There’s nothing quite like that feeling of getting home at the end of a long day and getting comfy, popping my PJs on and taking my bra off – heaven!
Let’s face it, most of us would be quite happy never having to wear one again – and that got me thinking about whether the same could be said for our dogs. After all, the feel and fit of a harness is probably very similar to wearing a bra!
As we all know our bras aren’t always comfortable - I know I’ve got that one bra that sits in the back of the drawer that I’ve never worn because it’s uncomfortable or where the wire pops out. The good news is I can choose which one to wear – or not to wear one at all if I don’t want to.
But our dogs don’t necessarily have that choice.
What does the law say?
As any responsible dog owner knows, a harness or collar with an ID tag is required by law in a public place. The ID tag should include your name and address, and dog owners can be fined up to £2000 if they don’t comply (there are some exceptions, mainly for working dogs).
But what about at home?
There is no requirement for your dog to wear a collar, harness or ID while in your home, so – in the same way we remove our bras – you can consider letting your dog get comfy in the same way we do!
Be vigilant to ensure comfort
If your dog’s’ harness/collar goes on in the morning and potentially doesn’t come off until bedtime – or at all, you need to be vigilant about their well-being and comfort. They might have been out that morning and ran through brambles, rolled in a nice pile of mud or launched themselves into the river, picking up mud, twigs, leaves and ending up sopping wet and filthy - it’s a little like doing a muddy obstacle course and having to stay in your wet, dirty clothes all day!
When my dogs are at home, they are completely naked – no collars, no harnesses – I personally believe this gives them the opportunity to feel the most relaxed and comfortable. They can sleep without a buckle pressing into them, they can stretch and move without any restrictions and there’s nothing poking or prodding them that might have got stuck on them or their collar/harness.
After walking my dogs, I check them over and often pick out things like sticky buds, grass seeds and dried mud (just to name a couple). If I were to keep them in their harness all day, I might miss those things that would probably be uncomfortable and, particularly in the case of grass seeds, could cause quite significant injury or infection if they’re allowed to work their way in to my dogs’ bodies.
Top tips for comfortable collars & harnesses
I know a lot of people keep collars on their dogs at home as a safety measure and to provide peace of mind should they manage to escape the house or garden – in fact it’s the most popular reasoning we’ve seen from people to keep them “dressed”.
It’s totally understandable and there’s nothing wrong with doing this – but it’s important to make sure they’re comfortable.
Here are our top tips:
- Have a soft/flat material collar that doesn’t rub or irritate your dog
- Ensure collar well fitted i.e. not too tight on our dogs but also not loose enough that it could get caught on anything
- Have flat fitting ID tag so less chance of getting caught, being noisy for our dog and to ensure comfort
- You could also consider a collar which has your details printed or embroidered on it instead of a metal or plastic tag
- Make sure your harness doesn’t have any contact points that will rub if it is worn for a prolonged period of time (or any buckles or metal that could cause injury)
- Ensure that after every walk, you carefully check the collar/harness for any debris and remove it
What extra steps can you take if you want your dog to be ‘naked’?
One of the most important things to do is to make sure your house and garden is as secure as possible, to minimise the risk of your dog getting out accidentally.
- Consider adding a child’s stairgate to any internal doors that open onto your hallway. It’s quick and easy to pop your dog behind the stairgate before opening the front door to prevent them from escaping
- Make sure your garden fences are tall enough that your dog can’t jump over them and do not have any breaks or missing panels that could provide an escape route
- Supervise your dog while they are in the garden so you know what they are doing and where they are
- Make it a habit to check where your dog is before opening any external doors or gates
- Train an emergency stop and recall! If your dog does accidentally get out, having a reliable stop and recall should enable you to get them to return to you as quickly and safely as possible.