Harness and leash?
 

Almost 7 months old, and she hasn't been on a leash or in a harness much. Just when we go for strolls around the apartment complex. When we leave her out to go pee, we just let her roam. We didn't need a leash on her because she stayed close and responsive to our commands.

But lately, she has been a little bit more "daring" to say the least. A couple times she has ran into the parking lot, and we had a scare of her crawling under the fence and near a busy road. Scared us to death!! :(

This morning I woke up at 5am to take her out to potty and she wandered in the parking lot and running near cars trying to leave the complex. So, enough is enough. Not allowed out anymore unless she is leashed.

My question is do you leave the harness on 24/7, or only put it on when she goes out? Would that bother her or make her feel uncomfortable? I was thinking about letting her sleep in it so I don't have to put it on in the middle of the night when she has to go potty. Would this be ok, or would it bother her? Any thoughts? Thank you!

It is never a good idea to take yorkies out without a leash especially where there is a lot of traffic. I would be too nervous to let Duchess out without a leash. She has a high prey drive. If she sees any furry thing moving, she is taking off right after it.

I live on a cul de sac with very little traffic and she is on a leash at all times even if we are just walking to the mailbox. If she's sees a bird, a squirrel or even another dog, she will try her best to hunt it down.

I leave her break away cat collar own at all times for her tags. I only put her harness on when we go for walks. Please reconsider letting your baby out without a leash. These little stinkers are extremely fast and if she takes off, chances are you won't be able to catch her. I know when Duchess is focused on a squirrel or really anything furry, I can't get her attention.

Is there a smaller collar that will fit a yorkie's neck that i can leave on at all times? I don't have a collar. She has never worn anything, other than that harness for walks. I feel that the harness is too big and bulky to wear 24/7, so is there any alternatives to leash them when just going potty for a few minutes?

you can always try a cat collar, also there are many different types of harnesses that are not so bulky. I'm sure others can help with recommendations. I had a neighbhor use to leave her yorkies harness on most of the time but it was a very thin harness and wasn't bulky at all.

If you are only letting her outside for a brief potty break and not walking her, I don't see anything wrong with using her collar for leashing if you didn't feel like putting on the harness. I wouldn't however use it to take her on walks as a collar could damage her throat.

Also have you considered indoot potty pads? Duchess uses potty pads so if I don't walk her, she has a safe place in the house to go potty.

Terriers especially puppies should always be on leashes unless in a fenced in area. I personally would not leave it on all the time because I don't think that would be real comfortable but that's just me.

NEVER hook a leash to the collar of a small breed dog or you risk collapsing trachea.

I have a 4-pound yorkie and a 4-pound Biewer. Both wear collars at all times. Walmart and Target have extra small collars (some reflective). I spent a fortune on collars and harness' and was thrilled when I found these xs collars for $3.99. All their tags are on the collar at all times.

If your baby is that tiny ppl have used ferret or cat harness.

NO do not leave the harness on all the time. Harness goes on when it's time for potty or a walk.

Collars are for TAGS only, NEVER attach a leash to a collar, your puppy bolted to the parking lot, if she does that with a leash attached to her collar she can damage her trachea.

Leaving your baby off leash was very dangerous, she can get attacked by another dog, tiny babies can be snatched up by prey birds, off leash she can eat things on the ground that can make her very sick. PLEASE always put a harness and leash on her when she has to go out.

I see you live in Fl. you have to watch out for snakes as well, if your puppy sees a moving snake she will be on it like a fly on poop, harness ALWAYS.

I really like Velcro harnesses for quick outside trips, the Velcro is very strong and they are usually a pretty fabric clothing type item, they work really well for us. Also, they do make padded martingale show leads that slip around the neck for a quick potty trip outside. That might be a good option for you too, they are widely used for toy breeds.

Yeah, I would never, ever allow your pup off leash again - this is how dogs get killed every single day. We hear of it all the time. Also, someone could easily steal a dog this way.

I would just get an easy on/easy off velcro type harness to put on when needed for at night.

I have resulted to leaving the harness on 24/7 because its easier for when we go out to potty. We live in a townhome community so no fenced in yard, so we have to walk for our potty breaks. If I had to put the harness on plus the leash, Emma wouldn't be able to hold her pee while I put everything on her.

I keep a collar with tags on at all times. I dont grab the harness every time if its a quick trip out and back in. My dog generally doesnt pull. I do take off the harness inside.

Harness and leash
 

I haven't been able to get a harness on either of mine.. So I use a hip leash just a loop that goes around their body just in front of their back legs and it's secured with a cord keeper. I'll upload a pic when I can..

That doesn't sound very safe and easy to slide right out of.

Your puppy was probably okay off-leash up until now because she was still in her puppy stage and wanting to be near you. As she's growing, she's going to be more adventurous and daring with each day, especially growing through adolescence. So, it a really good idea that you've decided to put her on a harness asap.

Just to reaffirm everyone else's comments, they're all very very valid. There are just too many things that could wrong and the risks are never ever worth it.

When Scottie and Casie were puppies, I used the PetSafe Easywalk harness and left it on all the time. It was really light and minimal. Casie was very small though, so I actually adjusted the size by sewing it smaller. One good thing I liked about this harness was that it is a front-hooking harness, which was great for training polite leash walking.

I don't find the harness to be terribly difficult to put on/off, it is not that time consuming. But Jackson is also trained to accept it. He lifts his paws up and steps into etc for me etc. I use a Puppia harness mostly. I just find it the easiest go-to but there's a few styles that would be easier such as the Ezydog harness or something of that style. Buddy Belt harnesses are very nice but I am not a huge fan of step ins. I do find them more tedious to put on personally but everybody is different.

With Puppia vest harness I don't mind leaving it on him all day as it's very comfy; doesn't bother him. I take everything off at night though for comfort and the harness isn't on 24/7. For example if I take him out in the AM and know he will go out again for lunch I will usually just leave it on until then. or take it off after dinner. At night time I typically use a slip-on collar for ease, it's just a quick potty break so collar is fine.

Wow those are all very scary things. I would defiantly keep her leashed when ever you take her out. As far as leaving the harness on 24/7 you can but like you say it may be uncomfortable for her. So just try it and see how she handles it. As for night time , no I'd take it off just to give her a little more comfort during the night. Also, if you would be interested in a custom clothe harness for you pup you I do make them. You can reach me by clicking the link below.

I would definitely keep her on a leash from now. I've never let Chewie off leash apart from in the garden which is obviously secure. He can be very responsive to commands but if something catches his attention, it's like I don't exist anymore and I would hate to think what could possibly happen.

We have a harness for Chewie which takes seconds to put on and he's leashed up and ready to go. I understand it can be frustrating having to put it on all the time. The other thing would be to get potty pads for her while she is indoors if she is desperate.

I wouldn't advise leaving the harness on 24/7, unless it is very minimal and you can ensure that she is comfortable.

We use a harness only, Mia never even wears a collar. She only wears her harness for walks. I am a huge believer in walks. I am totally fine for those who disagree but for us it has added so much to Mia's life and to mine. We live in a townhome, so do not have a fenced yard. Even if we did, I believe in exercise. We walk several times a day. Great bonding for us. She knows all the neighbors by name, has many dog friends, notices all minor changes in the neighborhood (someone got a new flowerpot, oh we better stop and look at it!)
We've been walking her regularly since we got her at 9.5 was old and she has never gotten into anything, even as a puppy! She only gnawed on the wall while laying on the stairs. Walks tire her out.
I wish I knew the brand of harness we have. We love it, it's like "velvet" lined. Just straps, not lots of material.
Okay, rambled enough... 😉

The issue with not having a collar with Id tag on is what if she bolts out the door for some reason.

We've taught Mia not to bolt out the door. She knows not to go out when door is open unless invited out. However, yes that can absolutely be an issue!

Agreed. I don't use collars either, unless we are on a walk, or outside, and then only for id. They come off as soon as we are inside, for safety (not even breakaway collars).

Honestly I think when they are trained to never push out the door, and they know they will get their walks they just don't consider bolting. It is a number one training thing in our house. They have to sit, or I don't open the door. They think sitting opens the door :)

I have never had a dog that ran ahead of me out the door, except as a wee pup, and the most usually only just once. And even then it was out a door to a fenced yard, or they were already leashed.

Oh, and I use a harness to walk my dogs on some walks. The big dogs, at least, are allowed to pull when in the harness, but not when I put the leash on their collar.

When the leash is attached to the collar, no pulling allowed.

There are way to many lost dogs without Id's. Collars are very safe if fitted right. Even the best well trained dogs can suddenly follow their instincts rather then their owner after all they are terriers.

I will have to respectfully disagree. I do understand what you are saying, but my dogs aren't going to be a "lost dog without id". I know plenty are, and it is good to get people thinking, for example op? But OP was letting the dog out.

Since I have a multi-dog household mine will never wear collars inside again, nor when we are outside and they are playing together, no matter the fit. It is not safe IMO, and not a chance I am willing to take. They can get their teeth, or jaws stuck on each other's collars right in front of you. If not, hung up on something. Many people don't think of removing collars before crating, and that should also be a must.

There is no excuse for allowing a dog to bolt out a door in front of you, terrier or no. A collar isn't going to be much help to a dog that could be run over, or attacked within minutes of bolting.

Training is far more important that a collar with id attached. And I don't excuse a dog for bolting. They do not do it. But then I wouldn't open the door to the street if I saw a squirrel outside! I am fully aware when I open a door.

In fact I live on 20 acres, with a fenced yard, and I turn on the front yard light in the morning before the dogs go out just in case there is a skunk in the yard. I have never seen one, but have smelled them in the barn area.

YMMV of course. This is just my opinion after 41 years of dog ownership. I do have to pay more attention to foster dogs, but if they are not trained to respect the door they are crated when the door must be open. Or they are wearing a collar and a leash.

I used to believe that Id on a collar was the be all, until I heard so many horror stories. And in fact had a dog get his teeth stuck on another dogs collar. Taking the collar off was the only way to get him loose.

Honestly, I believe it is important to think outside our safety net. Saying that a collar and Id will save your dog is just not true, though it might get them back to you. It depends on the situation and the dog.

Training might save your dog as well, but it is not going to save them 100%. I don't have children in my house, or visitors who would leave a door open. Even so, I have never owned a dog that would bolt.
I had a sneaky big dog when my kids were young (and we had a broken screen back door) who would occasionally come to the front door to be let in.
She wore a collar and tags and was separated from the other dogs when we were not around. She also never really wrestled with the others, or acted wild in the house.

We found her when she was about a year old, and she ended up always wanting to wander, even when she was 17! As she got older and no longer played with the others at all, she always wore a collar and tag.

I at least hope you microchip them. The horror stories with collars are actually very rare. The thing your not listening to is sometimes even the best trained dogs can have a moment they don't listen, it does happen. I am a member of MANY fb groups for missing dogs in my area and there are so many daily that are found without collars and end up never finding their owner and either get lucky and get kept by someone or they get taken to the over crowded shelter. If they are extremely lucky they find there owners but that's normally only if the owners are looking hard. Life happens and I would much rather have the collar on even though my dogs are rarely ever left alone and never in the fenced in backyard unattended. The puppies comes off when he goes in his crate at night. Mine wrestle all the time and never have we had a collar issues. I remember hearing about a tornado going through a town during the day when every one was at work and they had a big problem with dogs getting out of the damaged houses and running around with no Id. There are many things you can not control like if someone where to break in and leave the door open so your dog wondered out.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Cody is well trained to sit, stay, wait when front door is opened, and I have a gated porch. He at all times has his collar with tags on. You just never know what can happen. When I had a pack of 3, they wrestled all the time, I never had a dog get snagged on anthers collar, that is NOT to say it CANNOT happen. Speaking only for MY SELF, Cody always wears his collar with tags even tho he is micro chipped. I can't swear NOTHING will ever happen that he would NEVER get loose, so the collar stays on 24/7 365 and I have peace of mind.

We do keep Mia's tags on her harness and she is Never outside without her harness on - not even to the car and back. She is always on a leash. I know that she could easily get distracted and run but even worse for us because of past experiences, is we don't trust other dogs running up to her.
We don't have a fenced yard, but if we did, I'd never even leave her out there unattended, she's prime for nabbing cause she's so darn cute.

Problem solved. Just get a Buddy Belt harness from Kristen, YT member.
No choke, easy to put on, last forever, very pretty, very safe. Please don't let your baby out without a leash. I assure you, you will NOT catch her.