Which do you choose?

Do collars put some dogs at risk of trachea injury? Does a harness encourage a dog to pull? Julie Hill discovers there is no simple answer!

“You may have to change your choice over time.”

Tellington TTouch practitioner and dog trainer Alex Wilson, co-founder of East Midlands-based Xtra Dog Training, is clear. “I would never put a dog in anything other than a harness, unless there is a really good medical reason not to,” he said. “I’ve looked into this, and the history of it, and I can see only one reason why we walk dogs in collars, and the simple answer is because we can.”

Alex points out that while we sometimes put safety reins on children, we would never restrain them around their necks. He also considers it a myth that harnesses cause dogs to pull, pointing out that although a sled dog harness encourages and allows a dog to lean forward, other designs don’t.

“I use, and teach my clients to use, a balancing TTouch harness to which a double-ended lead is attached in two places (on the back of the harness and on the front at the chest).