gillyb3 Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I would just like to know what people thing of using a dog harness on dogs that pull. Our retriever pulled the moment we got him 2months ago and he choked and tongue turn purple which i hated seeing so we bought a trixie harness for him which his had for about 6wks now and yes he does still pull at times but not quite as bad. I thought this was better that him choking to death . So the reason im asking for views now is that we were walking on the field today and he meet this dog and owner which we meet before and she goes on about harness not good and they just pull more, out of the blue. I take everything to heart thats the way i am. We are working on his pulling but his 8yrs old and it takes time as you all know. So surely its better to use harness that have him choking isnt it?? gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophie Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I use a head collar for Logan - similar situation to you - he was pulling so far he started coughing and choking. Â I admit that I don't have the time to train him to walk properly at the moment. Â So I decided that I'd rather use a head collar and have him enjoy his walks, then to risk doing permanent damage to his airway. Â I'd ignore the person down the field - YOU know what works for YOUR dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnS Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I use a harness with Maddie, for the same reason better than her choking. A lot of it is excitement at going for a walk and she always walks much better on the way home. Ideally all dogs should walk to heel but they don't. Walking to heel takes lots of time and patience to perfect. Don't wory about what this person said, it's your dog and your choice. AnnS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merledogs Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 All five of my dogs wear harnesses. Apart from anything else it's more comfortable for them than either a headcollar or a normal collar and it gives them more freedom of movement around the neck and head. In my experience they pull less, not more, though it can depend on the type of harness you use as some types I've tried slide about on the dogs' body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyMalc Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 I used to walk my two on collars, until Kiera shot forward one day to chase a cat and she nearly choked herself to death - the poor thing was coughing and miserable for half an hour! Funnily enough she hates her harness - as she hates anything round her body - but I'm making her wear it, rather than have her choke herself again. I've not really had the same problem with Sparks, as he doesn't lunge as fast, but I changed to a harness with him when the fireworks started going off and I was worried that he would pull himself out of his collar. As for what the other dog owner said, it might be the case that dogs find harnesses better to pull against, but a collar wouldn't stop them anyway - as you already have noticed. Better stick with the harness while teaching him lead manners I'd say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillyb3 Posted December 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Thankyou all Thats what i needed to hear , i have to say i am one of them owners that will do anything to make their dog very happy, even if it harder on me . Gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 I use harnesses on both of mine Gillian I find them more secure and as one of my dogs pulls on a collar and lead it stops her choking herself silly , as an aside I find she pulls less in her harness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 A lot depends on the harness, I prefer the trail harnesses from TRPD, they do discourage a dog from pulling and as the body strap is further back than most harnesses, if you raise your hand it puts pressure on the dog's tummy/chest and lifts it slightly, this puts the dog off balance so they find it difficult to pull. These harnesses have the strap going either side of the neck instead of round the chest, round the chest encourages a dog to pull, it is very easy for them to push into the chest strap to pull us along, the strap going down the side of the neck makes it more difficult for the dog to push into so he can pull us along. I love the extra short strap on the top of the shoulder as well, it means I can get hold of my dog there if I need extra hold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gremlin22 Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 I walk my dog on a harness, she used to pull quite a bit on a collar and i was worried she was going to hurt herself.As soon as i put her on the harness she stopped pulling. Also if a dog is pulling on a collar and it is holding them back or worse yet tightening around their throat, their natural reaction is to try and get away from it, so they pull more. Some dogs though do pull more on a harness and the headcollars are great for these, you can walk the dog on headcollar and harness and as the dog gets better at not pulling gradually make it so you're only really ever putting weight on the harness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mole Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 .... Some dogs though do pull more on a harness and the headcollars are great for these, you can walk the dog on headcollar and harness and as the dog gets better at not pulling gradually make it so you're only really ever putting weight on the harness. Have to agree ... this is what I do with a puller .... use a harness and a headcollar (I use a gentle leader) and attach a double ended training lead to both harness and headcollar ... then you can alternate between the two depending on the situation. I find it also helps to have two contact points for the lead ... head and body .. to be able to control a reactive dog. I use these harnesses personally http://www.dog-games.co.uk/shop/harnesses-fleece-lined Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillyb3 Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 Thats look very much like his harness but his is blue , he does still pull abit, more so when he sees deer or rabbits etc, today we went to holkham, he saw couple of deer running, boy did he pull and he still trys to choke himself and tongue goes shade of purple. His says you can show me cook chicken all you like mum but deer are way better . He does have quiet a thick neck underside and a big adams apple as i call it. Gillian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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