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Leash or Harness

Many wonder whether a leash or harness is more suitable for their dog, which always result in never ending debate on which is inferior. In my opinion neither is better than each other, the choice is up to the owner whether how they want to control their dogs and also how much they trust the equipment. Note that this is our personal opinions on each individual equipment, there are no scientific fact or whatever prove of speech in this article, it is mostly made up of our experience and believes, we fully support the leash but we do admit there are advantages of other dog walking products out there.

Harness 

3 in 1 Harness


Alternative to leash, the harness are straps worn around the body, leash can then be hooked onto the harness to walk your dog. Harnesses actually replace collars, not leash, we compare using leash and harness because it is more commonly used when comparing occurs.

Because the straps surrounding the body acts as a support, harness helps to distribute the amount of force transferred to the dog, protecting the dog from getting hurt during walks as well as removing any pressure on their neck. Harness has been increasingly  popular recently especially on small dogs, there are many beautifully designed harness to choose from and prices can actually vary.

We think that this is a good product for dogs that are prone to injuries - old dogs, sick dogs, and dogs that are are injured especially on the neck area. However on a healthy dog, including puppies we'd still recommend people to use leash-collar instead, because harness is made to protect the body, the dog actually has much more control over you than you can imagine. Even for toy breeds like poodles they almost cannot feel any pressure when being pulled or stopped, this means that your dog would not get the signal that they should'nt be pulling you everywhere they go, even with you using force your dog will only attempt to pull you even harder, resulting in frustrating, never-ending  whoiswalkingwho problem, also your dog would not be learning anything from walks other than rushing out every time the door opens. But if your main goal is just to want something that can serve to stop your dog from running away, then harness is the right choice for you, harnesses are actually more comfortable and beautiful to look at compared to the other options below.

Leash
Common leash

A rope like product that is hooked onto a dog's collar, it can be made up of materials like nylon, leather or metal. This is what we always use on dogs of any sizes, leash has been proven useful for ages, dog trainers all over the world uses leash to train their dogs even for competitions.

Contrary to the beliefs that leash is not suitable for small breed dogs due to collapsing trachea, we do not believe that proper leash handling can cause this problem. The exact cause for collapsing trachea have not been discovered till now, it would've most likely been present since birth and only surfaces/worsen when dogs are 5 years or older, affecting mostly dogs under 15lbs. Vets sometimes recommend harness on small dogs to minimize damage to dogs who are already diagnosed with collapsing tracheal, or to prevent further damage in case their tracheal has already started to collapse but have not yet shown any symptoms.

In my opinion, collapsing tracheal can happen if the collar is too tight, or when someone pulls the leash too hard, directing pressure right onto the frontal area of the dog's throat where the tracheal is. You will know that you have gone too far when you hear your dog choking and coughing in a honking/goose-like sound.

We feel leash and collar is a perfect match, when used correctly you not only have more control over your dog, but it also boosts your confidence, which is a big plus in dog-human relationship. No matter how old your dog is, or how frequently you walk it, both of you will always learn new things with the leash. If this is what you've always thought of, then leash is suitable for you.

Retractable Leash 
Flexi Retractable Leash

As the name suggest, this is a leash that is retractable, usually comes in 3 sizes, small medium and large. You can choose to unlock the retractable leash, where your dog can roam freely for about 3 meters (depending on the maximum length), or you can limit your dog's free roaming distance by locking the leash to whichever length you prefer.

This may sound like a all rounded perfect product for your dog at first, but everything has it's pros and cons. The retractable leash, usually made of very thin rope-like nylon, will encourage your dog to do whatever they like, from walking side track to wandering off, even if the retractable leash can stop your dog up to a certain point, it would only be  trouble when you have to to get your dog back with the 3 metres long "leash" especially during dangerous situations. To add on, because the retractable leash has very slight pressure on the back of your dog, it does not serve the purpose of teaching it not to pull the leash, but encourages the behavior instead. Even though this product allows your to lock the length as if it is a normal leash, it serves no purpose other than being a weak leash, also the handle might be painful for some to hold onto if the dog keeps pulling.

The pros of a retractable also exist, it is good for dogs that are sick, old or weak as it gives freedom to your dog, comparable to the harness in terms of advantage, some people even use retractable leash plus harness. This product is also good if your dog has shown improvement in walking and you want to try letting your dog get the feeling of "off leash" walking, yet able to stop when it wanders too far.

Comments

  1. Retractable leash would be good in a safe situation, e.g. an empty field where you want to give the dog more freedom to run around within the field, but definitely not walking along the street or where there are other dogs/passerbys.

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