The Walk Journal
Research-backed guides for owners of dogs that pull. Real studies, real sources, no fluff.
Science · 5 min read
Collar vs Harness: What the Science Actually Says
Every dog owner makes one small decision with a big impact on their dog's health: what the leash attaches to. Here is what published veterinary research says.
1. Collar pressure raises the pressure inside your dog's eyes
Researchers measured intraocular pressure while dogs pulled against a collar and against a harness. Pressure inside the eye rose significantly with a collar, but not with a harness. The authors recommend harnesses for any dog with eye conditions.
Source: Pauli AM, Bentley E, Diehl KA, Miller PE (2006). "Effects of the application of neck pressure by a collar or harness on intraocular pressure in dogs." Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 42(3):207-211.
2. Every collar type reaches injury-level pressure when a dog pulls
Nottingham Trent University tested padded, flat, rolled, wide and narrow collars on a model neck with realistic pulling forces. All of them produced pressures high enough to risk neck injury. Padding changes comfort, not physics.
Source: Carter A, McNally D, Roshier A (2020). "Canine collars: an investigation of collar type and the forces applied to a simulated neck model." Veterinary Record 187(7).
3. Harnesses do not make behaviour worse
A controlled study compared dogs walking on collars and harnesses and found no evidence that harnesses increase pulling or stress. Behaviour stayed the same; only the pressure point moved off the throat.
Source: Grainger J, Wills AP, Montrose VT (2016). "The behavioral effects of walking on a collar and harness in domestic dogs." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 14:60-64.
What this means for your dog
If your dog pulls even sometimes, every tight leash is a pressure spike on their throat and eyes. A front-clip harness removes that spike entirely, and redirects the pulling into a gentle turn toward you, which is why front-clip designs also give you back control of the walk.
Dog Health · 6 min read
The Hidden Damage: What Happens Under Your Dog's Collar
Your dog coughs when they hit the end of the leash, shakes it off and keeps walking. Most owners see it daily and think nothing of it. Here is what is happening under the collar.
The neck was never built for this
Under a few centimetres of skin sit the trachea, the thyroid gland, the jugular veins and the cervical spine. When a strong dog lunges, the full force of their bodyweight concentrates onto that thin strip of tissue. Measured on a simulated neck, every collar type tested reached pressures capable of causing injury during pulling.
Source: Carter A, McNally D, Roshier A (2020). "Canine collars: an investigation of collar type and the forces applied to a simulated neck model." Veterinary Record 187(7).
The damage you cannot see: the eyes
The most surprising finding in the research: pulling against a collar significantly raises the pressure inside a dog's eyes — pulling against a harness does not. For breeds prone to eye problems, a collar on a pulling dog is a daily, invisible strain.
Source: Pauli AM, Bentley E, Diehl KA, Miller PE (2006). "Effects of the application of neck pressure by a collar or harness on intraocular pressure in dogs." J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 42(3):207-211.
"But my dog is fine"
Collar damage is not about wearing a collar. It is about repeated force through it. An ID collar on a loose leash is harmless. The risk starts when the leash goes tight, and it scales with how hard and how often your dog pulls. Strong breeds generate the highest forces, and they are exactly the dogs that pull the most.
The fix is mechanical, and it works on day one
Training loose-leash walking takes weeks. Moving the leash to a chest harness removes 100% of the neck pressure on the very first walk, and research shows no behavioural downside: dogs do not pull more on a harness. The chest and shoulders are built to push and carry; the throat is not.
Source: Grainger J, Wills AP, Montrose VT (2016). "The behavioral effects of walking on a collar and harness in domestic dogs." Journal of Veterinary Behavior 14:60-64.
Ready to end the pulling?
Every product we make moves the force off the neck and onto the chest.