Dog Harness?

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
I am thinking about getting Buddy one of those walking harnesses, to help him not lunge/pull when he sees another dog. (yes, yes, i AM working on teaching Buddy that is not the reaction i want from him, but this IS taking a lil longer than i'd thought, but we ARE getting there.... slowly, slowly, one dog at a time...buddy's got some "dog issues" he is still working on..)

Plus, when Craig walks him, Buddy pulls all the way down the street, sniffing stuff and all that, and then the weight is then across Buddy's trachea, and Craig is harder to train than Buddy..

So, I've tried some on Buddy, seems they all have a buckle right exactly where it will hit Buddy's front leg when his leg is moving back...wonder why they don't put the buckle up onto the back..???????

Looked online, most of those have the buckle again, exactly where the dog's elbow would tap the buckle with every step..OR, the buckle would/could rub the backside of buddy's armpit area with each step...

THAT'S IT!! I'M HANGING UP MY STETHYSCOPE AND GOING INTO DOG PRODUCT DESIGN!!:msngiggle:

Anyone use a harness? Didja like it? what brand did you like/not like?

Anyone disapprove of harnesses? I don't know a lot about them...seems a good idea, (for our long walks only, not all day long).... am i wrong?

A local dog trainer said only get the kind with a FRONT hook, not the kind that hooks onto their back...Is that true?
 

ruffmuttk9z

New Member
If Buddy is allowed to pull someone all the way down the street, you're not working very hard to correct the problem. If the dog's pulling you shouldn't be moving. I would save your money on the harness and look into a trainer that knows how to fix this problem.
 

charmedwolf

Moderator
Staff member
I personally wouldn't get a harness as from my experience my boys and girls seem to pull harder on the harness even the ones with the clip in the front. I think a better bet would be either getting a head halti/ gentle leader, moving backwards when he pulls, stopping all together or stop walks and play inside.
 

fickla

Experienced Member
Your average harness is only going to help Buddy pull with his entire body weight. Sled dogs are put into a harness so they can pull. I have nothing against harnesses, but they do make it easier for your dog to pull.

The one your trainer mentioned, with the hook in front, is the antipulling harness called the Easy Walk. A lot of people say they can help a lot, although generally not as much as a Gentle Leader.

But really I prefer not to put my dog in anything other than a buckle collar, or possibly a normal harness, so I can TEACH them how to walk nicely. Any tool, such as the Easy Walk, Gentle Leader, etc. don't teach your dog anything, it's just a way to manage the situation. So as long a you are working on teaching Buddy to walk nicely, even when he sees another dog, I don't see a problem with using one. It's just one more thing you're going to have to fade though in the long run.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
I would definitely recommend the Gentle Leader. This was the ONLY way Z would learn to walk properly. Used EVERY leash training method known to man(EXCEPT prong/pinch collars), was consistent with each, gave enough time to sink in....and consistently got NOWHERE. Bought a Gentle Leader and he was perfect within 3 days(that's actually very fast...for many dogs the GL can take up to 3 weeks to get completely adjusted). GREAT GREAT GREAT for reactive dogs, fearful dogs, virtually any dog. I think the GL sounds right up Buddy's alley. Carefully read the instructions and follow them to a T. There are also videos on how to use the GL on Abri Online. (Think I've given you this link before, but if you don't have if off hand just ask.)

Craig is going to have to stick with the program too, or Buddy won't get anywhere.

Also, don't like Haltis as well for the simple reason that they don't come with the great tutorials like the GL, and they don't have the clip on the bottom of the nose strap...I've seen dogs slip out of those in less than 3 seconds if they haven't adjusted to them yet.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
  • Tx, was Zeke cured then? like even on other leashes, now? Zeke was able to transfer his "walking nicely" onto other leashes, or only on the GL?
Well, the trainer at buddy's new dog school, talked me into this lil simple, three strap harness. She sorta flamboozled me into buying it, but, Buddy doesn't seem to mind it, runs over to me when i hold it, doesn't shake around to adjust it/get it off his back, like he did with another brand i had tried. It is so small, it doesn't even show on his fur. Wish i knew the brand, the teacher was quite enthused about whatever brand it is..
Edit: it is called "Hug a dog" brand. Real tiny thing, it is. I added my own clip onto strap on his back, hooking to front thing didn't seem to work out for Buddy...


It does help with walking him. I use it for class, so in case i am not fast enough to nip buddy's "YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME!?" :dogmad:attitude towards the rottweiler in class, at least Buddy's trachea is spared the damage.

All winter, we used this 20' extending leash, and i said, "Come spring, i will get serious about teaching him to heel, when it is nicer outside."

BUT HERE IS THE NEW BIG REALIZATION: THOSE EXTENDING LEASHES KINDA MESS UP BUDDY'S ABILILTY TO COMPREHEND/UNDERSTAND THE "NO PULL" COMMAND!!

Maybe, cuz the extending leash pulls a lil bit all the time..or maybe Buddy couldn't keep track how much leash he had left?, :dogwacko:but for whatever reason, on a normal 6' leash, Buddy gets it now!! WOW!
ANYONE OUT THERE TRYING TO TEACH THEIR DOG "NO PULL"--leave your extending leash at home!!! Worked for my dog anyway!!
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
It takes time. You start with the Gentle Leader on every time you walk, leash attached, then start slowly transitioning into GL on, but leash clipped to collar. Then leash to collar, no GL. He's perfect now without the GL, but simply because he's sooooo easily distracted and so timid(and has a history of fear aggression), I keep it on in really distracting, high-traffic places just in case. In time he won't need it at all, but for now it's kind of mine and his security blanket and a reminder for what is expected of him.

I'll try to post some pictures. Once I get my video camera I can explain that way too. ^^
 

brenda taulbee

New Member
On a different note, can anyone recommend of a halter designed for pulling? Kenzii has always been a big puller also, so we decided to channel that energy into something productive by teaching her to pull us around town on the longboard. However, her collar was obviously not going to be good for intense pulling, so we bought her a halter so she could pull us, but she refuses to put any pressure on it. The good news, no pulling problem when she's harnessed. The bad news, no four-legged longboard engine, and she's still awful in her collar.
 

bellapup

Well-Known Member
I've been thinking about getting gentle leader myself. Someone recommended the prongs, but there is NO WAY I'm getting that nasty looking thing around Bella's neck, not even as a last resort. Puppy exuberance does not call for harsh treatment. I've tried so many things like the stopping and going...but when I stop, Bella sits down, and lets me walk in front for a few steps before she lunges forward again. I've tried giving her a treat for keeping at my heels, but she gets so involved with all of the smells around that she could care less about a treat. I've even tried turning around every time she pulls, but she just seems to be just as happy going one way as the other, and doesn't seem to get the point that it's a bad thing that we have to go backwards.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Gentle Leaders are quite possibly the best invention in the training world. I'm in love with them. ^^ I refuse to use a prong collar on any dog in my hands. Prong and choke collars wouldn't have worked for Z even if I had tried them. He's such an insanely high drive dog, and you can just tell with some dogs if that kind of device would work with them or not. But I don't think they are EVER necessary. Anywho....I'm a firm believer that ALL dogs are trainable in some way...but no leash training method known to man worked for Zeke. When I got the GL, he was PERFECT within 10-15 minutes. I was astonished. If a GL will work for Zekers then it will work for a huge variety of dogs. IF you read the manual and watch the video, they work WONDERS. If you let your dog scratch it off all the time, then no, you're not going to get anywhere. Once I get my video camera(soon, YAY!) I might post a video or something about GLs and how to use them. They are WONDERFUL and I would recommend them to just about anyone.
 
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