Collar or harness

[CAH706]

Hi all

We pick up our (first ever) dog next weekend.

He will be 12 weeks old and whist we have most things bought for him we are struggling with what to do with regards a collar or harness.

Any thoughts on what's best (current thinking harness) and any recommendations.

Will take any advice on leads as well.....plus anything else

Thanks all

[Amused2death]

Our two have collars with ID etc, but we fit harnesses for walkies. Far easier on the dog and no chance of the harnesses slipping off if the dog turns to face you and pull backwards.

[Jasandjules]

Depends on the size and personality of the dog.

Plenty will be fine on a lead whereas some will require a harness or canny collar (which we use on the dogs who just pull like mad!)

[parakitaMol.]

From a purely physical perspective, a well fitting 'Y' harness is advised for most breed types. But do research into what is best for your breed. Some body shapes don't fit some brands or designs. I only walk my dogs on harnesses and none of them pull. I have the Hurtta ones like this
https://www.hurtta.com/global_en/dazzle-harness

Whatever type you buy the fit needs to be good (like with motorcycle crash helmets, you can buy a fantastic one but if it swivels round on your head then it's not going to do it's job) - most people I know recommend 'Perfect Fit' as they actually do fit perfectly and come in several components with soft padding inside.

https://www.dog-games-shop.co.uk/perfect-fit-fleec...

They have some really good diagrams of why you should use a harness.

Styles like the Julius K9 which go around the chest like a brace are really bad for the shoulders and joints as they prevent full rotation of the shoulders and can actually cause injuries (physios hate them! and many owners report damage to bicep tendons due to these types).

Front clipping harnesses are not advised for Brachycephalic dogs due to where the pressure is applied but 2 point harnesses (top and chest) are useful for training purposes or very strong or reactive dogs.

If you start your pup as soon as possible with a puppy class then you'll be shown all of this stuff and how to teach your dog to walk on a loose lead without pulling from the beginning - which is really worth doing.

The legal requirement is a collar with ID with your address & phone (many people add 'castrated' and 'microchipped' onto the tag) - do make sure you've got this on all the time when out, harness or not.


Best of luck & happy puppy days ahead

[CAH706]

Brilliant

Thanks both for the comments and suggestions.

Really appreciated as I'm getting slight nervous about the dog coming..... despite raising a child!

[moorx]

Jasandjules said:

Depends on the size and personality of the dog.

Plenty will be fine on a lead whereas some will require a harness or canny collar (which we use on the dogs who just pull like mad!)

This.

We have four dogs. Three need harnesses as they pull on collars (cocker spaniel and whippets). The other one walks far better on a collar than a harness (saluki x).

All three have escaped from certain types of harness, so we have Ruffwear Webmaster harnesses. They are not cheap, but are fantastic in terms of fitting and strength.

What type of pup are you getting?

[parakitaMol.]

CAH706 said:

Brilliant

Thanks both for the comments and suggestions.

Really appreciated as I'm getting slight nervous about the dog coming..... despite raising a child!

It will be fine you're doing lots of research ahead of time which is great, the main thing with puppies is to get sound advice and support from the start so that you don't spend years correcting stuff which could be easily avoided. Just like with children, the more they are exposed to all the things they come across in later life, the better they can cope with new things and changes. Puppies have a learning 'window' which closes - socialisation with people and dogs is critical during this time but carefully so they aren't frightened. You can research puppy classes and trainers in your area now so you can get your pup out and about safely so that everything they encounter is handled positively.

If you're looking for a trainer or behaviourist either now or any time I would recommend anyone accredited through ABTC - several organisations fall under their umbrella and it has very high standards of assessment and criteria and is completely positive. Avoid anyone who says they are a 'balanced' trainer or who doesn't list themselves as using 100% positive training methods.

Spring is a great time, one of mine came at the start of atrocious Winter weather and we missed some valuable opportunities.

Personally I would avoid the puppy parties type thing in pet stores - some are ok but mostly they are chaotic and not run by qualified people - simply as a marketing strategy. They can be overwhelming and counter productive.

I just remembered these articles written by a friend of mine
http://dogcommunication.co.uk/should-my-dog-wear-a...
http://dogcommunication.co.uk/bitey-puppies/

And what pup are you getting?

[CAH706]

Thanks again for the further help. Appreciate you taking the time to write that out for me.

We've read loads since we decided (last April) to get a dog.... but no substitute for hands on experience

Dog will be a standard size (Australian) Labradoodle. Hopefully a good choice for us as first time dog owners

[SimpleSimonSays]

+1 for ABTC accredited and positive training methods.

We’ve used the Puppy School franchise for our initial training, and have found them to be excellent, also helped us to find a harness which fitted properly. Depending on the area, they also do socialisation walks which are good, better than the free for all pet shop ones alluded to above!

You mentioned leads - assuming a harness (we use the Perfect Fit and TTouch harnesses) then some sort of double ended lead so you can clip on the chest and behind the shoulders. It allows more control if needed (we have a reactive dog and she’s a bit of a handful, so sometimes we just have to move her past whatever she’s shouting at), but you can then also just clip onto the shoulders of the harness and walk ‘normally’ and have a longer lead to allow more exploration. Avoid flexi-leads like the plague!

[CAH706]

That's great. The socialisation walks sound very useful and possibly a good way to meet other dog people with advice to offer . I'll give that a look today.

[parakitaMol.]

+1 for Puppy School, I was going to mention them I believe they became accredited through ABTC last year. Even though they are franchised, their trainers training programme is thorough and they are 100% positive - I didn't know they were doing socialisation walks which is fab.


Lovely mix, you'll have tons of fun ahead - don't forget to post the puppy pics when pup arrives!