If your dog has been growling when you put their harness or collar on, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog growl when I put his harness or collar on? Likely reasons why your dog growls when you put its collar on are that the collar is too tight, your dog feels threatened or that your dog has a negative association with the harness.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog growls when you put hits harness or collar on and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.
Why does my dog growl when I put his harness or collar on?
Below are likely reasons why your dog growls when you put his harness or collar on and what would make each fo them more likely.
The collar or harness is too tight
The cause could be that the harness or collar is too tight. This would be more likely if your dog has started growling since you started putting on a tighter collar or harness. If you cannot loosen the harness or collar without your dog easily escaping from it, it would help to try getting a different one.
Your dog feels threatened
The cause could also be that your dog feels threatened due to the way you put the harness on. If you approach it boldly from the front, it is common for dogs to get threatened by it. Instead, it would help to try to be calm when putting the harness on and to avoid being too forceful with your dog.
A rash or allergies
The cause could also be that your dog has a rash or allergies and the harness is rubbing on the rash. This would be more likely if your dog has started doing it suddenly and if you can see that there is a rash.
Your dog has a negative association with the harness
It could also be the case that your dog has learned that it gets things that it does not want when it wears the harness. This would be more likely if your dog has been hesitant to go on walks with you.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your dog has always growled when you put its collar or harness on
If your dog has not always growled when you put his harness on, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started. If your dog started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as getting a rash or a change in the harness or collar that you use.
The timing of when your dog growls
If your dog does not always growl, it would help to consider the timing of when it does. For example, if your dog only does it when you put its harness on quickly, it could be the case that your dog does not like the way you are putting the harness on.
Consider if your dog enjoys walks
If your dog does not enjoy walks, your dog might be growling because it does not actually want to go on the walk.
What to do about my dog growling when I put his harness on?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Change the harness or collar
The first option would be to try using a different harness or collar since there could be a problem with the current one that your are using.
Try loosening it slightly
As long as your dog cannot easily get out of it, it would also help to try loosening the collar slightly.
Put the harness on in a different manner
It would also help to try putting the harness on in a different manner since it might be the case that your dog has a problem with the way you have been putting it on.
Let your dog wear it around the house
It could also help to allow your dog to wear the collar or harness around the house more so that it gets more comfortable with wearing it.