The Benefits of Using a Harness with your Dog

With all the conflicting information available, it can be hard to know which are the right tools for you and your dog

Whether you are considering getting a harness for your new puppy, adult or senior rescue dog, or just wanting to try out something different for your current dog, we have put together a simple list of the benefits of a dog harness to help you decide.

Protects the sensitive neck area if your dog pulls

We know the internet likes to tell everybody who has a dog that pulls that they must train them not to instantly! As dog owners ourselves, we know this isn't always a perfect answer! Training takes time and dogs still need to be walked, some dogs are perfectly trained to loose lead walk 99% of the time but might pull a little during that 1% when they are super excited! There are countless reasons a dog could be pulling, but with a well-fitted Y-front shape harness, the dog will pull into the harness, not the collar, and the pressure will be distributed across the strong breast bone and not the sensitive trachea which can cause damage and long-term issues down the line

Addition of a grab handle for aiding in lifting

Not all harnesses have a grab handle, but a good harness with a strong grab handle can be helpful for every single dog. Does your dog love to swim? Our brand ambassador Woody loves to swim, and once it got him trouble. Despite being a strong swimmer, Woody was caught up in the flow of a river and unable to get out. His owner managed to pull him out by his Twiggy Tags harness grab handle which saved his life!

Although we think its important to mention the serious stuff, there are loads of benefits to a handle on a harness that aren't so serious!

Ever want to get your dog straight out the house and into the car without faffing about with a lead? Just grab their harness and pop them straight in. Have a well-behaved off-lead dog that can be a bit reactive when others are in their space? Recall them and get a good hold of the harness handle until anyone has passed by. Hike with your dog? Aid them in navigating scrambles and jumping over difficult terrain and over stiles by supporting them with their harness handle

Added security if your dog is a flight risk

We will never claim that a harness will prevent your dog from slipping out of their gear and escaping if they're very determined and/or left unattended however a harness that has been properly adjusted around the neck area and has a chest plate between the front legs will be much harder for a dog to escape from than a standard flat collar.

Please note that if your dog is an absolute houdini and can squeeze out of standard harnesses, we recommend using a harness with three straps and a martingale collar and having a double-ended lead with locking clips like the Twiggy Tags TrailFinder Multi-Way Lead attached to both the harness and the collar

Offers you more control when managing a strong or reactive dog

Strong and reactive dogs can be hard to manage sometimes using a standard collar and lead set up. With a strength-tested harness that has a front and back D-ring like our Adventure Harness, you can pair it with a strength-tested double-ended or multi-way lead and clip the lead to the front and back of the harness. We will never promise this can fix reactivity or lead-pulling, and we do not advise using just the front D-ring on a strong pulling dog, however setting your dog gear up this way means that when the dog lunges forward, weight is distributed between both ends of the leads and it makes them a little easier to manage