Whether you’re a new doggy parent, trying to choose the best tools to use with your pooch, or you’re a longtime owner considering a change- let’s discuss the benefits of switching to a harness when walking your pet! There’s nothing wrong with doing things “the old-fashioned way”, using their collar to leash up before hitting the trails, however you may find that by switching to a harness, both you and your pup will enjoy the benefits of using one.

Is your dog a puller? If a dog pulls forward with a harness, the action will pull his feet off the ground – so it’s not productive. Pulling with a collar, on the other hand, does move the dog forward so it feels effective and will continue to strain themselves in sensitive areas around their necks while they think they’re making progress (when all they’re really doing is choking themselves out!)

A harness may aid in stopping  your dog from jumping up. Sure, we’re dog lovers and most of the time we don’t mind a dog jumping up on us at all, but not everyone feels the same. While you’re out walking and your pup is making her social butterfly rounds, you can use a harness to stop her from jumping on others without worrying about choking her.

Additionally, if your dog is in his twilight years and needs a little assistance getting up or during walks, a harness is useful in aiding him without putting extra strain elsewhere.

Certain small dog breeds should be walked with harnesses instead of collars. Pugs, for example, need harnesses as their eyeballs can protrude from their sockets if they are walked with collars. Not fun at all for the poor little guys! Breeds such as bulldogs, and other “no neck” pups should be walked with a harness to decrease the chance of them slipping out of their gear mid-stroll – collars easily slip off these breeds and a harness is very unlikely to come off .

While a harness is a wonderful option for walking, it is not a replacement for a collar. Some dogs do not like the feel of them, so allow time for the dog to adjust.The main purpose of a collar is identification. Even if your dog is microchipped, you should always have a tag with ID and contact information on it.

Happy exploring – get wagging!