Top 5 Dog Collars and Dog Harnesses

This is a mixed list of 5 dog collars and harnesses that have their own merits and are not necessarily directly comparable to each other. Different dog collars may be better or worse for your dog depending on your situation, and in fact, you can use some of them together, such as a headcollar for walks and a snap safety collar for general identification.

Gentle Leader Headcollar1. Gentle Leader Headcollar

The Petsafe Gentle Leader Headcollar is a fantastic invention for keeping your dog walking nicely without pulling. While it is somewhat of a crutch and you should appropriately train your dog to heel when walking, the Gentle Leader is great in the meantime to make walks easy. We love these dog collars a lot because even my two-year-old son can hold my 80 lb German Shepherd’s leash when we go out for a walk.The way it works is by going over your dog’s ears and nose, with the leash attaching at a strap on the bottom. Then, it turns your dogs head to the side when they begin to hit the end of the leash and so, like a horse when you turn the reins, they are not able to continue at full force forward and are forced to turn to the side.

With 1,238 reviews on Amazon and a 4.5 star rating, I’m confident you’ll love this collar too. It’s a great way to keep from getting surprised when your dog hits the end of leash full force.

The only downsides to these dog collars are that it may take a bit to get the adjustment exactly right so the nose loop doesn’t slip off.  You might also have to get your dog accustomed to it by having them wear it while giving treats at home, because otherwise they may spend the entire walk trying to rub it off.

2Easy Walk Dog Harness. Easy Walk Dog Harness

The Petsafe Easy Walk Dog Harness functions in a similar way to the Gentle Leader. It fastens around your dog’s body and the leash fastens in the front on the chest. When your dog hits the end of the leash, the force pulls him sideways and he has a tougher time pushing on forward. With 4 stars on Amazon, people are very happy with this product and I have heard nothing but good things, personally.

The only downside from the reviews seem to be that if you get the wrong size, your dog can get cuts under its legs, so be careful when sizing or attach padding at the legs.

Safety Snap Dog Collars3. Snap Safety Dog Collars

These Snap Safety Dog Collars are great because the information printed on the collar is very easily seen by people who might not be able to get close enough to grab your dog if it’s lost.

They are also fantastic because they are snapped instead of buckled. Why is this important? Because on rare occasions your dog may get stuck on something, or they may be playing with another dog and the other dog may get its mouth stuck on your dog’s collar. If your dog’s collar is a buckle, it will take you far too long to get scissors or a knife to cut it loose, because it will be too tight to pull it off. However, snap dog collars can be undone in seconds in a life threatening emergency and tension has no bearing on them working. I don’t recommend using this as a walking collar if your dog pulls hard as it can hurt your dog’s neck.

With 5 stars on average and no 1 star reviews, you can be certain this is a fantastic buy.

Martingale Dog Collars4. Martingale Dog Collars

When I learned about the martingale dog collar I thought it was great. Martingales are very versatile for people who like to have their dogs collarless when they’re in the house or for other reasons, because they slip right off and on. It’s particularly nice for people who have greyhounds or whippets or other breeds with hardly any difference between neck and head size (these breeds can back out of a regular collar fairly easily), because they tighten as they are pulled on, but they are limited in how far they collapse and are soft fabric or nylon, unlike a choke collar. As above, I don’t recommend using this as a walking collar if your dog pulls hard as it can hurt your dog’s neck.

I’d recommend this martingale collar, because it has a snap buckle that’s personalized, so you don’t have to worry about tags or not being able to get it off in an emergency. Or this one if you need something a bit cheaper.

Puppia Soft Dog Harness5. Puppia Soft Dog Harness

This is a softer take on a dog harness, and stylish too. This harness has 4.5 stars on Amazon, with people mostly having glowing reviews of it and the only complaints seem to be occasional problems with stitching quality, in which case Amazon of course will take a return. The design distributes the pressure on the dog’s chest so they don’t hurt themselves if they do pull, which is great. It’s also very sturdy and extremely hard to slip out of. This would be a good solid harness if you prefer walking harness style.

Any great dog collars or harnesses that I missed? Let me know in the comments!