Harness Vs Martingale Collar

[Guest ashphobiax]

I know, I know...long time no...on here?

 

so what a way to come back, with asking a question!

 

I have glider with a standard recommended 2" martingale collar, which he is perfectly fine with - dont get me wrong. Although when I walk him with the weight of the leash and buckles on the collar it ends up hanging in front of his legs. When he walks he ends up hitting his front legs on the buckle as well as getting all sorts of tangled. He is on a 4ft or a 6ft leash depending on what we are doing.

 

So I guess my main question is, are harnesses safe for greys? I would love to use one if I could.

 

Thanks.

[OwnedBySummer]

I have never seen a martingale/leash cause the problem you are describing. Do you have the collar adjusted properly????

 

As to the harness, I like the WWW one. I have the Classic style (one loop on the withers) vs the Freedom style (loop on the withers plus one on the chest). WWW

[Batmom]

I see that a lot. Worse if the collar is loose, but the hardware on a 2" collar + a bunch of tags + a 1" leash -- that stuff is heavy and will droop if the dog likes to motor along nose down. I use almost exclusively 1" collars and 3/4" leashes for serious walking. The wider collars and leashes come out only for special occasions. I have also used harnesses from time to time so you could do that.

[Guest ashphobiax]

thanks, glider did have a 1" collar and it just didn't do anything, I felt as though it wasn't enough for him (he is a really big boy) so with a 1" it felt as though I was holding an elephant back with a shoe string

 

I have never seen a martingale/leash cause the problem you are describing. Do you have the collar adjusted properly????

 

As to the harness, I like the WWW one. I have the Classic style (one loop on the withers) vs the Freedom style (loop on the withers plus one on the chest). WWW

 

Thank you! I just looked them up and the only place in Pennsylvania that sells them is in my home town! what a touch of luck that is!

[kudzu]

Some of my dogs are better with harnesses for various reasons. Others sometimes wear harnesses but often are in collars. Harnesses have a lot of advantages, including more control in many situations. Still, we have & use martingales quite often.

 

I find what can work well if you prefer wider martingales look for one tapered in shape. ex. http://www.karenskollars.net/collars/collars.html Or find one with step-down hardware. This example shows the difference between 2" stepped down to 1" & having a 2" wide loop & corresponding 2" d-ring. http://www.dingdog.com/store/p/177-Renaissance-Red-2-.aspx With either tapered shape or mechanical step down, the main portion can be 2" at its widest but the martingale loop itself can be just 3/4"-1". Depending on the design this make it can mean a much lighter weight in that area. The weight & hardware of your leash can have a large effect as well. Could take some shopping plus trial & error to get the right combo but it will be well worth it if martingales are your thing. Another good option might be a martingale lead. ex. http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jansmartingales?section_id=6177273

[GreyTzu]

I hate a harness, hate them. Yet I use a harness as a back up safety for my spooks. Leash is attached to the collar, collar and harness is attached together by a safety strap. I walk and control the dog with the collar and leash. If the spook skips his martingale, he is still attached to the harness.

 

 

Also, try 1.5 inch collar with a wrap-around tagbag from LDL. The collar is not that heavy and the tagbag keeps the tags wrapped around the collar in one spot.

[Guest SoulsMom]

LOVE my WWW harnesses

[Feisty49]

Annie Bella's neck stuff can hang down also, so I don't let it. She walks on my left side and I keep the leash short enough, or in a case where she wants to pee wayyyy over there, I hold the leash high enough, so that nothing is in front of her or knocking her any place. I do agree, though, that a big Martingale collar with all the metal as well as a few tags is pretty heavy on a thin neck. I use a 1.5" Martingale and have reduced the number of tags to what is absolutely needed for contact purposes if she's ever lost. I think a 1" collar would be better from a weight point of view, but she's a very strong girl and I feel more confident with the 1.5" collar when walking her. (Collar is removed in the house.)

[Neighsayer]

Another vote for the all in one greyhound walking lead (mentioned above). It is very light weight with no snaps or hardware.

[OwnedBySummer]

That's a good suggestion to reduce the collar hardware and neck stuff. When Summer goes out, she never wears anything more than a tag collar with her slide-on ID tag and then her 1.5" martingale. If she's wearing a 2" martingale, I skip the tag collar and clip on just one very small (pocket dog size) ID tag. If we're going around the neighborhood for a walk, her dog licence and other stuff are on a lanyard which *I* wear, along with the house key. And when she has the WWW harness on, her slide-on dog tag slides right onto it.

[Greydawg]

I prefer the all-in-one leash-collar-combo, too. I have a few different kinds. You may like Jan's Martingales... They are heavy-duty with nice padded collars, yet very light-weight. No heavy hardware, Smart looking and reasonably-priced, too.

[Guest Audeamus]

I like WWW harness with the loop on the withers. Gir is leash reactive to the point where he rears, lunges and barks at dogs from across the street, so I can use the loop as a suitcase handle. It's something that we're working on and it's going to take a while so for now it's a WWW harnesss.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Dogs can back out of harnesses, and for that reason, plus possible tangles while playing off leash with other dogs, and possible restriction of front end action I just don't care for them. I do like the idea of a back up for a spook, though.

 

For your issue, I'd say make sure the tags are not on the D ring. Hook them to the adjustment hardware elsewhere on the collar. Also, don't let the hound sniff- make him walk headup and at a steady pace and keep the excess leash looped in your hand. For sniffy walks, go slow and don't give too much slack.

[Guest DragonflyDM]

I know, I know...long time no...on here?

 

so what a way to come back, with asking a question!

 

I have glider with a standard recommended 2" martingale collar, which he is perfectly fine with - dont get me wrong. Although when I walk him with the weight of the leash and buckles on the collar it ends up hanging in front of his legs. When he walks he ends up hitting his front legs on the buckle as well as getting all sorts of tangled. He is on a 4ft or a 6ft leash depending on what we are doing.

 

So I guess my main question is, are harnesses safe for greys? I would love to use one if I could.

 

Thanks.

 

 

I have the same issue you have. I think it comes from keeping the martingale loose. However, I LOVE my harness. It is secure, easy to get on an off in seconds and padded to be comfortable against the greyhound skin. Step-In Harness. and I should mention that it is really inexpensive compared to most harnesses.

 

And if your dog does figure out how to get out of a harness (much harder to do than you think) just attach the leash to the harness AND the martingale.

 

[greypop]

No experience with harnesses, but I second the tag bag suggestion. Maureen at Long Dog Leather has a pretty good selection, and they eliminate the jangling/dangling entirely. You can also check her collar offerings -- I think she has some tapered leather Martingales.

[Guest Snazzy_Chloe]

Kudzu - why do you hate harnesses? Dislike or not prefer I can see but hate is a pretty stong word for a piece of nylon with straps?

 

After my first grey backed out of her martingale 2 weeks after I got her, I went to a harness when going for walks and haven't looked back.

There are both good and bad harnesses (where dogs can pull out of them). However, it takes them enough time to pull out of a harness that you should be able to settle them and regain control if that is an issue. My dogs are pretty well behaved so I don't feel the need to hook a leash thru or attach to both the collar and the harness. I agree that a dog walking in a collar looks more refined than one with a harness (which appears to look like the dog may be uncontrollable) to another pedestrian. I think that the look of a two leash combination of the www looks hideous - like we are walking a wolf or a small horse instead of a gentle greyhound.

 

I will say that one needs to find a collar or harness that you like and stick with it - no switching back or forth as the feel of the leash to the dog is completely different when being led from the neck or from behind the shoulders. One thing that I do like about the harness, is if the dog shies sideways, it will basically tip him over, pulling on the stronger part of the body than the neck.

Further, when we are walking, with her right beside me, the leash basically just lays slack across her back and loops to her side instead of in front of her legs and shoulders bouncing into her with every step. I use the kind of harness that I have to pull it over the nose and neck and then lift up one one leg to get it on and off. There is another where you lay the harness on the floor and get the dog to place both front feet in both loops and then pull up over the shoulders to snap--being more cumbersome/tedious to put on, so I have never used that one.

[kudzu]

Kudzu - why do you hate harnesses?

 

Did you confuse me with someone else? Were you thinking of Greytzu instead?

[kudzu]

Dogs can back out of harnesses, ...

 

True, dogs can become as adept at backing out of harnesses as they can collars. Harness designs such as the EasyWalk seem to be the easiest for them to escape from followed closely by step-in type harnesses. However, depending on the circumstances a dog can get out of any harness. Training & good equipment is the key to preventing escape with deadly consequences. Neither harnesses nor martingales can be relied upon alone. There will always be at least one hound who can pop out of even the best designed & most perfectly fitting martingale & nearly all harnesses.

 

and for that reason, plus possible tangles while playing off leash with other dogs, ...

Which can happen just as easily & with deadly consequences if a dog is turned off leash in a martingale. Solution? Take harness or martingale off before releasing the dog to play.

 

... possible restriction of front end action I just don't care for them.

This is an issue with many harnesses including many of the most popular ones. While some of those can be an asset during training they are not appropriate for long term use & most especially are not appropriate for purposes of exercise.

Edited April 9, 2012 by kudzu

[Guest ashphobiax]

Thanks all for the advice.

 

I like my martingale collar but glider is huge and I feel as though it's too much pressure on his neck so I was thinking about switching glider doesn't back out of anything he's very laid back

 

I did notice with the WWW harness it had a martingale type thing of the withers which I'm assuming tightens just like a collar would?!

[Guest SoulsMom]

It sure does and really helps me control my big, happy moose (as Bailey calls him)

[Guest Gemma]

We switched Peyton to a harness because he has some referred pain in his back and neck due to his bum leg. I specifically went for one that does NOT have a no-pull function. At first, he was a bit of a menace in it so we started using it with a martingale and a coupler. After a week or so of that, he learned not to pull and he is now so good in just the harness.

[Guest Carla21]

I hate a harness, hate them. Yet I use a harness as a back up safety for my spooks. Leash is attached to the collar, collar and harness is attached together by a safety strap. I walk and control the dog with the collar and leash. If the spook skips his martingale, he is still attached to the harness.

 

 

Also, try 1.5 inch collar with a wrap-around tagbag from LDL. The collar is not that heavy and the tagbag keeps the tags wrapped around the collar in one spot.

 

 

hi there. i am getting a greyhound soon and i am terrified of it getting loose, and was torn between a harness and a martingale collar, i actually love the idea of attaching the harness to the collar by a strap, so either way, the dog cant escape. but i was wondering where you got the shorter black safetly strap that attaches from the harness to the collar. does it come with the harness, do you buy them seperatly?

 

 

 

[seeh2o]

I prefer harnesses. I feel like they are much safer, more secure and under better control with a harness. One of my dogs was about to be attacked one time by a loose pit bull (owner's fault 100%), it was attacking my girl, Sheila and was just about to turn and grab Kobie in the soft area after the ribs end. There were people trying to help me I tossed Kobie's leash to a guy about 4ft away, he caught the leash gave it a really big yank and Kobie flew through the air - all four feet flying and 68kbs if him airborne and narrowly missed being mauled or killed. If he'd been on a leash he would have probably been killed. I will only use harnesses as a result. I prefer the WWW harnesses mentioned by other posters.

Edited May 24, 2013 by seeh2o

[forevergrey]

I used sighthound collars on my past greyhounds but with my current two boys I switched to harnesses and I love it. I lost two greyhounds to LS, and at this point if if there is even a slight chance that I can either avoid or slow down the onset of LS when my greyhounds get older by using walking equipment that distributes their weight evenly and puts zero pressure on their neck/spine then I am all for it. Both my guys walk perfectly fine on a harness. The harnesses I have do not require any physical manipulation of the dogs, (they are not step-in kind or front connect harnesses). They are beautiful hand-crafted velvet harnesses with a soft underside that are adjustable at all points. The front goes over the neck, just as a collar would, and you just snap close the side straps, the dog does not have to be moved physically at all. I got them from Silk Road Collars. She makes great greyhound collars and harnesses.

 

I also have a closet full of beautiful sighthound collars, even some vintage silk ones-but really they are just there as reminders of hounds past. http://www.silkroadcollars.com/

[GreyTzu]

 

 

hi there. i am getting a greyhound soon and i am terrified of it getting loose, and was torn between a harness and a martingale collar, i actually love the idea of attaching the harness to the collar by a strap, so either way, the dog cant escape. but i was wondering where you got the shorter black safetly strap that attaches from the harness to the collar. does it come with the harness, do you buy them seperatly?

 

 

 

 

Anne at Majestic Collars makes them.