# Collar types



## Willowgirl (Jan 28, 2020)

I feel like whenever I see a photo on Instagram of a beautiful poodle they are wearing an easy walk type harness collar thing.(I think that’s what they’re called) 
Do they make walking easier or is it to protect the coat?
My 5 month puppy Willow does great with a regular collar around our quiet neighborhood free of distractions. She does try to pull me down on occasion if she sees a bird or dog before me. But this happening less and less often. I still feel like when I do have to pull her it may hurt her neck and I hate that. So we just sit and wait and try to relax a while. Haha


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

It's possible to damage the trachea with a collar and not even realize until it's too late.

Harnesses can encourage dogs to really _lean in_ and pull, so we use a front-clip harness which helps to redirect their forward motion.


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## Willowgirl (Jan 28, 2020)

I’ve tried a few different front clip harnesses but it’s hard to find any that fit her. The thing I’m referring to looks like a collar that goes around the chest.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Here's Peggy in her Easy Walk harness:



















Our trainer felt it hung down too far in the front and got us a Freedom Harness to replace it. Both have multiple adjustable straps so fit's not an issue.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

(If you buy from Chewy, their customer support is excellent. They'll help with fit and would probably send you a replacement if you had any issues. Just remember that harnesses shouldn't be worn indoors or unsupervised.)


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Misha is too excitable for a regular collar and will sometimes make himself cough if he is too enthused about... a leaf, or a cat, or a duck etc. Vet checked him for trachea and said that didn't seem to be a problem though. We use a Y front harness because I feel it is less restrictive on his shoulders. He does pull some still but is not very bad. It does take extra effort to teach leash walking though. If I was using a regular collar I would use his martingale collar. They are safer because they apply even pressure around the neck rather than right at the trachea. For a spoo you are probably fine. They are not as delicate.


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## Starvt (Nov 5, 2019)

Sitting and waiting until she relaxes is perfect! That way she doesn't 'practice' pulling on the leash. The more you prevent it from happening, the less she will use it as a go-to response.
Honestly any kind of attachment can cause injury if a dog is not trained well. I have seen/heard of dogs with neck injuries from head halters, trachea from flat collars, shoulder/spine from harnesses. Plus dogs that slipped out of harnesses and got injured being loose. I can't think of any large breed dogs with trachea damage though. Like Raindrops said, spoos aren't as delicate that way as some of the littles. And I'm a big fan of martingales too! They also have the added benefit of being much less likely to slip out of.


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## Charlie's Person (Dec 9, 2018)

Willowgirl said:


> I feel like whenever I see a photo on Instagram of a beautiful poodle they are wearing an easy walk type harness collar thing.(I think that’s what they’re called)
> Do they make walking easier or is it to protect the coat?
> My 5 month puppy Willow does great with a regular collar around our quiet neighborhood free of distractions. She does try to pull me down on occasion if she sees a bird or dog before me. But this happening less and less often. I still feel like when I do have to pull her it may hurt her neck and I hate that. So we just sit and wait and try to relax a while. Haha
> View attachment 464835
> View attachment 464835


What a lovely dog! We use a Ruff Wear harness with Charlie, our 80+ pound Spoo when hiking in the mountains. He has been trained to steady me on downwards steep, slippery terrain and help me up tough inclines. When walking in town, he wears a Gentle Leader headcollar and stays at heel with a loose lead - unless we encounter one of his special dog friends when he does pull. Still working on that. I have a bad shoulder and cannot risk it being wrenched by an excited dog as powerful as Charlie, so the headcollar is excellent. 

Sent from my STV100-3 using Tapatalk


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## rkj__ (Dec 24, 2017)

We really like the front clip harnesses for our dogs. It definitely makes walks and adventures easier. 












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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

The Easy Walk never really fit either Pogo or Snarky properly once they got their full adult size. The part around the ribcage was too short and the part across the chest was too long. The harness clearly wasn't designed for dogs with narrow deep chests. Even though the fit was wrong i still got a lot of use out of the ones I bought.

The three in one style by Petsafe has more adjustments and fits better, but I have a hard time remembering which clip buckles to what when I have them all undone. I just avoid unbuckling the neck straps


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## Willowgirl (Jan 28, 2020)

We tried the easy walk today at pet smart and it was too big or too small. I think I will order the one Peggy suggested. Thank you all for your help!


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

We still use the pinch collar, no pulling or correcting oneself needed. I started g going back to the flat collar but he will occasionally pull on that, when he sees something he wold like to go too and that collar chokes him. I do have a freedom no pull harness that we bought for our boxer when he was young. It will probably fit Renn but our boxer somehow pulled out of it so I am leary. I also have a size medium kurgo (never used) and fits no one. I will put that on the seller forum.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

The Freedom Harness has two rings, which you can use simultaneously: One on the back and one at the front. The one on the back tightens the straps when pulled, applying pressure behind the legs, while the front is stationary and just helps guide them back towards you if they pull.

To use them together you'd need their special leash, or a coupler. We don't bother.

I did once try attaching two leashes (one to each ring), and I was impressed by how much gentle control I had over Peggy's forward movement. But I found it far too cumbersome for everyday walks.

If you do get this harness, make sure it's the one with the velvet strap for behind the legs. I think it would chafe otherwise. And, as with all harnesses (but especially important because of the cinching action on this one), never let Willow wear it unsupervised.

Can't wait to see pics of her in her new gear!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

P.S. The straps really did require a lot of adjustment to get the fit perfect. And for a while there we were loosening one or two every few days because she was growing so fast! That's no longer the case, though I expect she'll fill out a bit more as she matures.


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## townferret (Nov 11, 2019)

I do have a front ring harness that doubles as a vehicle harness, (Mighty Paw Vehicle Harness) I have walked her with it, but it does not give me the control I need. 
I use Lowe's as a training ground and this harness has a handle on the back and I found I was trying to get her to wait in line by holding the handle as she wanted to say hi to everybody coming in and out! 







So after a total fail with one nose harness, chewy suggested the Kurgo Snout About head halter, it isn't very attractive and you have to keep the nose shaved or it pushes the hair up into their eyes, and you have to make sure you adjust it so they can open their mouth wide and pant or drink but there is no more pulling, in fact the leash is always slack, she's always right beside me in Lowes, sitting in line, walking next to me on busy streets, even around birds. There is a learning curve but thankfully it was short.


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

I use a Sporn Harness for Sisko. The night I got it he couldn't pull with it on at all, but now he can tug (probably needs refitting) but it gives me a lot more control over him than any other harness I've had so far, but I might look into some more for him. 

P.S the extra attachment came off while Sisko and I were playing outside.


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## jillyrubyjane (May 18, 2020)

to take the dog for a walk I think you should use Martingale collar, they're safer cause they apply even pressure around the neck rather than right at the trachea. Example Blueberry pet classic solid color collection, this product comes with 14 different sizes and not less than 31 different colors to choose from so you can use this collar for your pup


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## Willowgirl (Jan 28, 2020)

I finally got the easy walk for Willow a couple days ago. She is doing well with it so far. It’s kind of a weird fit. I’m not sure how comfortable it is for her. When she’s super excited it doesn’t matter what she has on. She nearly took my arm off for a flock of quails(They all escaped safely!) We just are trying to work on being calm and if not calm a little obidient. Haha 
I can’t wait to get her into a proper training class. The stay home orders kicked in right when she finished up her puppy classes.
Thanks again for the suggestions.


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