Tiny 12 week old puppy hates harness

by Cara
(New Zealand)

Hi,
My 12 week old Pomeranian cross chihuahua puppy absolutely despises her harness, but a collar is too big. Everytime I put it on her she cries blue murder. It's very upsetting to me and embarassing when I take her out to the park. Must I just persist with it until she gets used to it or try something else?

Also, we have 2 older dogs, a male and female, and neither dog has warmed to her yet (and we've had her for about 4 weeks now). She is constantly trying to play and nip at the other dogs even when they growl and bite her back (sometimes even so she yelps), it seems she isn't learning her lesson.

Any suggestions to help with this?
Thanks, Cara.







Hi Cara
If you can't find a collar that is big enough then I would say that you will need to continue with the harness and expect that she will accept it eventually! Some pups are more stubborn (and/or vocal) than others when it comes to making their feelings known, and it sounds as though your little girl is quite forceful in this area. Fairly common for these tiny breeds, they have big personalities :)

Perhaps you could try a cat collar as they come in much smaller sizes. Obviously you'll only find the buckle style, but they're narrow and soft so it might be worth a try.

As for her settling in with the other dogs, it sounds to me as though what's happening is pretty normal. She's indulging in typical puppy behavior and the older dogs are responding in a normal way too. They're letting her know when she's crossed the line. No one is getting hurt as far as I can tell and some growling, snapping and yelping is par for the course. Given time they will eventually work it all out between them.

Hope this helps and puts your mind at rest, best of luck with your dogs.