Collapsed Trachea

Question
Hi I have a 2.5 year old Lab male. He is a wonderful dog, good mannered, disciplined and extremely lovable. The only problem with his is that he is a heavy puller. He call make anyone run after him, when his is on a leash. Last evening, when he was on a walk with me, he as usually was pulling the leash heavily. The problem, is that he had a purple tongue due to this. I made him on the ground immediately, gave him water and then his tongue started becoming pink again. Back home, his tongue had gone back to the natural color. I would like to know, was this a case of tracheal collapse, or just a case of severe case of choking on the collar. I had a talk with my vest last night and was suggested using a harness to walk him in future. I live in India, its extremely humid these days, so can the weather be an influencer to the problem. This has not occurred earlier. Kindly suggest if Labs also suffer from Collapsed Trachea.
Regards, Saugat

Answer
Unfortunately, I am not a vet and do not know anything about tracheal collapse.  This is best directed to your vet.  Chances are his tongue just changed color due to pulling so hard and choking himself.

Harnesses were designed for pulling, so if you use one, you will not discourage the pulling.

Do you have places in India that teach dog obedience.  You need a course on how to teach the dog to walk properly.  The course would be more for YOU so you learn how to train the dog right.  Also, if available in your country, you may want to look for a PRONG (or PINCH) collar.  These help train a dog quicker.