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What Is A Dog Harness

2010 June 14

Although a dog harness is used in walking your dog, by no means does it replace the leash. As a matter of fact, the harness and leash are used together. The most commonly seen method of walking a dog is by attaching a leash to the dog’s collar. This works just fine, but when you pull on the leash during a walk or training session, it puts a great amount of pressure on your dog’s throat. To better understand this, try to imagine a cord wrapped around your leg and someone trying to drag you around by pulling on it. Doesn’t sound all that pleasant, does it? So imagine how a dog’s neck must feel when being yanked around by a leash. It’s not exactly the most comfortable feeling. This motion is not only uncomfortable, but can also be damaging to the dog’s windpipe.

Wrapped around your dog’s front legs and chest, a harness is much less painful. The harness is fastened between the shoulder blades of your dog and is constructed of either leather or webbing made of nylon. When the leash is attached not to the collar but to the dog harness iself, any pull will be felt throughout your pet’s body, not just concentrated in the neck area.

When you are training your dog in desirable behavior, it has been recommended by experts and trainers to make use of the harness.

A dog harness offers a way to train your dog in a much more humane manner that is harmless to your pet. Even though it is far more gentle, you can still maintain control by tugging on the harness, saving the strain on the neck. By taking control of his center of gravity, you will yield a far more effective response. The feeling of a leash pulling at the neck tends to make most dogs resist and stand their ground. This leads to a stubborn stance and a reluctance to follow. By controlling a larger portion of his body, he has little choice but to move in the direction of your choice. This isn’t to say that it will erase any urges to be stubborn, because it can still happen. However, if he so chooses to go into the stubborn mode you will have an easier time persuading him without it becoming a battle.

The question remains whether you should still leave his collar on. And the answer is yes. Remember that your dog’s ID tag is suspended from his collar. In case of emergencies these tags, which also should have owner information on them, are crucial. So the solution is to leave the collar on and simply attach the leash to the harness.

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