Harness or Collar
 

Which do you prefer and why? :rolleyes:

Harnass all the way because a collar can be harmful. They have such small necks and you should also be careful of their trachea.

I've also hear in other posts that another benefit of the harnass is that if you are outside with your baby and another dog comes at them, you can quickly pull the harnass. You can't do that with a collar.

Brandi & Hercules

HARNESS HARNESS HARNESS!! Schatzie never wears a collar around the neck. Neck collars are a major choking hazard and as the above posts, horrible danger for their trachea.

Never, never use a collar on a toy dog for walking. Always use a harness of some sort. Collar's put pressure on the throat, which can cause problems with the trachea, and even contribute to a collapsed trachea. The only time my dogs have anything around their neck is when they are in the show ring. We use very thin leads for them and once they are done showing it comes off. If we walk our dogs they always have a harness on. I do have collars for all of them that have their tags on, but I only carry them with me when we go someplace, they never have them on.

So you never have there tags on unless you take them someplace? Do you keep a harness on all the time? Or just for walking?

I know I posted shortly before but I just wanted to add something to this thread...

collars/harnessess worn also can tend to break there hair too. Schatzie only wears her harness when in her carseat while traveling and on walks. Normally we carry her though in public or she is in her purse carrier so she doesn't wear any harness then either.

If one is worried about identification micro chips can be planted in their ears.

There are just too many scary stories with toy dogs wearing collars and such.

ok heres my deal i keep a collar on them all day in the house but when brownie was young i would walk him and i used his collar one day he was pulling like usally he passed out we took him to the vet and when we got there he was fine it happened a couple of times after that day we couldnt figure out what was cause this then one day we figure out it was his collar when he pulled it cut off his air supply we got him a harness and he can pull all he wants now lolwe use a harness for kayko too i use the harness just for walking and i keep the collar on all the time

Always a harness...she has a collar but I never put it on her....in the house she has nothing on...her neck is the size of my 4 year old nephews ankle...I am petrified to put anything around her neck...harness all the way!!!!

so what do you keep her tags on?

I prefer the harness for any dog ... that's what we always used on our poodle. There are also "freak" accidents associated with collars! When my son was young, we bought him a Siamese cat. They were playing in the dining room one day and TC jumped up to catch a toy and hung his collar on a knob on the front of the buffet. Chris was screaming and I ran in there and poor TC was fighting with all his might to get loose and couldn't ... ultimately I don't believe he could've gotten down and shudder to think what would've happened had we not been home!

stacisnyder........ i use BOTH...... he ALWAYS has his collar on (excpet for bath time) and i attach the tags to those...... but i attach the leash to a harness when it is time to go for a walk, ...... so when he goes on a walk he has both his collar AND his harness on

Thanks a lot. I know I asked before but I like to get a lot of info before making a choice.

Gucci uses a collar that has a bell and her tag all day long except bath time. I have a harness but we havent use it. I haven't walk gucci with a leash yet. My vet dont want me to take her outside until her ringworm has being completly cure and with all her shots up to date. When i take her out she is inside the carrier.

Looks like I'm in a minority here as I have only used a collar on Bentley. I bought him a harness when we first got him, but never ended up using it. Shortly after we got him, we enrolled in puppy kindergarten and they had all of the dogs in collars, I guess it is easier to teach them to walk correctly on a leash with a collar. I've just kept using a collar after the class is over, although I am very careful never to pull his neck. Our new thing is a special collar called a "gentle leader". The instructor told us it is the best way to teach a dog how to walk on a loose leash (walk nicely at your left side without pulling). Bentley HATES it and refused to move with it on today.

Both
 

I've used both. I did keep a collar with a bell on it for a while with Mia because she was so tiny, I couldn't find her. lol I recently got a tote bag to carry her in now though, and so I bought a harness for her (XS) so it wouldn't hurt her. I use a collar on my other yorkie, Muffy, who is 10 lbs. We don't take them for walks. We have a big fenced in back yard. I do agree though, if you're going to have you baby on a leash that the harness is the safest way to go. Most harnesses have a loop to put tags on.

Likewise, I only use a harness. Some harnesses will have a loop where you can attach the tags.

Use a Halti if you don't want to use a collar
 

OK, as a dog trainer, I've got to chime in here. If you train your dog to walk with you properly, instead of pulling, an ordinary buckle collar should not be a problem for the oridinary toy dog. BUT it is extremly difficult to train a dog to heel if you are using a harness! If you are dead set against a collar, I'd use a Halti or Gental Leader instead. Harnesses can teach bad habits! :eek:

Here's what I wrote in regard to another post on the same topic:

Unless I want a pulling action, I do not walk a dog in a harness. If I'm concerned about a trachea issue, which is a just concern with small dogs, I'd rather opt for a halti or gentle leader than a harness. These work by directing the dog’s head rather than pulling on the neck. I use harnesses for tracking or jogging or when I want the dog to pull against me. With a harness, you have very little control, its like driving without power steering. Many dogs learn some awful lead habits when they are put into a harness at an early age. A lot of people compound this problem by using those Flexi leashes to which they can not grab on in a pinch without getting a nasty burn. A simple six inch lead (leather or cotton are my first choice since they are comfortable to hold and do not cause rope burn) and a halti or gentle leader for a dog who had trachea issues.


http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1069

Just a thought . . .toy dog people get away with things larger dog people can't. You can walk a Yorkie whose pulling her little heart out at the other end of the leash .. . try that with a German Shepherd. But having control of the leash and your dog attached to it could save her life - think of all the possiblities - walking along a curb and car swerves out of control, a large dog or cat bounds in front of your path, a kid skids out on his bike . . . a dog who is attentive and knows how to heel is a pleasure and a lifesaver. It's worth the time to teach your dog to walk without pulling. Without the pulling = you can reduce the wear and tear on your dog's throat in the process too!

I also use the harness to walk my dog. I have the collar on with just a identification tag with her name and my phone number on it. I have the rabies tag and the vet tag on her harness. I am afraid I don't keep the collar on all the time, but when summer comes and she is in the yard more, she will have it on in case she gets out. I told you how she slipped past my husband when he went to get the mail, and we never knew she was gone-----no collar on----and someone came to my door and asked if we had a puppy and to describe it. Sure enough, it was Snoodles! It was below zero and she was three blocks from out house in the middle of the street shivering! That was sa really close call. I swore I would have the collar on her at all times after that. But, I have been remiss, mostly because of the hair brushing.

Thank you yorkipower
 

Thank you yorkipower for your post. We definately need to know what would be best for our babies. I don't really take mine for walks, and understand what you mean about the collar vs the harness for walking. Thanks a bunches for easing our minds to those of us who use collars. God bless!

:) Welcome.