Issue 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 Juliet,

A trachea collapses when extreme pressure causes the cartilage in the trachea to develop defects. Pressure will also cause a dog to cough a lot. If a dog is is not trained how to walk on a leash properly, then the dog will pull and cause pressure on the trachea.  In my opinion, instead of putting a harness on your dog since you dont' care for them, why not train your dog to walk properly on a leash?  There are tons of training books out there that you can read and train her yourself, or it's really fun to join a class and train your dog with other people and their pets.  It's up to you.  So, in short,  I don't think you need to use a harness if you don't like them,  just train her to walk on a lead and you should be able to safely use a collar.  

God Bless,
Becky