{"id":3479,"date":"2017-11-02T09:37:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T16:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/?p=3479"},"modified":"2018-08-15T18:21:49","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T01:21:49","slug":"4-reasons-why-you-should-use-a-harness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/dog-care\/4-reasons-why-you-should-use-a-harness\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Reasons Why You Should Use a Harness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently Rocco, a five-month-old Border Terrier, tragically passed away due to an unexpected accident: he caught his collar on a kitchen door handle and was strangled by his collar. The owner suspects<\/a> \u201che must had been jumping up to get to the work top and fell down catching the collar, my poor Mum found him hanging on the door\u201d. The news was shared on the Facebook group \u201cBorder Terrier Owners,\u201d where members of the group started sharing pictures of their dogs with their collars removed and by their side.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit: skip_the_border_terrier<\/a><\/p>\n

The owner of the group also set up a fundraising page, where \u201call raised money will be donated to Border Terrier Welfare in the name of Rocco.\u201d If you want to read more on the story, look up the hashtag #CollarsOffForRocco, or read Metro\u2019s article here<\/a>. You can also donate money to the fundraiser here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Collars are most importantly used to carry the identification tag of your dog. These tags can save your dog\u2019s life if they get lost or run away. However, it is also possible to attach the tag to a harness and use microchipping for extra safety.<\/p>\n

Here are 4 reasons to use harnesses:<\/p>\n

1. Harnesses provide better control of your dog<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although harnesses come in many shapes and sizes, they all mainly offer support around the chest, back and legs, rather than the neck. It is important to have control over your dog on busy roads<\/a>, crowds, and any other public areas.<\/p>\n

2. Harnesses keep your dog focused<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harnesses are a great training tool<\/a> for dogs, especially when used with clicker training. It is especially important to keep your dog focused on walks, and as was mentioned earlier, any busy roads, crowds, or any public areas. You want your dog to feel focused and safe under your control.<\/p>\n

3. Harnesses are better for dogs with health issues or injuries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many injuries in dogs are linked to collars, such as hypothyroidism (low thyriod gland<\/a> hormone), collapsing trachea, ear and eye issues, and paw licking and foreleg lameness.<\/p>\n

4. Specific breeds can benefit from harnesses, and especially those with short noses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many dogs tend to tug and pull on their leashes when being outdoors, which hurts their necks. In fact, some breeds, like pugs for example, \u201crisk their eyeballs protruding from the sockets if too much pressure is put around their neck\u201d (Harmony Animal Hospital<\/a>). Dr. Ann Hohenhaus<\/a> also states that \u201ctugging and pulling on a collar puts extra stress on the windpipe and will provoke a severe coughing episode\u201d.<\/p>\n

It should be noted that your dog may not be so fond of the feeling of a harness at first, but they gradually get used to them over time. At first, try only using the harness for outings and walks, taking it off once you get back home, then slowly start leaving it on for longer periods of time. Personally, I made sure that my dogs get used to harnesses from puppyhood, and they do not mind wearing them all day and night. It is also important to consider the dog\u2019s shape and size, as well as comfort and quality of the harness when purchasing. Remember, when choosing a harness for your pet, always bring them along with you to the shop so that you and shop assistant are able to find the perfect fit!<\/p>\n

Cat owners should also be wary of collars for their furry ones. Although they are great paired with a bell to warn potential prey, such as birds, of the cat\u2019s presence, the cat could also potentially get caught on a branch or bush.<\/p>\n

Do you use a collar or a harness for your pet? Leave a comment and let us know!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently Rocco, a five-month-old Border Terrier, tragically passed away due to an unexpected accident: he caught his collar on a kitchen door handle and was strangled by his collar. The owner suspects \u201che must had been jumping up to get to the work top and fell down catching the collar, my poor Mum found him hanging on the door\u201d. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":3488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[726],"tags":[14,347,18,576,378,170,225,226],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3479"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3489,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479\/revisions\/3489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sittingforacause.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}