Is It Good For My Dog To Wear Their Dog Harness On All Day?

Whether you’re a new or a long-time dog owner, you’ve surely heard the benefits of wearing a harness over a collar on your dog. The former tends to be better in controlling and keeping your fur baby from injuries since it discourages pulling.

But, is it something that your dog can wear all day, like collars?  

Let’s examine the matter by getting to know harnesses better and the benefits and dangers of wearing them all day. 

How do dog harnesses work?

Dog harnesses are usually made of breathable nylon and mesh lining that’s wrapped around your dog’s chest and back. With this design, the pressure that’s usually concentrated on your dog’s neck from using a collar is spread across its body.

Consequently, neck injuries and tracheal damages become less likely when your dog’s pulling hard during a walk. 2021 Australian study findings even suggest that dogs tend to pull more steadily when they’re wearing a harness, which means that even if your dog pulls hard, it wouldn’t be experiencing much stress. 

But, the benefits of dog harnesses don’t simply end there. Modern harnesses are now designed to be worn all day—not just during a walk. So, here are a few of its benefits.

Benefits

1. The bulkiness of a harness makes it easier to grab your dog. Having something safe to grab on is beneficial, whether you're craving a hug or pulling your dog out of danger. 
2. It helps aged dogs and dogs with orthopaedic conditions to get up without much pain.
3. Harnesses with reflective stripes make it easier to spot your dog during nighttime.
4. Wearing a harness all the time can improve your dog’s familiarity with the harness. This is especially important for training.
5. It’s aesthetic! You can even match it with NALZO's mini hair scrunchies, oversized hair scrunchies and dog bandanas.

Dangers 

1. The constant rubbing of the harness against your dog’s skin can cause irritation. This is especially likely when the harness is too small or tight. 
2. If your dog is wearing a wet harness, bacteria and fungi might start to thrive on it and cause your dog’s skin infection. 
3. Dirty and poorly maintained harnesses would start to smell.
4. Harnesses pose a choking hazard to dogs who chew a lot since they tend to swallow the small parts of a harness.
5.  A harness that is too tight could pull your dog’s beautiful hair. 

As you can see, most of the dangers are due to the harness's fitting and nature. Hence, if you want your pooch to dazzle with a harness, you must know which one best suits your dog.

Choosing the right harness for your dog

In choosing a suitable harness, you should consider the style and fitting.

Style

There are two main styles of harnesses that you can choose from—strap and vest. 

Strap-Style harnesses are lightweight and cover less of the body, hence it’s good for dogs with constraint anxiety. However, this may cause more chafing. In comparison, the Vest-Style is bulkier and can provide better control while maintaining breathability. 

Fitting

A harness is considered a good fitting when you can fit two fingers between your dog’s body and the harness. If it’s too tight, skin irritation and hair matting might be observed. And if it’s too loose, you’re risking the possibility of an escape.

Final thoughts

These considerations vary for every dog. A harness may be comfortable to one and may not be to another. Hence, make sure to base your decision on your fur baby’s comfort and preference.