Just been told off by a stranger!

[fankino04]

Walking a clients dog this evening and some woman shouted at me from across the road to tell me that I would injure his neck walking him in a collar and should use a harness. The dog was walking on the end of his lead and sniffing stuff but not straining in any way and certainly not choking or pulling. He is just learning some lead manners so sometimes when he picks up a scent he does get excited and pull a bit but he stops when you stop and comes back to your side when called so he's getting there bless him (he's s podenco from a Spanish rescue so don't think he had much training previously).

 

[Keith_Beef]

Suggest that next time, you could advise her that shouting across the street could injure her vocal chords, and so she should just wind her neck in...

 

[AmyMay]

Suggest that next time, you could advise her that shouting across the street could injure her vocal chords, and so she should just wind her neck in...

??????

 

[honetpot]

I got told off in my own field, while checking the fence. Someone shouted from a passing car, put that dog on a lead. People sometimes just do not engage the brain before opening their mouth.

 

[Nudibranch]

I was walking my dog off lead yesterday on a dog friendly beach. Nobody about. A woman across the other side of the road was walking a dog on a lead and starts bellowing at me, "Call your dog, my dog doesn't like other dogs!". So of course my dog, who had been cheerfully sniffing seaweed down by the shore in the opposite direction and minding her own business then starts trotting over to the crazy shouty woman to see what all the fuss is about.
10 minutes later I came across the same woman on a path talking to a friend with another dog. Both dogs on extending leads, blocking the entire path. I stopped and waited, and waited...eventually she realised and shortened the extending lead about 6 inches. We passed wide, having to go into long wet grass, and the dog who "didn't like other dogs" didn't even look twice.
I had to really bite my tongue.

 

[Hackback]

Oh my goodness, how on earth have all the dogs who have been walked in collars for all these years survived without injury? It's incomprehensible

 

[buddylove]

I would only ever use a harness on teeny tiny breeds that may sometimes need physically hauling out of harms way.
I had to have a little chuckle at my sister, who hasn't had a dog since we all lived at home together some 25 years ago. Has given into family pressure and bought a pup, she's a very cute Husky pup, and is going to walk over them, on a harness!!! Sadly she lives on the other side of the world so I can only mock via FaceTime ?

 

[Cloball]

Isn't there evidence that harness restrict shoulder movement and damages the joint? Westie dog point-blank refuses to walk in one these days he has tried to eat several in protest to wearing it in the car

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would only ever use a harness on teeny tiny breeds that may sometimes need physically hauling out of harms way.
I had to have a little chuckle at my sister, who hasn't had a dog since we all lived at home together some 25 years ago. Has given into family pressure and bought a pup, she's a very cute Husky pup, and is going to walk over them, on a harness!!! Sadly she lives on the other side of the world so I can only mock via FaceTime ?

There are some giant breeds that need to wear a harness - including my Rottweiler, she can walk straight out of a collar, because of the shape of her neck. the answer to the problem that I assume you perceive is training.


ETA @ Cloball, there are several different styles of harness.

 

[windand rain]

The dogs behaving badly guy is a bit scathing about harnesses He said they encourage pulling which has also always ben my experience but things move on and as I only ever used them on cavaliers and I havent owned a cavalier since 2007 I am sure they have developed beyond that.

 

[MurphysMinder]

I really don't understand this modern craze for harnesses. We use one for the little dog as he has a very sensitive trachea but the GSDs are, shock horror, walked on large link check chains. I have never had a dog with a damaged neck from using them, and they can't slip out of them as they maybe could with a flat collar. As Cloball says, some of the harnesses that go across the chest can restrict movement, I also don't like the ones that have a huge back piece like a saddle, if people must use one a y shaped front is best.

 

[fankino04]

Isn't there evidence that harness restrict shoulder movement and damages the joint? Westie dog point-blank refuses to walk in one these days he has tried to eat several in protest to wearing it in the car

I was tempted to tell her I could point her in the direction of many articles about the harm caused by harnesses restricting movement, or the damage she was doing to her massively obese labradors heart and joints by not addressing his very clear weight issue but opted for a cheery "ok" and kept walking.

 

[fankino04]

I would only ever use a harness on teeny tiny breeds that may sometimes need physically hauling out of harms way.
I had to have a little chuckle at my sister, who hasn't had a dog since we all lived at home together some 25 years ago. Has given into family pressure and bought a pup, she's a very cute Husky pup, and is going to walk over them, on a harness!!! Sadly she lives on the other side of the world so I can only mock via FaceTime ?

I'm not sure what the obsession is with some snow dog owners and harnesses, there's always posts on breed groups on Facebook asking for help with pulling and 90% of the people replying say "get a Julius K9, they are amazing"

 

[buddylove]

I'm not sure what the obsession is with some snow dog owners and harnesses, there's always posts on breed groups on Facebook asking for help with pulling and 90% of the people replying say "get a Julius K9, they are amazing"

I did say to my sister, err, you do realise she is a sled dog don't you, she is going to get in that harness when she's bigger and delight in dragging you around the neighbourhood!!! Hopefully she will get her on a proper lead and teach her to walk nicely before she gets too big!

 

[buddylove]

I really don't understand this modern craze for harnesses. We use one for the little dog as he has a very sensitive trachea but the GSDs are, shock horror, walked on large link check chains. I have never had a dog with a damaged neck from using them, and they can't slip out of them as they maybe could with a flat collar. As Cloball says, some of the harnesses that go across the chest can restrict movement, I also don't like the ones that have a huge back piece like a saddle, if people must use one a y shaped front is best.

My dogs are rarely on leads, and don't have collars on. I have an assortment of rope leads that I can chuck on them if I need to, and they work fine for a JRT and the lab.
I am thinking of getting a mini long haired dax though in the future. I think she will be too dainty for the rope lead!!!

 

[angrybird1]

My dogs are rarely on leads, and don't have collars on. I have an assortment of rope leads that I can chuck on them if I need to, and they work fine for a JRT and the lab.
I am thinking of getting a mini long haired dax though in the future. I think she will be too dainty for the rope lead!!!

It's illegal not to have a collar with a Id disc on.

 

[buddylove]

It's illegal not to have a collar with a Id disc on.

They are working dogs, microchipped, I would rather them have no collar, than get caught up and injured in the field. They are not pootle down the street type of dogs and are not in "public" spaces they stay on private land, thus I think you will find, within the law.

 

[deb_l222]

Blimey, it's a good thing she doesn't see Willow and myself having a walk - she would have a field day!!

One collar, one headcollar, sometimes two leads but not always. Dog walks sideways, straining into the headcollar for all her worth. Then in the next breath, she's trotting at the side for a couple of strides, then 'boing' it all starts again. God help us if we see another dog

I get a bad neck, shoulders, back, arm, anything else going but she doesn't appear to feel a thing

 

[angrybird1]

They are working dogs, microchipped, I would rather them have no collar, than get caught up and injured in the field. They are not pootle down the street type of dogs and are not in "public" spaces they stay on private land, thus I think you will find, within the law.

yes you are right on private land you don't need a disc, but in every public place you are required to have a collar and disc. Much easier for someone who finds a stray to look at a disc instead of having to take to a vets to scan microchip.
Mine don't pootle down the road either but have long countryside walks but they always wear a disc.

 

[fankino04]

Blimey, it's a good thing she doesn't see Willow and myself having a walk - she would have a field day!!

One collar, one headcollar, sometimes two leads but not always. Dog walks sideways, straining into the headcollar for all her worth. Then in the next breath, she's trotting at the side for a couple of strides, then 'boing' it all starts again. God help us if we see another dog

I get a bad neck, shoulders, back, arm, anything else going but she doesn't appear to feel a thing

I walk a lab x pointer like that, he's on a head collar because he would literally choke himself to death, have got him walking to heal nicely now if I keep him right beside me but as soon as he gets some freedom to sniff he's off lol

 

[Odyssey]

yes you are right on private land you don't need a disc, but in every public place you are required to have a collar and disc. Much easier for someone who finds a stray to look at a disc instead of having to take to a vets to scan microchip.
Mine don't pootle down the road either but have long countryside walks but they always wear a disc.

Also a microchip isn't much help in the evenings and most of the weekend when vets are closed. What on earth do you do if you find a dog out of hours, and can't get a dog warden to come out either? ?

 

[Cinnamontoast]

If I need to walk mine on leads for any length of time (only ever between car and park, normally) they can have the sliplead turned into a figure of eight, but they are much improved with age and rarely do the steam train thing anymore, thank god.

 

[SOS]

Harnesses are a bugbear of mine. Normally accompanied by a leaping dog and owner with straight arm being towed along by a dog on its back legs. If you have a strong dog a Halti is often a good alternative.

A slip lead, on a dog trained to it, is my preferred choice. It takes a very short amount of time to train them to it. So called ‘choke chains’ I am torn on as more abrasive but the noise of the chain is an audible warning the lead is tightening for the dog. Note I do not encourage the use of slip leads by people who refuse to train their dog to it, that’s cruel IMO.

 

[suebou]

The lame greyhound at vets last week was miraculously cured by taking off a stupid harness and putting a collar and lead on. Absolutely true! Why don’t owners just teach dogs to walk on a lead? Why would you use something that replicates what you put a dog in to pull something like a sled? Had dogs for 60+ years and have NEVER seen a neck injury caused by a collar or had a dog that couldn’t be taught to walk on a loose lead! Rant over!(still do not understand harnesses!)

 

[CorvusCorax]

By and large, people use harnesses because they don't want to hurt their dogs/think they are being kind.

 

[GSD Woman]

My very favorite combo is the flexi-lead on a head halter followed by a flexi on a harness. (Sarcasm) I use harnesses for tracking. If I need to walk multiple dogs on lead I use slip leads or else prong collars. I'm not getting into a pulling match with my dogs and they seem to know that it is easier to act up when I'm walking both on lead.

 

[Unicorn]

By and large, people use harnesses because they don't want to hurt their dogs/think they are being kind.

This. As a first time dog owner, the majority of advice I was given (including by the rescue and by the trainers I worked with) was that I should use a harness as walking her on a collar was guaranteed to do irreparable damage to her neck. So, understandably, I used a harness. Always a y-shaped one as the shape of things like the julius k-9 looked like they'd block free movement of the shoulder.

I don't have the benefit of many years experience and training ability, I didn't trust myself to read the dog well enough to be sure I wasn't causing problems or to be able to teach walking on a loose lead, I wanted to do the best I could for my dog.

 

[angrybird1]

I'm not a huge fan of harnesses but the T touch harness is pretty good.

 

[MurphysMinder]

My very favorite combo is the flexi-lead on a head halter followed by a flexi on a harness. (Sarcasm) I use harnesses for tracking. If I need to walk multiple dogs on lead I use slip leads or else prong collars. I'm not getting into a pulling match with my dogs and they seem to know that it is easier to act up when I'm walking both on lead.

I think it is better to use a harness with a flexi rather than a collar, kinder if the dog hits the brake point at speed. Flexi with a halti type headcollar is just horrible.

 

[{97702}]

The lame greyhound at vets last week was miraculously cured by taking off a stupid harness and putting a collar and lead on. Absolutely true! Why don’t owners just teach dogs to walk on a lead? Why would you use something that replicates what you put a dog in to pull something like a sled? Had dogs for 60+ years and have NEVER seen a neck injury caused by a collar or had a dog that couldn’t be taught to walk on a loose lead! Rant over!(still do not understand harnesses!)

Every greyhound rescue charity I’ve known will use a harness for their dogs, because they are way more secure for pointy nosed dogs with very slender heads and necks, who will back out of a collar and be off before you can blink.

in addition, 6 stone of greyhound taking off after a cat/fluffy thing at flat out pace and then getting stopped by a collar on such a slender neck is really, really not a good idea.

People who are inexperienced get greyhounds from rescue charities and carry on using harnesses for both those reasons - they do have their place when used correctly, the same as most pieces of dog kit