When it comes to puppy training equipment, you will need some training gear. Today, I will be focusing on collars and harnesses. Collars and harnesses are two of the most common forms of training gear used with puppies and are needed for daily life as well as training. Both are important for multiple reasons, and whether your puppy pulls or not, I recommend having both. Collars are required in most places as they usually have your puppy’s important contact information on them (however, it is always a good idea to get your puppy microchipped if it did not come to you already microchipped). Harnesses are also important as they provide alternate contact points than a collar offers, which can help protect vital anatomy like the trachea. So, let’s take a look at these two pieces of gear and how to make sure they fit within the three criteria discussed last week.
Criterion #1: It Needs to Fit Correctly
The general rule for making sure a collar fits is that you need to be able to get two fingers under your puppy’s collar. This amount of space allows for freedom of movement while also keeping it tight enough that it is harder to slip off. However, puppies grow fast, so it is important to check regularly and purchase new collars, and extend collar length regularly until your puppy stops growing. Check the collar fit every couple of weeks, especially in the first year of your puppy’s life.
To ensure harnesses fit, you must first know what kind of harness it is. I prefer the Blue-9 Balance Harness. This harness offers six-point contact, leaving plenty of room for shoulder movement while also limiting collar bone pressure that can damage puppy growth plates. This harness should be snug, but again, you should be able to get two fingers between your puppy and the harness straps. Thankfully, there is a great size chart on the Blue-9 Pet Products website and on Amazon that will help you ensure you get the correct fit. If you go with a different harness, the best way to find a good fit is to find a harness specifically for puppies and then check the size chart. Also, I should point out that harnesses with only one strap across the chest, e.g., an Easy Walk front clip harness, are not a great idea for growing puppies as they can put a lot of pressure on the shoulder growth plates.
Criterion #2: Know How to Use It
This criterion is important with all gear, but especially so with collars and harnesses. These pieces of equipment are not there to be aversive. They are there for safety, health, and communication. This means that you need to know how to use collar cues and harnesses. If you have never heard of collar cues, please contact me here and we can schedule a session. In short, collar cues are ways for you to give your puppy information about where you want it to go without having to pull. Other than this, the collar is used to keep your puppy safe and offers a place for you to attach the leash, which is also there to keep your puppy safe. The best way to ensure you know how to use a collar is to contact a trainer and work with them to make sure your puppy knows what it needs to know.
To use a harness correctly, you need to know mainly two things. One, you must know that a harness is primarily for health protection. It allows you to take any pressure off your puppy’s neck and disperse it to multiple locations on the body. Second, you need to know that harnesses still require training. Unless your puppy is very sensitive to physical pressure, the harness will not stop your puppy from pulling. Your puppy might even pull harder because the harness makes pulling less painful. This pulling is why most harnesses offer a front clip that makes redirecting your puppy’s momentum easier. To ensure that your puppy doesn’t pull, you need to teach it loose leash walking skills and use the harness to help when your puppy does begin to pull. Rather than relying on the harness to solve the problem, you must train your puppy to walk gently.
Criterion #3: It Needs to Have a Clearly Useful Purpose
It is not usually necessary to have more than one collar or harness, and it is not necessary to have more than one of each on at a time for the purposes of training. In some cases, you can use one collar and one harness simultaneously; however, most harnesses are designed to be used by themselves. I recommend having a collar and a harness that both have your puppy’s contact information on them. Only use a harness if you need one. However, I recommend using them for walks, as they tend to be safer if your puppy gets scared and tries to run off. But if your puppy is good with a collar, you might not need to add a harness into the mix. I do recommend training with other pieces of equipment, such as muzzles, cones, and boots. But most of the time, if you are training effectively, a collar, harness, and leash will do the trick. In addition to this, I always recommend leaving clothing off your puppy unless it is needed. Winter clothes that help protect from low temperatures may be needed. Boots may occasionally be needed as well, but aside from that, the less you put on your puppy, the better it will be able to communicate with you and other dogs. This is because your puppy uses its body language to communicate with other animals and people. And everyone will be able to read it better if it does not have extra unnecessary gear and or clothing on.
When looking for gear for your puppy, keep these three criteria in mind, and feel free to try out a few different kinds of collars and harnesses. You may find that you need different harnesses for different situations. I know a friend who has an adult dog who helps pull her on hiking trips when she is tired. This activity means she needs a handle on the dog’s harness (please remember that you should not take a puppy hiking until it is about a year old, but you can get the gear for it and train on shorter trails). Handles can also be helpful for puppies who camp a lot, as they also provide something to pick the puppy up in the event of an emergency. You may also find that a winter vest designed to fit over a harness is needed in cold climates, and so on. So, if it is needed, feel free to add it. But keep in mind that the more gear and/or decorations cover your puppy, the less it can effectively communicate with those around it. At least ensure that its ears, eyes, tail, and mouth are visible to others (if a muzzle is needed, use a basket muzzle).
What gear do you use with your puppy? Like this post and leave a comment. I would love to hear from you!
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