Collar vs. Harness

[Laura]

We use a collar on Molly, but I'm interested to see what everyone else uses and if there's a benefit either way..?

[Briggs]

does she pull? how old is she? we use the Easy Walk Harness because Briggs gets super excited sometimes and will pull and have found that it stops him. we need to do some more training with him, but for now, it works. 

[Laura]

She's 4 and a half months old and 30 lbs. She only pulls when she's after something (something floating by, a bug..), or if she wants to meet a dog/person. If she's walking normally, she's fine. I find the collar works well for easily correcting her, as well. I give her a quick tug to get her attention on me, etc. I do worry about her neck though when she pulls...

[Laura]

I should also add that the bigger she's getting, the harder it is for me to stop her from pulling! So I may look into the Easy Walk.

[launa m]

I switched to the Easy Walk Harness as well. Kooper is 10 months old and was pulling in every direction. Walks were difficult. This harness has made a world of difference, he still pulls a bit but it doesn't choke him and he walks slower. I love it.

[Malenie Piscetelli]

I used both

[David and Franklin]

I have had three golden retrievers. I used chain collars on the first two, the "yank and yell method." Didn't have the fears with the last one so I used clicker training and a gentle leader. He was the best behaved dog of the four I have had!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We use collars.   For Ned, we use a flat collar, for Clancy we use a slip collar (usually a correction one), and for Gordie we use a prong collar. We tried the gentle leader on Gordie and he HATED it and spent all his time trying o paw it off - this went on for years!

[Melissa Bissell]

We use a Sensation harness (recommended by our trainer) along with the collar (also recommended by the trainer.)  You clip the leash to both - it is secure and you don't have to worry about your pooch slipping out of one or the other.  My puppy pulls a lot and this has helped a lot. I didn't realize how much better it was until one day I forgot the harness and just clipped the leash to the collar.  I was so exhausted and sore after we returned home, from all of his pulling, and trying to regain control that I normally had!

[denise rumbaugh]

I use both, if we are on short walks near home I can use a collar.  If we are at the park or around a lot of people or new sights and smells I use the harness.  It keeps him in line much better and he doesn't choke himself out on it.

[Michele Kiss]

We have the Easy Walk harness with the lead. (Fenway has a collar on too, but we don't clip the leash to it.) He was just so small when we got him and seemed so fragile, didn't feel like pulling him by a collar was a good idea. Our trainer said there are increases in dogs with thyroid issues due to that also, so the harness seemed the best option. We found the Easy Walk early on, so I'm not sure if it helps him walk better or not (since it's all we've used...) but it's easy to use and feels much safer than clipping to his collar! 

[Laura]

I went to the pet store today to have a look at them and noticed that there's one that goes around their chest, and one that goes around their muzzle. The lady told me the one around the muzzle would be best for light pullers....I'm not sure about putting something around her mouth, though... I have to go back with Molly to try them on and see.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

The muzzle one is the one my Springer hated.  It helped, but he just never got used to it, but many dogs do just fine with either.