Don't buy... a harness??

[chloe92us]

I use a harness with Ollie and a collar with Casey. Casey refuses to walk if a harness is on her, but she is not a puller and never has been. I've tried and she just sits and will not budge. Ollie is a puller and I have to keep a harness on him or he will strangle himself. On walks, I use a training harness which helps the pulling immensely! For all other times, I use the Puppia harness.

[Lisa_T]

Possibly the Club are recommending collars as part of their campaign(!) to make SM seem less of an issue in the breed.

Holly was walked on a collar and lead until she was two (and I found this site..). She has always hated puppias but really likes the Easy Walk, so that's what she uses. Amber loves puppias - any puppias, but she's especially keen on the over-the-head kind and she has always been walked in them after a scare with the Easy Walk when she managed to slip out of it. In a busy car park. That was scary...

[Jan Bell]

Both my Toby and Rufus walk on harnesses and always have. Can't say I have faith in anything the CKCS club say after recent events.

[lorebringer]

Every single one of my dogs is walked on a harness - big and small. I honestly can't control one of my dogs without a harness; she is so strong and when she wants to get to something (e.g. another dog) there is no stopping her if she is on a collar. At lease with a harness I can drap her around the place (sounds worse that it is!) and I have much more control.

I use harnesses on the rest of the dogs for the saame reason; they don't strangle themselves when they walk and they are far easier to control. As Karlin said, you can very easily pick up the dog, and/or direct it where you want it to go.

As far as I know, you must use a collar when showing - ususally placed high up behind the ears (to make the dog walk with the head up and creating "more desirable" lines)

[pcfarrar]

over-the-head kind and she has always been walked in them after a scare with the Easy Walk when she managed to slip out of it. In a busy car park. That was scary...

One of our cavaliers slipped her collar at a sheep herding show in Scotland. Before we could catch her she ran out into the field after the sheep and tried to herd them with the border collie. Was very embarassing with all the spectators watching.

We always use a harness, there has been times when being able to lift the dog up quickly using the harness has saved them from getting attacked by aggressive dogs.

[Melissa]

I found this site before I brought Maverick home so he's always had a harness. I'm currently waiting for a puppia step in to arrive. I have the classic style puppia and a simple nylon web step in. I find the step in faster to get into.

One of the biggest reason I love the harnesses is Maverick has a high hunting drive and will take off once in a great while with out me noticing to call him off and I can't imagine what that would do to his neck when he hits the end of the lead.

[sallymum]

Apparently the only breed they recommend that wears a harness while still a pup is a cavalier. A friend was told when she went to buy a harness for her lab puppy that until a dog is fully grown, unless it is a cavalier, that it is bad for them. Dont know if she was gave the right advise.