Harnesses Are A Keen Alternative To Walk Your Dog

A novel written report compares a harness to a cervix neckband as well as finds both are skillful for canine welfare.

Milo. Photo: Sabrina Mignacca

By Zazie Todd, PhD

Harnesses are oftentimes said to survive meliorate for your dog than walking on a collar, but no i had investigated it. Now, a squad of scientists at Hartpury College (Grainger, Wills & Montrose 2016) has published a written report of the effects of walking a dog on a harness as well as on a cervix collar.

The same dogs were walked on a cervix neckband as well as on a harness on carve upwardly occasions, as well as their behaviour was monitored for signs of stress. The results demonstrate that harnesses produce non get stress as well as are a slap-up selection for walking your dog.

Dr. Tamara Montrose, i of the authors of the study, told me inwards an email,

“Whilst cervix collars are widely used when walking dogs, concerns conduct maintain been raised well-nigh their potential to harm the cervix as well as trachea. Furthermore collars tin hand the sack survive problematic inwards dogs alongside oculus weather condition such equally glaucoma. Harnesses are oftentimes anecdotally proposed to survive meliorate for Canis familiaris welfare.

“In our study, nosotros investigated whether dogs walked on a neckband or harness displayed differences inwards behaviours associated alongside canine stress or related to restriction of movement.

“We constitute that in that location were no differences inwards behaviour betwixt dogs walked on either a cervix neckband or a harness. The frequency of the behavioral stress indicators also tended to survive depression inwards dogs walked on either restraint type. Whilst dogs alongside a history of neckband walking showed increased levels of i potential stress indicator (low ear position) which may suggest that these dogs are to a greater extent than stressed, it’s of import to depository fiscal establishment annotation that this was non supported past times the other stress measures as well as so this explanation should survive viewed alongside caution.

“Our findings suggest that Canis familiaris welfare is non compromised past times either shape of restraint, withal nosotros are interested inwards project futurity written report alongside a gain of unlike brands of harness as well as collar, consideration of physiological stress indicators as well as assessment of gait as well as magnitude of pulling.”

xxx pet dogs took utilisation inwards the study; xv that were commonly walked on a collar, as well as xv that were commonly walked on a harness. Each Canis familiaris was taken for a xx infinitesimal walk along a road through a field. The middle 10 minutes of the walk was video recorded for afterwards analysis.

Zoe. Photo past times Zoe's mom, Joanna.

Then the possessor was given the alternate slice of equipment to utilisation as well as so the Canis familiaris could become used to it. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 calendar week later, they returned for a 2d 20-minute walk inwards the field. It was in i lawsuit again recorded for analysis.

The harness used throughout the written report was the Perfect Fit. The grouping of dogs that were initially walked on a neckband used their regular collar; the dogs that were fitted alongside a neckband for the 2d walk were given a fleece-lined cervix collar. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 1m leash was used for all of the dogs for standardization, as well as because this length is commonly used for dog walking.

The walks took house inwards the mornings inwards a champaign inwards Worcestershire (UK). Two routes were marked out inwards the field, as well as so that dogs would walk a novel road each time.

The videos were analysed for behaviours that could survive signs of stress, including depression tail, depression trunk posture, licking the lips, yawning as well as panting. They also looked for signs that could demonstrate the dog’s displace is restricted, such equally stopping.

The statistical analysis showed no pregnant differences betwixt electrical flow or historical utilisation of the neckband or harness on whatever of the behavioural indicators, alongside the exception of depression ears. This was higher inwards the dogs who were commonly walked on a collar, but non linked to when they were walked on neckband or harness inwards the study. Given the lack of other differences, this is difficult to interpret.

These results demonstrate that neither a harness nor a neckband causes stress to dogs. This is inwards contrast to prong as well as decease collars which conduct maintain been constitute to sometimes elicit an aggressive response from dogs.

In other words, equally commonly believed, harnesses are a skillful selection for walking your dog.

This is a timely finding because today sees the launch of the Harness the Love get from the Academy for Dog Trainers. The get highlights the utilisation of no-pull harnesses to become inwards easier for people to walk their dog. No-pull harnesses conduct maintain a front end clip attachment for the leash, as well as a listing of available brands tin hand the sack survive constitute on the campaign’s website. People tin hand the sack conduct maintain utilisation past times sharing a photograph of their Canis familiaris inwards their harness using the hashtag #HarnessTheLove.

Do y'all walk your Canis familiaris on a harness?


Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the pop weblog , where she writes well-nigh everything from grooming methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today as well as has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, alongside her husband, i dog, as well as 2 cats.

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Reference
Grainger, J., Wills, A., & Montrose, V. (2016). The behavioral effects of walking on a neckband as well as harness inwards domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications as well as Research, 14, 60-64 DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.002

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