Collar or harness - which is better for a dog

Has a new four-legged family member appeared in the house? In this case, besides joy, there is also concern. After all, the dog requires a certain care and protection. Houses are easier in this respect, but on the street there are difficulties. To walk pleasure and a minimum of anxiety, you need to take care of a special ammunition - a collar with a leash or harness. But which is better to give preference, and what nuances should be considered when choosing?

Types of collars and their purpose

Having come to the pet store, the newly-made owner of the dog can become confused, having discovered a great variety of the most diverse collars. They make products from artificial and natural leather, synthetic materials, fabrics, and metals. In addition, there is a classification of collars, dividing them by scope.

Pleasure

Collars suitable for pet daily walking. Must be made of high quality materials that are durable, but do not cause discomfort in the dog - leather, leatherette, felt, nylon, etc. On sale you can also find collars of composite materials. Pleasure collar implies the following:

• strong connection with the lead (it is better if it is in the form of a solid welded ring);
• the presence of a soft pad on the inner side of the product that comes in contact with the neck of the animal is mandatory.

For service and training

For such purposes, produce ammunition of the highest quality materials. These collars are equipped with a special pen, which allows at any time to hold the animal, in addition, it allows the owner to control the actions of the pet.

Most often on the collars in the upper part there are two half-rings, or loops. For work or training, it is more convenient to attach the leash to the ring closer to the buckle.

To carry the guard

The ammunition intended for the dogs who are on a leash has the feature also. Models have a decent width. Give preference to better products of materials that are durable and wear-resistant, able to withstand all weather conditions and continuous operation.

When in use, the lead is driven through the half ring, then the carabiner clips onto the buckle. This design allows the load received during the tension to be transferred not to the neck of the dog, but to the area of ​​the buckle.

Collar Nose

A rather formidable ammunition designed for no less formidable animals - representatives of large or fighting breeds that have a capricious or even ferocious disposition. Naturally, in this case we are not talking about the aesthetics and beauty of the product.

Strangulation can be made of leather, synthetic fabrics, but most often for their manufacture they use metal in the form of chain links. Such collars are used for walking, dog training and during participation in mass events - competitions, exhibitions.

The impact of a strangulation from the puppy age (when the bitch pulls the kids by the withers, slightly squeezing), is associated in dogs with a ban. Naturally, it is necessary to calculate the force and time of exposure. If you do not have the skill of handling such ammunition, you should consult a dog handler.

Choosing metal products, you should be extremely careful:

• The collar should be made of durable alloy;
• chain links should be well and firmly sealed so as not to scratch the skin of the animal;
• Kurog alloy is considered the most low-allergenic (it has a slightly darker brass color with a reddish tinge);
• For pets with light wool, it is imperative that the collar does not stain the coat.

"Parfors" (in common - "strogach")

Another type of ammunition for dogs with a certain character. Its purpose is to use it in the process of training and training. Differences from other collars - the presence on the inside of the spikes, which bring discomfort to the pet during strong jerks and tension.

Choosing parfors, you need to focus on the length of the pet's hair:

• Dogs with smooth and short hair fit strict collars of wire or plates.
• Long-haired pets, it is preferable to take a metal parfors.

A very important requirement is that the spikes should not injure the skin of the pet and cause severe pain, and act on the skin with a point. Otherwise, the learning process will not give positive results. Parfors should not sit tight on the dog’s neck or be too loose. Strict collar implies the possibility of fitting the product to the size of the pet, only by removing the extra links.

It is possible to use “Strogach” only for its intended purpose - during the period of training and training. It is not suitable for constant wear, for daily walking and playing with other dogs.

Exhibition ammunition

Someone might think that the main thing here is beauty and aesthetics - the more rhinestone and shine, the better. However, this is not quite true. Yes, aesthetics is important, but the accessory should not be flashy, distracting from the merits of the dog. When choosing it is necessary to focus on three properties - practicality, convenience and quality.

Owners of show-class pets should be aware that special collars are necessary for participation in exhibitions - ringovki used to lead the participant on the ring. This design combines two accessories at once - the collar and leash.

There is a special provision of the RKF, which prohibits the use of harness parafors for these purposes, nor do conventional collars and roulettes .

Decorative collars

Such ammunition has more aesthetic value. Decorative collars are suitable for dogs of miniature breeds, less often they are chosen for medium-sized pets. Material, design is different, depends on the designer's imagination.

Recommendations for choosing a collar

Experts recommend choosing equipment for a pet, only having the opportunity to try on. Experienced dog handlers have at their disposal various types of ammunition - for everyday walks, exhibitions, dressing and other events. Same they advise and to other owners of dogs.

Any ammunition requires regular care - washing, cleaning, which will increase its service life and protect the pet from infection. Price is not the most important criterion, as in the pursuit of profit, you can harm a four-legged friend. Also inappropriate pursuit of beauty - rhinestones, rivets and other jewelry can cause discomfort in the animal.

To make it easier to determine the size, you can focus on the standard - between the neck of the animal and the product must be free to pass two fingers. To protect the coat of the animal, it is better to choose the ammunition with safety valves.

The choice of collar is made based on the breed:

• For holders of hard coat it is better to choose collars that have a leather inner surface, circular cross-section and outer seams.
• Large, mobile dogs with a violent temperament better to withdraw on a strict collar.
• For pets with a long, silky hair more suitable collar chain of chromed metal.
• To protect too curious and disobedient pet during the educational process, it is recommended to use a strangle collar.
• Puppies fit light leather or fabric collars, equipped with a valve that protects the skin and hair from contact with metal parts.

Shleyki: features and benefits

Another type of ammunition for dogs, which includes belts and straps. Today is a fairly popular product that has several advantages. And, above all, the harness removes the load from the cervical vertebrae of the animal, distributing it to the brachial and thoracic parts.

At the time of their appearance, they were used as a dog harness. To this day, there is a special type of harnesses, used in the north for sleds, as well as for sports races. The designs of these products have some differences from ordinary shlek, they are made of very strong materials - canvas or nylon fabric.

Also produced special ammunition:

• to move on the trail;
• straps with weights for the correction of the muscular system;
• ammunition for guide dogs;
• medical harness and others.

At the choice of shleyki it is worth being guided by the following recommendations:

• The most important parameter in the selection is the size of the ammunition. There should be a snug fit without pressing into the dog's skin; harness should not restrict movement.
• The fasteners of the harness should not have sharp edges and protruding parts.
• Proper landing gear is when the side belt is not pressed against the pet's armpits. For representatives of large and medium-sized breeds, the distance is the width of the palm of an adult, for small dogs 2-3 fingers are enough.

The advantages of shleek include the following:

• a pet wearing a harness does not feel discomfort;
• convenient to use.

Disadvantages is the quick addiction of the dog, after wearing the harness, the pet may refuse to wear a normal collar. Not all breeds are suitable. Coming home, the harness must be removed. In the process of raising a harness a little help, since its delay will not have the proper effect on the dog.

Which is better: harness or collar

Despite all the advantages and disadvantages of collars and shleek, the pet owner must take into account various additional factors:

• To make the right choice, it is necessary to develop a little bit in dog ammunition and its purpose.
• No matter how good the harness is, it will not be the best option for a St. Bernard. Here will be more relevant good sturdy collar. In addition, some breeds, for example, dachshunds , experts generally do not recommend their use. And for miniature pets, for example, toy terriers, chihuahua, harness is the most successful option, as it puts pressure on the fragile cervical vertebrae and is the appropriate decoration of the dog. The same applies to representatives of the breeds with short snouts - pugs, French bulldogs , etc.
• A dog living in an apartment has completely different needs than an animal carrying guard duty on a chain.

Many veterinarians and dog experts believe that the collar adversely affects the pet's neck vertebrae. As for the choice of harness or collar for puppies, here the opinions of experts are divided. Most still recommend to refrain from wearing a harness to strengthen the bone corset - up to 8-10 months. The larger the pet, the longer its skeleton grows and develops.

Also, there is no consensus about whether the continuous use of the chuck is useful, since the animal has a different center of gravity. So, it is necessary to evaluate the pros and cons, and make a choice in favor of your pet.