Today I'll let you in on a
big dog training secret: harnesses DO NOT teach dogs to pull.
Let it sink in for a moment.
Despite of this being
repeated over and over again by even otherwise reputable trainers
around, it's an utter nonsense. A harness is a piece of equipment, a
few nylon straps and several plastic clips, and a d-ring. It's like
saying that buying chocolate will make you fat. It's what you do with
it that may make you fat, if you eat it all in one go, you may gain a
few grams instantly. If you give it to your friend, you will stay
slim but they will get fat, wouldn't that be great?:-)
If you allow your dog to
pull you, it completely doesn't matter what they wear. Have you never
seen a dog pulling on a collar? Either flat, or half-choke or even a
choke chain or a slip lead? I certainly have. And it doesn't look
good, and sounds even worse. The dog's body is all strained, his neck
bent and his front feet scraping the pavement? His eyes are bulging
and he makes choking noises as he ploughs on dragging his owner at
the other end of the leash. So maybe the collar taught him to pull???
Why the same trainer, who would banish the harness in this situation
will never banish the collar then? Because what other thing do they
have left? But if it was a harness, OMG, take this off, it's a
devil's device, here put this slip lead on, without the oxygen they
will have less strength to pull...
I love harnesses, I've used
them on all my own dogs, my foster dogs and most of my clients' dogs.
Some of them pulled when I got them but guess what? Not because of
wearing harnesses, many of them never had a harness on. And no,
putting a harness on didn't instantly cured them either, it takes
time and experimenting with the proper technique for a particular
dog.
So why a harness is one of
my favourite pieces of gear?
They are more comfortable
for the dog. And this matters a lot to me. A well fitted harness with
a nice padded chest plate doesn't restrict movement, doesn't press on
any vital organs, doesn't put a strain on the spine. When I climb I
wear a harness too, not a rope around my waist and thighs like it was
years ago. We made harnesses for the climber's comfort and safety,
the same goes for dogs.
The dog's neck is a very,
very, did I say very?, sensitive body part. Under the skin there are:
the spine with all the vertebrae and the discs between them; spinal
cord with all the nerves running down to the rest of the body; veins
and arteries including the major one; oesophagus; trachea; thyroid;
and of course muscles and other soft tissue. I may have missed
something but even this is enough if you understand that pressure on
this area affects all of the above.
Regular compressing of this
region with a collar, particularly the tightening ones like the slip
aka gun dog lead and a choke chain will lead to discomfort for the
dog, if not pain. Which will not be detected immediately due to the
fact that dogs are very reluctant to show both. Even flat collars, if
the dog pulls a lot, will cause the same issues. Dogs with collapsed
trachea come to mind first, ocular problems, thyroid problems, stiff
neck... All can be linked to the collar pressure on the neck.
Not all harnesses are
created equal though. I'd never recommend a no-pull harness which is
basically designed to make it uncomfortable or painful when the dog
pulls. Another type of harnesses which I don't like are the very
popular JuliusK9 harnesses and similar ones. The ones with the
horizontal strap across the chest. I'm sure some of you reading it
will be quite angry now because they are so great, you'll say. All
the detection dogs wear them, the guide dogs, other service dogs...
Well, yes they do. And still I never liked them and turns out I was
right. At the end of this post, there is a link to a post on
Facebook. There is a video showing how a dog moves naturally, without
a harness versus when he's wearing this type of harness. This
is not a first post on this topic, we are now finally recognizing the
negative influence these harnesses have on a dog's posture and
movement. Something I kind of always suspected looking at dogs
wearing them.
So what is my favourite
harness? There is no particular brand although my dog wears one of
the TrueLove harnesses bought on amazon for £20 (see the picture). I
have two, different colours, they are well designed and well made,
padded, fully adjustable, with a front and back attachment ring and a
handle at the top. These are the features that I'm looking for in a
harness.
Other brands that make
similar products are: Ruffwear, Hurtta, Perfect-Fit, DogCopenhagen,
X-traDog. And more.
Now: there are a couple more
things to mention here. Sometimes a dog can't wear a harness. For
instance my older dog has spinal arthritis and on his back he has a
spot which is very painful to him, it's a soft tissue problem, maybe
a slipped disc. He's never liked harnesses (or coats, or brushing)
'cause they touched this area causing him pain or discomfort. I never
insisted much and he quite rarely wore one after he started showing
these signs, he was off leash a lot anyway.
And then there are dogs that
are so laid back and biddable (naturally, not as a result of
training) that pulling is not a problem and the risk of injury is
minimal. Although personally I'd still use a harness, these dogs
could be walked on anything.
Below is the link, let me
know if it's not working.
https://www.facebook.com/Tierphysio.Thiesen/videos/334737293799090/
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