Can a dog wear a collar and a harness? Collars and harnesses are designed specially to ensure you are able to control your dog better.
Whether your pooch stays calm while on walks or tries to free itself and run away, having a collar and a harness are definitely going to be extremely beneficial.
When out walking with your dog you want to ensure that they are safe and are protected from any potential mishaps or dangers and in doing so both collars and harnesses can help you a great deal.
Many pet owners wonder what is best for their pets and whether they should be using a collar and a harness at the same time?
While collars are excellent in ensuring your dogs are leased well, harnesses can also help you keep your pet warm, comfortable, and safe.
“But” can a dog wear a collar and a harness at the same time?
Yes, a dog can wear a collar and a harness at the same time for extra security and control when out walking your dog. You can either make your dog wear just the collar or the harness, however, using both restraints on your dog will give you better control.
While the collar is a good option for your puppies, if you have a large dog, the harness does the job perfectly.
Collars may lead to injuries for small dogs at times, and as such if you use both for your dogs that is the best option most often than not.
can a dog wear a collar and a harness At The Same Time?
Collars and harnesses come in various styles and in various sizes. Based on the breed, type, and size of your dog, you will need to choose the right collar and harness for your dog.
Now, not every dog likes wearing a collar and harness so some basic training will be required for those dogs that are slightly difficult. It should be fairly straight forward, however here are some tips to help you with this.
The first thing that you will need to make sure is that your dog is comfortable wearing a harness, and every time you complete a step make sure you reward your dog with a treat.
Once your dog is happy with the harness you can then attach the collar and see how your dog responds again giving them, a treat for good behavior.
You can also try this vice versa with the collar first then the harness whichever works best with your dog. The important thing is your dog is happy wearing both the collar and harness.
You should also ensure that the collar and the harness you are making them wear, are of superior quality. Using low-quality collars and harnesses can actually be quite uncomfortable for some dogs.
Is It Safe For A Dog to Wear a Collar and Harness?
One other question that every pet owner has in his mind is whether collars and harnesses are safe for your pet?
The answer to that question may vary based on the collar and the harness you are planning to get for your dog plus the breed and size of your dog.
It is safe for a dog to wear a collar and harness, however, it really depends on the type of collars and harnesses you use to give you an idea of what we mean, here is a list of certain collar types with a short description of each one of them.
Collar Types That Work Best With A Harness
- Martingale Collars
- Pinch Collars or Prong Collars
- Flat or Rolled Collars
- Smart Collars
- Head Collars
Martingale Collars: These are flat collars that tighten once the dog tries to pull away, thereby containing the dog and is safe to an extent.
Pinch Collars or Prong Collars: These are chain collars that are used for training the dogs. Can be used to control a dog with minimum effort.
Flat or Rolled Collars: These collars are flat collars with an ID tag or contact information on them. Safe but may be a cause of potential hazard.
Smart Collars: These are the high tech collars with GPS for location tracking and body sensors to measure the vitals of your dog. Most Safe amongst all.
Head Collars: These collars have a leash above the mouth, thereby keeping the pressure off the neck. However, it may not be safe for super excited dogs.
So, if you observe, not all collars are safe for your pets. Avoid using choke chains, and other training collars, if they are already trained dogs. Use flat collars or smart collars for better safety and usability.
Even using head collars is a safe option as they let the pressure off the neck.
Now that you have seen the collars, let us also see the various verities of harnesses that you can get for your pets. Usually from a safety perspective, harnesses are better than collars.
Harness Types That Work Best With A Collar.
- Back Clip Harness
- Front Clip Harness
- Dual Clip Harness
- Back Clip Harness
- Step-in Harness
- Safety Harness
- Day Pack Harness
Back Clip Harness: In this type of harness there is a metal D loop towards the back of harness where the dog’s leash can be attached. It is one of the safest.
Front Clip Harness: These have the metal D Loop in the front below the dog’s mouth to which the leash is attached. Is an anti-pull harness and may not be safe for the dog.
Dual Clip Harness: These are harnesses that come with both the options to clip the leash either in front or the back depending on your dog’s behavior. Safe for the dog if attached at the back.
Step-in Harness: This type of harnesses as the name suggests can simply be steeped in by your dogs. They are safe as most of them are back clip harnesses.
Safety Harness: If you are on the roads too often with your dog, these harnesses come in handy, You can attach these to the seat belt thereby keeping your dog secure and comfortable.
Day Pack Harness: If you love to take your dogs on long hikes and camping trips, these harnesses come in handy. These can keep them restrained and they can carry some useful gear at the same time.
If you look at the above, harnesses are safer than collars. However, they may not be the best in restraining your dogs in case they get over-excited. Also, harnesses lack what the dog collars have.
Most collars have a visible tag that displays the ID and Contact Information which is not available in most harnesses.
Hence, having your dog wear both a harness and a collar is a good idea and safe.
As you must have seen, not all collars are really safe, look for a version that looks to be the safest along with a harness that can solve the purpose or is functional enough to handle or restrain your dog when needed.
Functions When Using A Dog Collar and Harness
Now that we have seen the safety perspective of using a dog collar and a harness, let us find out more about a little more about the functions of dog collars and harnesses in a little detail.
Essentially, both a dog collar and a harness are equipment that helps you in attaching a leash to your dog during walks, or outings. A collar is good for dogs that don’t pull away during walks.
It is ideal for small dogs and puppies that offer minimum resistance.
Collars apart from offering a place for a leash, are also used to tag some important information about the pet such as the pet’s owner contact information, its name, licenses and identification, vaccination certs and proofs, etc.
This helps the owners to locate the dogs in case they wander off.
Harnesses, on the other hand, are comparatively a milder option to contain and restrict the dogs. As they are not worn around the neck, some dogs who pull away can get difficult to contain.
Having said that, since they are tied around the dog’s body, its movement gets completely restrained thereby offering better control.
Conclusion
So yes a dog wear a collar and a harness at the same time, and is perfectly safe, however, as mentioned in this article it really depends on the dog and the type of harness and collar you are using.
When your dog is wearing both a collar and harness this will make it alot easier to secure your dog when transporting them by car, rv or other means.
“But again” not all dogs will be happy wearing them so make sure you follow the steps mentioned above so your dog will feel comfortable wearing them, so additional training may be required.
You may also find that if you have a good quality dog harness with all the ring attachments there’s no need for the use of a collar.
