Harness

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dressage_diva

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I'm thinking of buying a harness for my chocolate lab this Xmas. My family have always used collars on their dogs out of tradition, but my chocolate lab is a very nervous girl and when she panics in new situations she tends to start pulling. Whilst training has helped no end, she's always going to be nervy (she was attacked by another dog at a young age) and I just think a harness would be kinder on her when she panics and tries to flee. I also think harnesses are much nicer on dogs than collars when walking (think that's the horse owner in me that can't imagine using a collar instead of a headcollar on a horse).

So anyways, are there any styles people recommend or ones I should avoid?

I was looking at some fleece ones as they look softer and more comfortable for the dog, but are there better/kinder ones for dogs? Thanks
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I cannot recommend them personally cos I hate them, they are designed to allow the dog more strength to pull, hence why you do not see a pack of huskys in collars pulling sleds, because they would not by way of restricting their breathing, the harness however gives them more sterength to pull with the whole body.
So a huge no for me, I would rather use a halti(same concept as hoses halti) which is the example u use
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than a harness and still I don't really relish those, good ole slip lead for a non puller and check train and training lead for a puller.
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I cannot recommend them personally cos I hate them, they are designed to allow the dog more strength to pull, hence why you do not see a pack of huskys in collars pulling sleds, because they would not by way of restricting their breathing, the harness however gives them more sterength to pull with the whole body.
So a huge no for me, I would rather use a halti(same concept as hoses halti) which is the example u use
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than a harness and still I don't really relish those, good ole slip lead for a non puller and check train and training lead for a puller.
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Oh, you've really made me re-think this then! I've used a halti on her before but she hates it and my parents (who do most of the walking with her) refuse to use it on her. She clamps her mouth shut (even though it's not anywhere near that tight) and makes it look as though she's had her mouth forced shut (but then mid walk if she needs to yawns she seems to forget that her mouth was 'clamped shut'). She just looks really miserable in it (she's such a nervous and sensitive dog).

The thing is she's not naughty - she will walk to heel fine, but she has moments of panic where she just blindly tries to run when she gets scared by something new. As much as we've tried to acustom her to as many 'scary' things as possible (she's no longer terrified of the binmen) she still has the occasional moments and I want something that is less painful for her than a collar which chokes her when she does panic.
 
It deos take them a little while to get used to them, including letting them wear them around the house and taking attention off the halti when you first start to use it by distracting with treats, one of my clients dog had one(dobi) because of her strength and the check chain has no effect and she lunges at other dogs, there is also a canni collar, I think some recommand those more than the halti, google that.

I think there is a harness thats designed to restrain pulling with thinner rope straps running down the legs, I still dont like them(I like full control, via the head/neck
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, but have a google.
 
A harness is a great idea. I have these:

http://www.doggames.co.uk/shop/

They fit nicely and do not rub my thin skinned lurchers at all. You just train the dog to walk nicely to heel the same as you would with a collar. If you do have problems with a dog pulling then I have seen the Mekuti harnesses work really well
 
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It deos take them a little while to get used to them, including letting them wear them around the house and taking attention off the halti when you first start to use it by distracting with treats

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We've tried that but she refuses to eat with it on (no matter how yummy the treat). When we had to change her food onto a special vet diet, she refused to eat for days on end and only ended up eating because our other lab started eating her food. She is a terrible insecure dog and I think if it wasn't for our other lab (who was recently pts) she probably would have starved herself - I've never met a dog like her at all! We've also tried her in a gentle leader, but I'll look up the canni collar you suggested.

I just want to find something so that if she tries to bolt and panic she doesn't choke and injure herself.
 
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A harness is a great idea. I have these:

http://www.doggames.co.uk/shop/

They fit nicely and do not rub my thin skinned lurchers at all. You just train the dog to walk nicely to heel the same as you would with a collar. If you do have problems with a dog pulling then I have seen the Mekuti harnesses work really well

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Thanks they're like the ones I was looking at. I don't think we'd have any trouble getting her to walk to heel in one of these as she already knows 'heel' it's just when something scares her she tries to bolt!
 
For a big dog with a strong centre of gravity like a lab, which pulls, then in my humble opinion a harness is as much use as a chocolate teapot
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As Cayla says I would use a slip lead, half check or, if you prefer, a headcollar.
 
I use one of these on my lad:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=483&pf_id=5992

It tightens as they pull. He's gets on really well with it and he's a big strong boy (Ridgeback). My OH prefers using a slip lead but I'm not 100% confident that I can hold him in one so prefer this harness. I agree though that the harnesses that don't tighten are useless for a puller as they just set their weight against you
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Oh and I think the one Cayla is talking about, the very thin one, is a Lupi. Which helped my dog to help me put my back out
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and rubbed all the hair off his underarm and belly.
For a chronic puller, no good!
 
I hate them.

See loads of staffies in them, can't quite work out whether its an image thing with them.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but at the end of the day our dogs should be able to walk nicely on the lead. A lot of training, time & effort and you will get there in the end.

I had a year old ish big GSD who went through a stage of lunging at other dogs, I could not hold her, it was the same as my 16.3hh horse tanking off with me at the end of a leadrope, I was at my wits end with her.

Training, training & more training. I found a brilliant teacher, trained her using a check chain and I know many people don't like them either but it worked for us and if they're used correctly I don't see the problem. I don't have this problem with her anymore, she walks beautifully on the lead now, actually to be fair she always did walk very nicely on the lead, her heel work is fab, it was when she saw another dog.

I do not agree that harnesses are better for dogs than collars at all, sorry.
 
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I use one of these on my lad:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=483&pf_id=5992

It tightens as they pull. He's gets on really well with it and he's a big strong boy (Ridgeback). My OH prefers using a slip lead but I'm not 100% confident that I can hold him in one so prefer this harness. I agree though that the harnesses that don't tighten are useless for a puller as they just set their weight against you
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We use this one too. No pulling and certainly doesn't encourage the dog to use their weight against you.
 
I think kibob is onto the right solution with an elasticated harness. The advantage of elastic is as the dog pulls it is pulled back without jarring.

Another similar option would be a fleece lined harness like the Trixie, attached to an Ezydog Cujo elastic lead which has a proper handle. You can get extensions for the lead, but we found it works best kept short.

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=112&pf_id=50365&co=fr

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=233&pf_id=53219
 
Can I ask anyone who uses those bungee/stetchy leads, if a dog were to tow you or lunge, how much control do you have?
Thinking more the plastic shiny ones, I know they are available in webbing, too.
They look to me like they would prove as problematic as the handle of an extendable/flexi lead - I imagine it is hard to control an excited/fixated dog when all you have to grab onto is a big lump of plastic.

Just wondering, I have never used the former, and not the the latter in about 15 years

9/10 large/strong dogs I have ever seen in public in a harness, including my own
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, was pulling way out in front and almost, if not totally, walking on its' rear legs - labs, huskies, boxers, staffs, American bulldogs, all sorts. Even scruffy terriers, come to think.
Of course the lead helps - a lot of them were on chain leads, great!!!

Obs for a lurcher or smaller dog with less power, they are more suitable.

Sorry to go off topic
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Not a fan of harnesses, though never used one so can't really offer an opinion. Imo you can't beat a check chain for a short sharp correction when a dog is pulling. I also have used a Gencon headcollar on Evie when she was younger, similar idea to a halti but the control comes from the back of the head rather than the muzzle,, more effective and the dogs seem to prefer them.
ttp://www.gencon-allin1.co.uk/
 
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I think kibob is onto the right solution with an elasticated harness. The advantage of elastic is as the dog pulls it is pulled back without jarring.



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I know it sounds like it from the description in my link, but the one I use isn't elastic. The straps that go under the legs are webbing and pass through a metal ring on the top of the dogs shoulders. They slide through and tighten if the dog pulls,,
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Not sure I've explained it clearly.

Crikey, I'd be catapulted out of the county if I used anything elastic on Ki
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As I posted before, if you have a dog that pulls then try a Mekuti harness. I had heared of them but never used one until I looked after a friend's very large boisterous lab one weekend. He was intent on dragging me everywhere, but using this harness correctly he was walking to heel within minutes. I have also seen the Gencon and Dogmatic headcollars work well, but have never used one myself.
 
I use the dog games harness on my lab and goldie. Have to say, just to go against the grain, Ronnie's a puller of the collar... but not the harness.
My sister also had once on her mini schnauzer, but he has problems in his throat so a collar isnt an option.

Ronnie
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Mac
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...and last but not least, Ben
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oops sorry they're so big, thought it would give a good idea of what they're like
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Elle
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We use a harness for the flyball dogs when they are racing, but not for general walking. No one has ever had a problem with rubbing etc, but they do need correct fitting, just like any equipment used, be it dog or horse.
The dogs actually love them, probably because they know they are about to have a load of fun. Jess lifts he leg to get into her harness.
I personally don't think they help with a dog which pulls or lunges though.
 
I used a non-pull harness on my greyhound and he was much easier to walk with it than his collar and when he did his acrobatic leaps i found i had better control and it didn't jerk me off balance like without it. The harness came with simple instructions to train the dog to walk better while using it and they seemed to work as i can now walk him in just a collar with only the odd moment he forgets his manners, not trying to tow me along for most of the walk like before.

I ordered the WWW harness from america (2 Hounds Shop), it was a reasonable price & postage. The harness had great recommendations from other greyhound owners so didn't mind paying a bit more for something i knew was good quality, would fit well and work. I'd already bought a useless non-pull harness that had the snap fastener right where the spine would be so you couldnt fit it tight enough to prevent escape without it possibly causing discomfort.

I really like the design it has a velvet covered girth strap so doesn't rub and clips on both sides so you can pop it on over the head and not faff about getting the dog to step in it like most harnesses. Both my dogs are happy to wear it and it seems comfortable for them. You can also clip an extra lead to the front chest ring if you need extra control. I just got black to blend with my dogs coats but they come in lots of colours and patterns.
 
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