Concern regarding pomeranians

Question
Hi,

I just got a pomeranian puppy. She is 10 weeks old and about 2 1/2 pounds. I've never owned a toy breed such as a pomeranian before... my other dog which I used to own before she died a couple of months ago was a 25 pound american eskimo. My question is... I've been reading and hearing from a lot of people that it is a very bad idea to put a collar on toy breeds such as pomeranians because they can get a collapsed tracea from the collar and that you should use a harness instead.

So I went out and bought two different harnesses to try out. Both harnesses were the correct size for my pomeranian but those harnesses are plain awful. If you ask me... upon inspecting how the harness lays on the dog's neck the harness puts MORE pressure on the tracea than a regular collar! I just was not impressed with the harnesses. I would much rather use a loose fitting collar on her but after reading all these warnings about collapsed traceas from collars I'm worried about putting a collar on her.

How common are collapsed traceas in pomeranians that were caused by collars? Are the VERY common? Or do collapsed traceas only result from collars if there is EXCESSIVE pulling on the neck while the dog has the collar on? I mean, if I'm not pulling/yanking on her neck when she has the collar on... it should be safe to use a collar instead of a harness, right?

Am I being too paranoid for no reason or am I correct to be conerned about her getting a collapsed tracea if I continue to use a collar instead of a harness?

I'm hoping it is SAFE to use a collar instead of a harness because I was not impressed with those harnesses at all. I've never owned a toy breed before. My american eskimo wore a collar with no problems of course so I've never faced this issue before...

Thanks for your time,
Juliet

Answer
Hi Julia;
I have been trying to find some information on this problem, but so far have had no luck.
Call your vet about this.
I have never used harnesses because a Vet told me, a long time ago, that harnesses tend to put strain on a dog's front joints and cause problems later on.
You need a much more expert answer on this than i can give you.
Contact a pomeranian breeder that has a lot of experience with these particular dogs, and your vet.
These dogs have such delicate little bones anyway. they don't need additional strain.
I can see where it is logical that a tight collar, or a heavy collar or leash could put a lot of strain on the trachea, by pulling on it, or the collar being too tight.
You need the collar loose enough, but tight enough so it won't slip off their head and lose their tags.
Charlotte