathable.

This dog harness uses anti-rub technology with the option of a custom stitched cover specially designed to protect your pet from getting injured from the strap chafing on their leg.

This harness sits higher than most, making it harder for your puppy or dog to escape. It is specially made not to constrict their throats.

Collar for Puppy

1. Overview

Collars for puppies are versatile, easily available, and are pretty straightforward to use. Collars are tied to your puppy’s neck and help in the easy maneuverability of your puppy.

It is easy to use even for a first-time parent and has a designated place to attach the identification tag of the ID card. This helps track your dog in case he/she escapes the collar, which is common.

Also, most dogs naturally incline towards the collar as they don’t restrict the movement much and weigh less than the harness.

2. Pros & Cons of Dog Collar

Pros

• Very Convenient: Collars are highly convenient for dogs and pet parents. They can always be left on, which is not the case with harnesses. And even if you want to remove the collar every time, you can easily do so by putting in the minimal effort since the collar can get snapped in and out much easier than a harness.
• Holding ID Tags: Your puppy’s collar should be designed to have a dedicated place to hold the Dog ID or unique identification. This becomes necessary to locate the tour dog in case any incidents happen.
• Highly Customisable: Collars are highly customizable i.e., from materials, designs, sizes, types, etc. This helps so that your puppy can get the collar in which they feel most comfortable. Various styles of collars for your puppy help in the subtle breed differences and get you a correct fit.
• Easier Control: A collar offers you almost precise control of your dog’s movements. Since the collar is attached to your puppy’s neck, and when you try to pull the collar in a different direction, the dog will oblige and move in your desired direction.
• Good for Training: Since the dog collar offers better control over the dog, it also means that your training session with your puppy will be quite controlled and result-oriented. Therefore, using a collar for training your new puppy is preferred.

Cons

• Pre-existing Medical Conditions: If your puppy is suffering from any health illness that is affecting its neck, spine, etc, then the collar should not be the first choice. Conditions like Glaucoma and Proptosed Eye can be aggravated further using the collar.
• Not Safe for Pulling: If you have a dog that constantly pulls when you take him/her to train or for long walks, the collar is not the right option. Constant pulling puts pressure on your puppy’s neck and severely reduces the airflow, which can sometimes become life-threatening.
• Not Safe for Certain Breeds: Although using collars is pretty versatile, using collars on toy and brachycephalic breeds is not a good idea. Because of their miniature size, they are at risk of strangulating and can lose their lives.
• High Chance for Injuries: If your dog pulls hard on the collar, then it might cause certain issues in the long term, like persistent back pain, throat or trachea damage, or some other injuries.

Best Collars to Try

1. DINJOO Bark Collar

This DINJOO Bark Collar is a fully automatic dog collar for medium dogs with 4 modes and 8 sensitivity levels.

There are different non-shock modes like beep, vibration, and beep+vibration, as well as a shock mode with beep+vibration+shock.

This lets you choose the best training method for your dog’s barking, depending on the level of training.

Moreover, it has a large LED color screen that makes it easier to use and read. With only 2 hours of charging, it lasts 15 days, so you don’t have to worry about running out of charge mid-way in a training session.

2. Blueberry Pet Essentials 21 Colors Classic Dog Collar

The Blueberry Pet Essentials Classic Dog Collar is made from high-density nylon webbing, and the buckles are completely eco-friendly, with a steel D-steel.

It is available in various sizes, starting from extra small to large. The best part is that it is super easy to clean; you must wipe it to clean it completely.

3. Timos Dog Collar

This Timos Dog Collar is made with tough and resistant polyester webbing to make sure it’s durable and stands the test of time. It has curved nylon buckles for extra durability.

It is built to last with a sturdy buckle, weatherproof D ring, and high-density nylon. They’re soft, flexible, and comfortable for dogs. They can be washed by hand or gently in the washing machine.

However, its stylish and unique pattern is designed smartly by keeping your dog’s comfort in mind.

4. PAWBLEFY Personalized Dog Collars

This PAWBLEFY Personalized Dog Collar is highly durable and trendy. It has shiny metal and reflective stitching to keep your dog safe and secure when walking in the dark.

Plus, it gives off a high-end and designer look, which makes your dog cool and stylish.

Moreover, it is fully customized with names and phone numbers on it. It is also available in 4 different colors with 3 different fonts to stand out among the rest.

Final Thoughts

Various harnesses or collars for puppies are available in the market, but what suits your puppy the most depends on the breed and their activity.

Whatever you use, collar or harness, should not restrict your dog’s movement. Otherwise, there is a high chance that, over some time, they will develop spinal problems, neck injuries, and whatnot.

Rather than choosing only a harness or a collar, the best course of action is to keep a combination of both—a harness for training and regular walks but collars for general everyday wear.

Choosing the best collar or harness for your puppy is based on trying different products and finalizing what brings you and your dog the most comfort.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if My Dog Escapes from The Harness?

This is a real possibility if the harness is well-fitted to the dog. It’s important to get the right harness for your pet so that the possibility of your puppy escaping doesn’t even arise.

Keep the leash short and get hold of the harness handle for better safety.

Can Dog Harnesses Cause Spinal Injuries?

There are very few chances of your puppy getting injured by a harness. However, the chances of your dog getting injured increase substantially when using a dog collar.

They are known for causing severe neck injuries.

Will the Dog Harness Stop/Cause Pulling?

Harnesses or dog collar for your puppy is not meant to change your dog’s behavioral patterns. They are just for safety purposes.

If you want to stop your dog from pulling, consult a behavioral consultant and train your dog well!