A Chihuahua should never be walked with just a collar and leash.
Chihuahuas may be tough little dogs, but they are also more prone to injury. Wearing a harness disperses the pressure from one smaller area on the neck, to the back and the body. It spreads the stress over a larger surface area.
Choking Injuries
Neck and trachea injuries are very common with Chihuahuas. If you walk your dog with only a collar, every time they pull on the leash it may damage the neck and put too much pressure on the trachea and could cause the trachea to collapse. Even the smallest amount of pressure can cause injury.
If the leash is attached to a harness instead of the collar, the pressure when they pull is on the body between the shoulders and not on the delicate neck. There is no pressure directly on the neck.
Tangling
When your Chihuahua is fighting the leash or gets excited they sometimes start jumping and twisting. Then you and your dog can get tangled up in the leash and could cause you to trip and fall and even injure yourself.
Having the leash attached to the harness on the dog’s back instead of the collar on the neck it becomes more difficult for your dog to get tangled up
Training
Even if your Chi is trained to walk nicely on a leash, they can still get excited when they see another dog or a squirrel. Walking using a harness allows you to continue reinforcing the leash training.
If your dog is not leash trained, it is essential to use a harness for leash training. There’re harnesses that are specifically designed for that purpose.
15Black Crystal Bow & Crown Harness
Handmade with over 1,000 crystals in two rows – More colors
Perlee Green Faux Leather Harness
Shiny green faux leather dog harness adorned with dewy droplets and topped off with a bow. Matching dog leash is also available. More Colors
White Pearl Harness
Shiny nude faux leather dog harness adorned with a row of large white pearls and topped off with a bow. Matching dog leash is also available.
For leash training, I recommend the Halti Dog Harness. The reason this one works so well is that it uses front control steering. Yep, you read that right, just like a car, that has a front-wheel-drive for better control. This harness uses front control steering!
When my dogs see me get out the leash, they immediately go into an excited dance because they know it means they are going for a walk! Do yours? It is much easier to attach the leash to a harness on the back than it is to a collar around the neck while they are doing all that dancing around!
Security
It is much more difficult to wiggle out of a harness than it is to wiggle out of a collar, providing the harness fits properly and is the right size for your dog.
When traveling in the car (I take my dogs everywhere with me), it is for safety reasons that you should always use a seat belt to keep them safe and secure while riding in the car.
A harness is an easy way to attach the seatbelt to the dog so they will remain safe and in case of an accident (hopefully you never have a car accident!), a harness attached to the seatbelt will keep them securely in place.