All Harnesses Are Not Created Equal
For a dog who pulls on the leash, a harness might be a great option. It saves wear and tear on the dog’s neck, throat, airway and thyroid. I hope that you are training–working to decrease the pulling to make walking your dog more enjoyable. Check out the post: How Do I Stop My Dog Pulling On The Leash.
But in the mean time, to give you more control and decrease the dog’s wanting to pull, a harness is a good idea. But many harnesses are hard to get on, clip only on the back thus increasing the likelihood of pulling, or ride up into the dog’s front armpits, causing discomfort.
My Favorite Harness–Two Hound Design Freedom Harness
What do I like about this harness? Mostly that it has a front clip attachment to discourage pulling, but is more comfortable for the dog than most other front clip harnesses, which pull up under the dog’s armpits.
The front clip allows you to control the dog from up near his head (on his chest). This attachment also discourages pulling by not giving the dog a chest strap to lean into, but turns him slightly off center when he goes to pull. This is a dramatic improvement for many dogs.
Two Attachments?
Yes, it has the front clip, discussed above, and also the more traditional ring attachment on his back. The front clip is what I prefer to discourage pulling, but it does pull the front off center. This is normal, but takes some getting used to at first. I personally almost always use just the front clip.
Many owners (actually, most) seem to prefer using both the front and the back attachments. It still gives better control than most harnesses, and stays more centered. You can buy the harness with a special double-ended leash.
My Dog Has Backed Out Of His Harness!
The ring on the back of Two Hound Design Harness is attached to a small loop. While in general I don’t like harnesses that tighten on the dog, this loop is like a martingale anti-slip collar. It tightens a small amount when pulled–enough that the dog can’t back out of the harness, but not so much as to be uncomfortable.
Comfort Is Important
This is a comfortable harness for the dog to wear. It has 4 places to adjust, to insure a good fit. The girth strap doesn’t ride up into the dog’s armpits making them sore, the way many front clip harnesses do. It is also velvet covered to further prevent rubbing.
Sounds Great! Any Drawbacks?
The only drawback I have found is that many dogs will chew the chest strap if the harness is left on while the dog is unattended! The company will repair it free, the first time it happens, then you’re on your own. So this isn’t a harness to leave on the dog all the time.
Size And Color?
The Two Hound Design Freedom Harness comes in many sizes (you’ll need to use the measurement chart), and MANY colors. Something to suit almost anyone.
Training Is Everything!
A harness is great to manage your dog’s pulling while you are training him. Again, see How Do I Stop My Dog Pulling On The Leash. But you and your dog will enjoy your outings far more if you train your dog to walk politely on leash!
So check out the Two Hound Design Freedom Harness! But remember to encourage your dog to be pleasant on leash by training, praising, getting him to engage with you. Walks will become much more fu
n for both of you.
Leave me a comment to let me know how you like the harness, and how your dog is doing on his walks. Or email me directly at keith@goodtimesdogtraining.com.
Happy walking!
Very good article regarding dog harnesses. It is very important for our dogs to have it specially when we are out and about. Thank you so much for sharing all this information and I will share this with others for sure .
Thanks. And I agree, it is very important that dogs wear something comfortable, but that doesn’t encourage pulling.
I feel guilty for using the regular collar as it did give our Mochi so much discomfort. I actually thought the discomfort will discourage the pulling. I’m getting this collar pronto! 🙂
Luigi
it does seem as if the discomfort would stop the dog from pulling, but it doesn’t. Dogs (and other mammals) react to a pull by pulling back. They can be trained to relax pressure to a pull–as when we train our dogs to walk more politely on leash.
Horses are the same. If you tug on a horse’s halter without training him how to react to the pressure, he will often run backwards or bolt forward.
I know it seems to make no sense, but discomfort, choking and gagging often don’t stop the pulling at all. And weird as it seems, I think in general dogs pull worse with a choke collar than a regular collar (and certainly can do more damage).
But don’t beat yourself up! Now you can work to make walking more pleasant for you both! Happy walking!