Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:05 am Post subject: Anti-pull harness...?
Sorry am sure this has been asked a million times before but please can someone recommend an anti-pull harness that actually works?!
My Mum bought one for Toby which I think might actually have worked except it's too big so doesn't "tweak" him in the right place so it doesn't really stop him pulling. We're training him a lot at the moment on not pulling and on his recall (separate story!) but I need him to not pull when we're not training and out with the kids (who i don't like being pulled around by my puppy ) Mum can't remember where she bought the harness from so we can't go and get a smaller one!!
I've seen loads advertised on the internet but I wanted to know from people who use them as to whether they work or not?
We've tried the gentle leader and agreed that he hated having it round his face (not surprisingly!) and also we felt that it pulled his head to one side. He's much happier and more comfortable wearing the harness and it makes it much easier for us to walk him.
i can't help much with the harness but i just wanted to add that from what i've seen harnesses *can* make a dog pull more.
When they pull against a harness they feel the tension in their chest and so it's more comfortable for them to pull a weight (ie you) than in an ordinary collar. Think of dogs pulling sleds etc.
I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear.
Also, the gentle leader is meant to tug their head to one side I *think*
I'm sure it's meant to put their foucs back onto you with the idea being they cant pull forward because it moves their head.
It must be hard walking a dog with the kids. I know the only way we got to loose leash quickly was by never allowing Basil to pull - and I guess that's not always possible with the kids as well.
hmmm yeah i see your reasoning behind that. Would that apply to labs seeing as they're not necessaruly bred for pulling? Just a thought...
Aw well I wouldn't like to use the head collar again as it was pretty horrible for him and us as we hade to keep switching him from one side of us to the other as the lead doesn't sit in the middles of his body - does that make any sense? He also broke the clip which provide the tension on the collar so it wasn't much good!! Hence Mum buying the harness!?
There must be another solution?I am training him but due to his baddy leg we have to be pretty gentle with him at the moment so we're taking it very slowly. This means that on the walks that we're going on it's still difficult to walk him without being pulled around!
hmmm yeah i see your reasoning behind that. Would that apply to labs seeing as they're not necessaruly bred for pulling? Just a thought...
good point - i'm not sure.
It was our puppy trainer that originally mentioned it (and i know trainers do sometimes talk rubbish). She said harnesses were great for dogs that already walk nicely and much kinder on the neck and spine for one that pulls. But that it effectively makes it more comfortable for a dog to pull and so doesn't help in training.
I know what you mean about the gentle leader - i tried one on our lab cross and it stopped him pulling but only because he was focussing on getting the thing of his nose.
I say a thread from Alyson i think mentioning these Cesar Milan collars that are worn high on the neck - not sure if she's got hold of one to feedback on.
I have never used a harness but use a Kumfi Collar, which is great. I lost it before I got CD and bought a Canny Collar which he pulled on all the time but since finding the Kumfi collar again I have been using it.
However, on to harnesses
This company also does harnesses with three points of control.
It works very well on Rosie, who had rubbed the hair off her armpits with a walkeasy harness, and learned to pull into a Canny Collar, not that she ever liked wearing one!
Perhaps because it is attached to her front, its very easy to keep her walking right by your side with only a very gentle tug, and she seems happy enough to wear it. It seems robust and well made too. It's also very easy to take off when we get to a field etc, no more fiddling with nose straps and carabiners!
I think I've tried every anti pull harness going for Rosie (how embarassing, my 4.8kg Jack Russell pulls so hard she needs a anti pulling device ), some work better than others, one called 'Yuppy Puppy' by Company of Animals wasn't too bad, but most I found pretty useless, and as someone else said, some actually made her worse!
I swear by the Canny Collar now, the lead attaches at the back so it doesn't pull her head to one side, and although it does go over her nose she doesn't really seem to mind, and she does walk very nicely.
So a Canny could be worth a try if you can't find a suitable harness.
Good luck in your search!
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Georgia XX
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Hi i've just posted earlier i have a collar from Cesar Millan it works really well im pleased with it if you know anyone who lives in Canada or USA they might get one for you below is the link
I have heard that anti-pull harnesses (the ones that lift as the dog goes forward) have a detrimental affect on the dog's gait. It can ruin it apparenty. Not what you want to hear but there's nothing that works as well and as permanently as some basic lead training.
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) Mum can't remember where she bought the harness from so we can't go and get a smaller one!! 
that looks a really good idea - because it fastens at the front it must be almost impossible for a dog to want to pull wearing it.
