I did find a front leading harness and tried to use it at puppy classes. It was quickly rejected by my trainer. She made a good point. The one I had chosen didn't fit her well and that type puts pressure on their sensitive underarms.
I'm going to try just a regular collar and leash to start. My trainer says she has trained Yorkies before and knows about the trachea issues, but has never had any of them collapse. She says that if you train your Yorkie to walk and respond to you, it won't pull and do other behaviors on leash that would hurt its trachea. As far as needing a harness to save your Yorkie from a dangerous situation--you could argue that you just shouldn't walk in areas where you have to worry about that.
After training with this woman and using her methods on our ten year old female Yorkie (Penny) for years, I trust her opinion. Penny used to be a puller and barker but now she walks perfectly on a leash and collar.
We took Mishka on her first walk today and you would have thought she had been going on walks for years! She wasn't phased by pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. She walked perfectly by my side and carried a stick she found with her most of the way. She didn't bark once, just made happy panting/talking noises. She peed in the grass the instant I stopped walking and said "go peepee." She also obeyed "sit" and "down," which are new tricks for her. I'm so proud of her! I think she'll do fine on a plain collar and leash.
Every dog has different needs and harnesses certainly have their benefits. I think a collar and leash will work best for my situation, but I have nothing against the use of harnesses. |