It’s always been interesting to me to see how some dogs seemingly take to training effortlessly – and others yet require significantly more time and patience. But even tenured and incredibly experienced dog trainers routinely run into situations for which they don’t have any kind of one-size-fits-all solution.
With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at the dog training collar vs. dog training harness. First, we’ll go over some of the pros and cons for both accessories to hopefully help you make a more informed decision about which product is the ideal choice for your own dog.
Dog Training Collar: Pros and Cons
Collars are great for leash training, but harnesses are the preferred choice of many dog trainers. We’ll start out by looking at the pros and cons of dog training collars
Pros
- There are various options and types to choose from – flat collars, prong collars, head collars, e-collars, etc.
- Easily adjustable sizes to accommodate growth, whether it’s a small breed or large.
- Provides you with a solid amount of direct control over your dog during your training sessions.
Cons
- Dog training collars (especially prong collars) must be properly fitted; otherwise, they will do more harm than good.
- Dogs prone to pulling and tugging on their leash are at an increased risk of neck injuries from wearing a collar instead of a harness.
- Some dogs are prone to getting tangled up in their leash while walking, especially if they haven’t been trained to ‘heel’ yet.
Dog Training Harness: Pros and Cons
Harnesses offer more control than a collar when teaching more advanced commands like ”come” and ”stop”. A harness spreads out the force, which prevents choking your dog if he tries to pull against the leash. With that out of the way, let’s turn our attention to the pros and cons of the dog training harness.
Pros
- Similar to collars, there are a wide variety of different types of dog harnesses available to trainers.
- Ideal training tool for puppies and dogs that have yet to learn how to walk on a lead.
- Works exceptionally well for smaller breeds of dogs as they can be easily injured by a collar if you accidentally pull too hard on a leash.
- A harness reduces strain on the neck and back by dispersing the pressure over a larger area.
- Makes it harder for your dog to pull away from you during training.
- Provides more control over your dog during training sessions than dog collars; this is especially noticeable with larger breeds of dogs.
- Your dog is less likely to get tangled up in the leash when walking with a harness.
Cons
- Offers less control when it comes to training dogs with behavioral issues such as jumping or displaying aggression.
- Some dogs can find wearing a harness to be uncomfortable.
Conclusion
As mentioned before, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to whether or not you should go with a dog training collar vs. a harness. As you can see from the examples listed above, both options have their own pros and cons.
In all honesty, choosing the right option will most likely come down to a mixture of owner preferences along with your dog’s personality type.
For example, suppose you have recently adopted a larger dog who was never trained to properly heel and is constantly ending up tangled up in the leash while you’re out walking. In that case, you’re probably better off going with a training harness over a collar.
Likewise, if you have a smaller toy breed of dog (a Yorkshire terrier, for example), then a dog harness might be more in your interest for the sake of safety.
On the other hand, if you’re facing issues with corrective behavior and you just can’t seem to get through, then going with a training collar may be the better option.
As controversial as prong collars are, they are indeed quite effective in helping to correct serious behavioral issues. But, as always, it’s essential to make sure that it’s properly fitted; otherwise, you risk seriously injuring your dog.
However, these days, many e-collars are incredibly safe and effective. In our opinion, they are a much better option for reinforcing positive behavior and correcting negative behavior.
As long as you make sure that your collar or harness comfortably fits your dog and you’re accomplishing all your training goals, you really can’t go wrong with either option.