Why Use a Puppy Harness?

A puppy harness provides your pup with a safe, effective alternative to puppy collars. Train your canine to walk calmly with you. Other dog training tools include a dog play pen or dog crate.

Puppy harnesses are useful in training and controlling your pup's behavior during walks. Often young, untrained puppies get so excited about walking that they'll strain on their lead too hard. The effect is that the puppy collar applies pressure on the airway in their neck which in turn can lead to significant damage (especially with young pups whose bodies are still developing).

The harness eliminates this problem by taking the stress off the neck and distributing across a wider, stronger area. Harnesses allow leashes to attach at the back or across the chest.

A pull-resistant harness is also an effective tool for training your puppy not to pull when you take him or her out for walks. Using a harness from early on will help prevent the bad habit of leash tugging from forming in the first place; if your pup grows up with this bad habit, it can be very hard to re-train later.

Let's take a look at how these harnesses work and a few other related tools you can use to keep your pup in line and safe.

How does a Puppy Harness Work?

There is more than one type of harness and many of them use several different mechanisms. No-pull harnesses have a unique design. This includes a couple of straps that wrap around the puppy’s chest and across the upper front legs. The harness is designed so that any pulling on the lead results in these straps lifting upward.

This sensation trains the puppy not to pull because pulling results in the sensation of having his or her front legs rear up off the ground or puts pressure across the pup's shoulders to constricting forward movement.

Standard harnesses are a little less complex. Most traditional designs involve straps that wrap around the legs and back, although a popular design these days is a single piece of fabric that the dog 'wears' almost like a shirt, with a click on the back for the leash. These tend to be simpler to put on than harnesses with multiple straps.

Puppy Collars Can Work for Some Puppies

For many pups, there's nothing wrong with good old-fashioned puppy collars; in fact, your pup should have a collar with a name tag, registration details and your contact details attached. But if you want to walk your puppy with the traditional collar and lead combination, you have to be prepared to put the effort into training him or her to walk by your side, which can be time consuming. If your pup is large and strong and you have trouble controlling his or her movement, use a puppy harness.

Other Training Tools: Using a Dog Play Pen or Dog Crate

Once you've covered your dog's general safety and well-being when walking, consider how you can safely restrain your pooch when you are not at home to keep an eye on your puppy?

While you should make sure your home is a safe environment for a pup in general (for example, by making sure no loose electrical wires are at ground level), you should also make use of a dog play pen or dog crate when you have to leave the pup alone for longer periods of time.

A dog play pen is exactly like a baby play pen. Make sure it's big enough for your dog to move around in it; especially if you have to leave your pet in the crate for more than a couple of hours - and leave a few chew toys and access to water in the pen to keep the pup amused and hydrated. Make sure the toys are made of solid material like nylon, rather than something which can have parts torn off and swallowed.

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