Q: Our Yorkshire terrier Bentley has a dry, honking cough. His veterinarian said he has a collapsing trachea and recommended we walk him on a harness rather than a neck collar to take the pressure off his throat. Is there anything else we can do to minimize his coughing and help him catch his breath? Please tell us more about this condition. A: Collapsing trachea, also called tracheal collapse, is very common in toy and small-breed dogs like Yorkies. The trachea, or windpipe, is a flexible tube made of cartilage rings that meet at a thin muscle called the trachealis muscle. The trachea collapses because the dog’s cartilage rings are flattened instead of round and/or the trachealis muscle is so wide or pendulous that it sags into the trachea. These characteristics result in a trachea that can’t maintain its shape when the dog inhales and exhales, but instead narrows and …