Pommy Mommies are faced with lots of choices in trying to decide what’s best for our fur babies, and one of them is whether to use a traditional collar and leash or a harness to rein in our pups.
The collar vs. harness debate is ongoing and there are pros and cons of each, but here are some insights that Pommy Mommies should keep in mind when deciding which one to use.
Choosing a collar or harness depends on your training and behavioral goals, the size of your dog and any medical conditions your dog might have. Collars rely on trying to control a dog by using the sensitive and vulnerable area of the neck, which is where vital structures such as the airway and spinal cord are located.
While traditional collars and leashes are often used on larger dogs, harnesses are ideal for smaller dogs like Pomeranians and Chihuahuas, and other toy breeds with throat or trachea problems.
A collar and leash combination can be damaging to the delicate necks of Pomeranians. Small dogs have small necks, and small necks have fragile throats and tracheas, which is why a harness is a good idea for Poms. For dogs that are under 20 pounds, the pulling from a collar and leash could put their necks at risk for damage. Even a little bit of pressure applied to the throat in the wrong way can cause damage to a Pom’s neck, which can lead to a collapsed trachea.
Using a harness alleviates strain on the neck because it fits around your Pom’s chest and rib cage. Unlike a collar, the fit of a harness makes it very difficult for a dog to slip out of – even tiny Pommies.
When using a harness, it’s still important to keep a collar with ID tags on your Pommy. They can simply wear the harness in addition to the collar – you’ll attach the leash to the harness. Even The Pommy Mommy herself uses this technique.
“I keep collars on my Poms with their ID tags attached, but when it comes time for a walk in the park, or down the street… I put a harness on them,” Pommy Mommy, Tara Lucky- Castellano said. “Pommies have fragile tracheas and pulling on the collar with a leash can only do harm. When a harness is used, there is more control over the Pom and no potential damage to your Pommy’s little trachea.”
There are two main varieties of the standard harness – the front-attaching harness and the back-attaching harness. The latter is often preferred for toy breeds like the Pom.
The back-attaching harness doesn’t create as much pressure and tightening on the chest as a front-attaching harness would for a larger dog. Small dogs like little Pommies are more sensitive to that kind of pressure, which makes the back-attaching harness the better option for dogs of their size.
There are also slip action harnesses that work on the principle of give-and-take like a choker collar would, but the fixed position body harness allows the dog to use their weight to pull against you without any discomfort. The back-attaching fixed position harness is what is most often recommended for small breeds like the Pomeranian.
As always, if you’re unsure about what to do, talk to your veterinarian to decide what’s best for your precious Pommy!
If you would like to get a “Love Rescued Me” Leash Sleeve click here.
10 comments
Yup our vet told us to not have a collar on our bear at all cus he got sick and we took him in and the vet took off the collar and he started breathing better. So bear don’t wear a collar at all we just put a harness on him and we have also put his tags on the harness as well so when he’s outside he has his info. Cus when were inside u don’t really need that info just when there out and about.
it’s important to keep their tags and info on at all times. a loose collar wont hurt anything and you can keep the info on the loose collar. that way in case of any accident of the dog getting outside unsupervised they will still have vital info on the collar!
Our vet said the same thing. It seems like the harness is more comfy anyway.
Thank you for this!. 🙂
remember not to leave anything on them if you put them in a playpen or crate while unattended because it could get stuck!
I just got bear a 1and 1/2year old Pim,I kept telling my wife we cant can’t have dogs,and especially a dog with long hair..can I say th his ever since iii layer eyes on him .my heart feels a bit warmer each day!!
Just got my pom one from petco. Thanks for sharing this important info! She is six and luckily never has to wear leash but with us recently purchasing a camper, she has to wear them at campgrounds. My pommy is 6 🙂 i also have the cat breakaway collar from petco for her tags. Just to be on the safe side 🙂
Thank you for reminding people about this important issue. I tell this to anyone I come across on the street with small dogs who are wearing collars. I see so few harnesses, especially here in Europe. It’s disturbing.
I have picked up dozens of dogs off the road and many of them didn’t have a collar/tag because they got out “accidentally”. If you want your dog back, you have to keep a tag on them at all times. Just loosen the collar. It can be very loose as long as it couldn’t slip off the neck easily.
We had a beautiful, perfect, toy pom. We got him at age 10 months and he was our world. Only weighed about 4lbs. Anyway, this short message is to tell people that wearing a collar is not a good thing for tiny dogs. Have them wear a harness. Our puppy wore a collar and suddenly began coughing and this got worse and worse. We took him to the vet and it was determined he has a collapsed trachea. After a few months, in spite of medication, his little heart gave up and he died. He could not breathe. The operation on a little guy who was so young (he was now 22 months old) was not advised since the operation can sometimes last for only two years before it might collapse again. We lost our baby one night and it broke our hearts. Since then, we were able to get another pommy just like him from the same breeder. He is adorable and we love him so much. It has taken away the pain of the past and we plan on having him with us for many years. Even when the doctors tell you a collar is ok, trust me, its better to not take the change. One vet said on a dog training infomercial that dogs should not wear collars..especially little ones..because it can cause the trachea to collapse. For these little guys, its like a death wish. So we are good now and happy with our new baby but we wanted to share so others could benefit.