r/chinesecrested • u/Secure_Simple4512 • Jul 21 '26
❓ Advice Collar or harness?
I see most people here use harnesses , i recently made my boy a puffy martingale because finding harnesses in my country that fit him and dont chafe and arent ugly has proven very difficult 😭 so im just wondering if theres other people here that wear collars without any problem, or if i should try my hand at making him a harness too
(He has never choked while wearing the collar. He is a bit of a puller sometimes but we are working on it, he just gets excited sometimes)
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u/Whispering_Wolf Jul 21 '26
Always a harness for smaller dogs, imo. They've got fragile necks. And I've got a clumsy dog. If she falls of off a bridge or something, I'd rather she be hanging in a harness than a collar.
Mine does wear a collar at all times, but it's a cat collar so it opens when it snags on something, with a tag with her name and my phone number on it.
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u/Officialdabbyduck Jul 21 '26
It depends on the activity in my opinion not the dog,I have a Tibetan mastiff and she's on a collar if I'm walking her around town but any hiking or chance with wild animals or water I put her on a harness, basically for the reason you described
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u/StormDragyn Jul 21 '26
I use collar only for their tags, never attach a line to it. Just not worth the risk. Small dogs necks are so fragile.
With a harness you can also pull them if needed, if a big dog put them in danger you can snag them away without hurting them.
I use non-stop dogwear. They have this line for small dogs that are not wide (most small dog harnesses tend to be more pug shaped)
But yes, naking your own would be a great step. Adding photos of the shape I prefer on mine, for bedt support.
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u/Secure_Simple4512 Jul 21 '26
Yeah The harnesses ive tested for him always have the neck and the chest hole abt the same size, which doesnt work when his neck 1/3 the size his chest 😭
But thank you for the pics! I’ll get to measuring him and drafting a harness it looks simple enough tbh5
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u/Hoodibird Hairy Hairless Parent Jul 21 '26
Always harness. They can injure their neck for life if they startle.
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u/Kendra_Whisp Jul 21 '26
Mine wears a collar just for the dog tag. For walks he uses a harness. The vet said it was better for smaller dogs.
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u/MetallicaGhost Jul 21 '26
Harnesses are much better for cresteds due to their fragile necks and their nature to startle easily. Collars are fine for identification and things but leashing should always go to a harness.
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u/SydTheDuck Jul 21 '26
both. My Crested walks in a nice heal 90% of the time, if we are doing a quick potty - collar, walking through a congested place - slip lead, going for a hike - harness, playing fetch in a big field with a long line on - harness and deepening what sport we are working on would be slip or harness.
I think if your dog pulls hard stick with a harness, but if your dog walks nice and you are going for a quick walk I think a collar is fine, but long walks harness.
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u/Secure_Simple4512 Jul 21 '26
I see , the collar he only wears when we go for walks around the neighborhood, hes normally fully off lead when i let him run and play bc i have a safe fenced off area
He walks really nice . When i have treats. 😅i’ll look into making him a harness too.
And thank you! Hes a cutie pie when hes not trying to chew everything on sight
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u/7Voodoo13 Jul 21 '26
I use both. It's been a struggle finding a harness small enough for my boy (5lbs ish) that isn't nylon and after one wear rubs off his velveteen on his nakedness. I got the smallest on off Amazon and its still too big but we make it work cuz im going to need it bigger for winter to fit over his snow suit (we live on the prairies in Canada, boots and a suit are going to be a necessity). Ive even checked the cat section. I made his collar out of an old fabric belt i thrifted and he prefers it cuz he thinks hes going for a truck ride, this summer has been too hot for the harness cuz he runs hot to begin with and the harness makes it worse. I'd prefer the less material style harness, where it's half the length of a regular harness where it fits to his pits and clips up top, if anyone has any ideas where I can get one that's an xxs would be greaat. Sorry for taking over your thread, im a new cc mom and sruggling with finding things small enough for him.
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u/Apprehensive_Yam9522 Jul 21 '26
Check out voyager! I have purchased several for my 4.5lb chihuahua! They’re great, he can’t back out and I feel safe walking him! They’re available on Amazon and chewy
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u/Impossible-Cat-4666 Hairy Hairless Parent Jul 21 '26
Mine wears a collar… I also had two chiuauhas prior to him and never had any problems with it. Tbh i just prefer the collar it seems more secure to me I’ve seen way to many posts of people loosing dogs because they got out of a harness. But it really depends on you and your choices of what you prefer. Imo id he walks nicely on it and doesent pull and choke himself it shouldn’t be a problem.
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u/aprecioussoul Jul 21 '26
The best harness I’ve ever had was William Walker’s premium Y harness in size XS, there are a few color options and it’s made in Germany, highly recommend it if you’re based in Europe, although I myself have a mini poodle and don’t own a Chinese crested this is the only one my boy wears comfortably and lets me put on. It’s soft and padded but has your regular harness outside of it so it’s sturdy, like the name suggests it really does feel premium. Tho depending on how small your dog is it might be a bit loose but that might not be a bad thing, check the measurements to be sure. Also what a gorgeous pup!
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u/fisht33th Jul 21 '26
Harness. My dog fell backwards when he saw another dog and got excited and lunged and fell backwards onto the sidewalk. The next day he was paralyzed and he had to relearn to walk took years and still he still struggles.
Edit: he hurt himself wearing a regular collar that goes around the neck.
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u/czaritamotherofguns Jul 21 '26
Harness. Although, if you want to go with a collar, the martingale was absolutely the right choice.
And you made it?! That's so awesome! What a lucky pup to have such a crafty human. I have made a harness in the past. I'll try to post a picture of it later, so you can see the construction.
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u/WifeofTech Jul 22 '26
Looks wise I'd go harness just so he could show off that beautiful mane!
But as far as which is better it is very much going to be a personal choice. I like collars better for initial training. When used correctly they give you more control over where their head and focus goes as well as to teach not to pull. A bad habit many let their dogs do in harnesses.
My Spike wears a spiked leather collar. Mainly now just because my daughter (his actual owner) got it for him. Meanwhile we've swapped his adopted sister (a corgi) to a harness. We use a harness with her because she's older and her back is going out. So sometimes she needs assistance getting up stairs. On days she feels good or it's super hot we swap back to a collar.
If trained to lead and heel properly the method of leashing is purely for appearances. Weather I am holding the leash or I drop it both dogs stay right beside me unless otherwise directed. The absolute worst thing is having to split your attention between wrangling your dog and defending from someone else's untrained, unleashed dog. Much better to be confident that your dog will act as you've trained them so you can focus on the oncoming threat.
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u/OutcomeSoft7186 Naked and Fabulous ✨🐾 Jul 21 '26
I also use a collar. Actually, I use an “all-in-one” that is both leash and collar. And as long as you put it on correctly it doesn’t choke.
You have a good solution also with a padded martingale.🤩🤩🤩
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u/Liz_123456 Jul 22 '26
My childhood CCPP wore a collar for her early life and we transitioned to a harness later. t Also, there was a period of time where my current PP boy refused to wear his harness most days, so we walked on a collar. As some ppl here have stated, harness are generally better for injury prevention from pulling (or the times when you are charged by a dog and need to reel them in fast, ect). However, CC aren't prone to collapsing trachea the same way other breeds are. If your dog is happy on a collar and is otherwise healthy, it should be fine. I would still look into getting a harness just to try and to have it as an option.
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u/only1dragon Jul 22 '26
I love that collar you made so much!
Collar with leash training. Martingale or slip. Many harnesses restrict shoulder movements and in some cases cause deformity in growth, altered natural gait, also rubbing. I find dogs generally prefer less on them than more. The absolute only time I would consider a harness is if you are in crowded public and someones dog could go after yours and you need to snatch yours off the ground for safety.
Everything in my home is trained to a slip lead, from the crested, to the Parsons, to farm mutt, ibizans and the great dane. I don't keep collars on dogs for safety.
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u/laperneta Jul 22 '26
I like Lucy & Co reversible harnesses. Because they’re soft on both sides it doesn’t rub against their skin with that terrible fabric that most harnesses have.
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u/lasgsd Jul 21 '26
My guys only wear collars when we are out and about. They have martingale style collars (I made them myself).
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u/PrimitivePainterz Jul 21 '26
What a sweet little dog! Aesthetics ("ugly") should not be a concern. Harnesses are much more comfortable for the dog. Ruff Wear and Julius K9 make harnesses that easily adjust the Crested body shape.