Are Collars Hurting Our Dogs? 🐕 What This Study Found About Leash Pressure on the Neck

Most of us were taught:

“Just clip the leash to the collar. That’s what it’s for.”

But a veterinary study looking at how much pressure collars put on the neck when dogs pull or get jerked on the leash paints a very different picture — and it has big welfare implications for our pets.

As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and Service Dog Coach, I want to break this down in plain language and give you clear, practical takeaways.

🔬 What Did the Researchers Do?

Researchers built a “fake dog neck” (a rigid tube the size of a medium–large dog’s neck) and wrapped it in a pressure sensor.

Then they tested several common walking tools, including:

Flat collars
Padded collars
Rolled collar
Lurcher-style collar (wide in the front, narrower behind)
Slip lead
Chain/check collar

For each one, they applied three types of leash force to simulate real-life walking:

Light pull – dog just leaning into the leash
Strong pull – dog really pulling
Leash jerk – a quick, sharp tug (like a “correction” or when a dog hits the end of the leash suddenly)

They measured:

How much pressure the neck “felt”
Where that pressure landed (front vs sides of the neck)
How much area of the neck the collar actually pressed on

No live dogs were used – this was all done on a model, so no one was hurt during testing.

📊 What Did They Find?

Short version: When force goes through a collar, the neck gets hit hard.

Key findings in simple terms:

All collars produced very high pressure on the neck when the dog pulled or was jerked on the leash.
Some collars, especially rolled collars and narrow designs, created extremely high pressure in a very small area.
Slip leads and chains often had a small contact area, meaning the force was concentrated more intensely.
Pressure was often focused at the front of the neck – right where the throat, thyroid gland, big blood vessels, and important nerves are.
Even the “best” collars in the study (wider, padded, more surface area) still produced pressure levels considered high enough to potentially cause tissue damage when force was applied.

The researchers concluded that none of the collars tested could be considered “low-risk” when dogs pull or are jerked on the leash.

🧠 Why Should Pet Parents Care?

Your dog’s neck isn’t just a convenient place to attach a leash.

Under that fur you’ve got:

The trachea (windpipe) – important for breathing
The oesophagus – for swallowing
The thyroid gland – crucial for metabolism and energy
Major blood vessels and nerves

Repeated pressure, especially sharp or high pressure, can contribute to:

Coughing or gagging on walks
Aversion to having the collar put on
Pain or discomfort around the neck
Potential longer-term health issues (which may show up as behaviour changes, too)

From a welfare and training perspective, this means:

Tools that rely on neck pressure + pain to “control” the dog are not just outdated – they’re potentially harmful.
Even if you’re not using harsh corrections, a strong puller on a collar is still putting a lot of strain on delicate structures.

✅ What I Recommend as a Force-Free Trainer

Here’s how I translate this study into real-life advice for my clients:

1. Use a well-fitted harness for dogs that pull, lunge, or are in training.

Harnesses shift the pressure away from the vulnerable neck and distribute it across the chest/shoulders.

2. Keep collars mainly for ID tags.

I’m not “anti-collar” – I’m cautious about attaching the leash to the collar, especially for dogs that pull or are still learning loose-leash skills.

3. Avoid leash “corrections” and jerks.

Leash pops/jerks create sudden, very high pressure on the neck. We have kinder and more effective tools now: reward-based training, management, and better equipment.

4. Prioritize loose-leash training.

Instead of fighting against pulling with more force, I focus on teaching:

“Walking on a loose leash earns you what you want”
“Pulling makes forward motion stop”

We do this with positive reinforcement, not pain.

5. Watch for red flags.

If your dog:

Coughs or hacks when on leash
Scratches at the collar a lot
Avoids having the collar put on
Is on a collar and already has neck, airway, eye, or thyroid issues

…it’s time to switch gear and talk to your vet and/or a certified force-free trainer.

❤️ Ethics & Welfare (My Professional Take)

As someone committed to science-based, fear-free training, this study reinforces something really important to me:

Just because a tool “works” doesn’t mean it’s safe or humane.

If we know that collars under pulling and jerking can produce pressure high enough to risk injury, then continuing to rely on those methods — especially when gentler, effective alternatives exist — becomes hard to justify ethically.

That’s why in my work with pet dogs and service dog teams, I:

Recommend harnesses for most leash work.
Avoid using tools and techniques designed to cause discomfort or pain.
Use research like this to help pet parents make informed decisions without guilt or shame — just growth and better choices.

🗣 Let’s Talk: Your Dog & Their Gear

I’d love to hear from you:

👉 Have you ever noticed your dog coughing, gagging, or choking when walking on a collar?

👉 Does this information change how you feel about collars vs harnesses?

Drop your experience or questions in the comments.

If you’d like me to break down more scientific studies like this and turn them into practical advice for you and your dog, comment “SCIENCE” and tell me what topic you’re curious about next (training, nutrition, behavior, enrichment, etc.).

Link to Study

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y8vPdJtlltBkWa3p-CU6LHGmg1Qf_2U7/view?usp=drivesdk

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