With all the various types of dog collars, leashes, and harnesses, it can seem daunting when choosing one for your pet. The Meowing Vet provides a description of the most common products so you can be sure to choose the right one for your dog.
Learn more below…
Dog Collars
Regular neck collars
These bog-standard flat or rolled collars are easy to put on and remove from your dog, and they can easily display ID tags. However, when attached to a leash, they can tighten on your dog’s neck if he or she pulls, causing choking and coughing. Therefore, they should be avoided in dogs with neck injury (such as intervertebral disc disease, or IVDD) or those with collapsing trachea or laryngeal paralysis. They should also be avoided in brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs with significant breathing difficulty. As with any collar, they should be sized accurately; you should be able to pass two fingers easily under your dog’s collar. Remember to readjust collar size as your puppy ages or if your adult dog changes in weight, or else the collar can painfully embed in the dog’s skin.
Break-away collars
These collars resemble regular neck collars, but they can “break” open in the chance that something traps your dog by snagging around his or her collar. Though these collars can offer safety in case your dog becomes trapped, the break-away feature can also increase the odds that your dog may break out of his or her collar if pulling too much while attached to a leash. (Break-away collars are especially important for the safety of cats.)
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Martingale collars
These double-loop collars offer extra security by steadily tightening to prevent your dog from slipping out of a collar should he or she pull while on a leash. They also so not have a plastic or metal clasp that could accidentally become undone, allowing a dog to escape from the collar. Like regular neck collars, Martingale collars should be avoided by dogs with neck or tracheal issues.
Choke or pinch/prong collars
Once used to correct unwanted leash behavior, these collars have fallen out of favor. In specific circumstances, they have their use, but overall, the cons outweigh any pros. Firstly, as a means of leash-training, positive rewards are typically more beneficial than negative correction, such as these collars cause. Secondly, they can cause injury to dogs and can also cause strangulation if they tighten too much (for instance, if the collar becomes caught by something).
Head halters/head collars/haltis
These products (such as the Gentle Leader®) offer better control of your dog when leash-walking and are great leash-training tools. They fit around your dog’s muzzle and back of the head rather than the neck to better control the head, and they prevent your dog from choking and coughing due to pulling behavior. They are safer for dogs with tracheal disorders, but they should still be avoided with dogs with neck problems. They may be uncomfortable for dogs with nasal or dental disease. Some models may be difficult to fit appropriately on the shortened snouts of brachycephalic dogs (the Snoot Loop® tends to work better for these breeds).
Harnesses
Harnesses are a great alternative to neck collars. However, harnesses that hook to a leash on the back can enable dogs to pull when attached to a leash. Harnesses that hook in front offer better control. Some harnesses can attach a leash to the front and back for even better leash support. Harnesses are recommended for brachycephalic dogs as well as dogs with trachea or neck issues.
Leashes
Regular leashes
Standard 4ft or 6ft solid cloth or leather leashes attach to any of the above collars/harnesses and are ideal for walking your pet. Stick with these for everyday use.
Retractable leashes
I, like a loooooot of veterinary professionals, loathe retractable leashes! They were originally intended to be used only for recall training exercises but have become erroneously overused as everyday leashes by many dog owners. The many potential dangers of retractable leashes paired with very few (if any) benefits cause me to dissuade pet owners from using them. The retraction feature can malfunction with time, the thin leash material can break off and allow your dog to escape, and the leashes offer very little control when walking your dog (especially a larger breed). Giving your dog too much line can make it near impossible to pull him or her back in case of an approaching car or aggressive dog, can allow your dog to become tangled and possibly harmed in the leash line, and can teach your dog poor leash manners. Furthermore, these leashes can cause injury to both dogs and their owners, causing cuts and even finger amputations from misuse. Avoid these!
Long-line leashes
These leashes, which can range from 15-100+ feet long, are used for recall training exercises.
Slip leash
These leashes, which you may see your veterinary staff using in a hospital setting when walking canine patients, are easy-on for quickly snaring a dog for basic transport, but they’re also easy-off and offer little support or control. Don’t rely on these for at-home use.
– Maranda Elswick, DVM
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This article originally appeared as a post on The Meowing Vet’s Instagram profile, @themeowingvet (October 9, 2018).
Resources include the website of the late Dr. Sophia Yin
