Lead Or Harness?

[~Aimee~]

Just wondering what your opinions are on leads and harnesses? Which is better? We have always just used a lead on our dogs when I was growing up but I'm concerned it may hurt the dogs neck when they pull. Is a harness & lead better or does the harness pull also and hurt their legs? We are going to start walking our dog as soon as she turns 12 weeks so just wondering in advance.

[poodlefan]

Both have their uses.

The ideal solution to your problem is to train your dog NOT to pull. That way you can walk her on a flat collar and lead and not have to worry about a harness rubbing her coat and her skin under her front legs.

[DeltaCharlie]

I would rather teach the dog not to pull then you don't really need to worry as much. Start working on it now in your backyard before you take her out.

My experiences with harnesses is that they give the dog more strength to pull (think about how a sled dog is attached). They are able to throw their weight into their chest to pull harder. Perhaps not so much of an issue with a cav but I would rather teach her not to pull at all.

Mind you, take what I say with a grain of salt. My dogs have the worst leash manners in the world, they are very rarely on lead so I haven't bothered to teach them to walk properly. If I had a dog I was walking regularly though, I would teach them to walk without pulling. Makes things much more pleasant for everyone.

[persephone]

Neither a collar OR a harness is any substitute for training!

Start your training well before you take the pup out of the yard- a bit like a baby human- by the time they go to School, or Preschool, often- they have learnt the basics of our language, manners and behaviour

So it should be with a pup.

Your pup can be learning to comfortably accept wearing a collar, having its movement restricted by a lead- and be learning how to listen to your commands!

Building up a continual communication between you two will be invaluable later!!

Practice basic obedience on lead now- and walk around and around the yard/house, so she is very confident when she DOES get suddenly exposed to the outside world!

[Tonymc]

I agree 100% with Peresphone.Aimee, also a dog cannot pull if you give it nothing to pull against. Tony

[KarriLab]

I'm very interested to hear what people say about the OP's question too. We have a puppy that we're just starting to take out into the big bad world.

The ideal solution to your problem is to train your dog NOT to pull.

Can anyone elaborate on the best ways to go about training a dog not to pull? If that's not too much !!!

[poodlefan]

I'm very interested to hear what people say about the OP's question too. We have a puppy that we're just starting to take out into the big bad world.

The ideal solution to your problem is to train your dog NOT to pull.

Can anyone elaborate on the best ways to go about training a dog not to pull? If that's not too much !!!

In a nutshell, by never allowing pulling to be rewarded (eg by not allowing the dog to go in the direction it pulls), by rewarding a loose lead OR (and not the method I'd recommend) by correcting a tight lead.

However a lengthy written explanation would be no substitute for some hands on training. Most folk can get the gist of how to avoid a pulling dog in a few minutes at a face to face lesson. The challenge for a dog that already pulls is to undo what the dog has learned.

It goes without saying however that consistency is the key - if you allow your dog to pull at all, you'll have great difficulty avoiding this behaviour.

Edited August 19, 2008 by poodlefan

[Dogsfevr]

Dogs pull because owners enable it.So when walking dont just walk thinking isnt this great go for a walk & take great care in watching what you allow your dog to do & consider your reaction.

Then think seriously about what is going wrong.Does the dog understand what you want.Even though a pup if nothing is encouraged but the undesireable then that is normal.

I allow my dog to pull on walks under my terms BUT they also now what normal walking is & they are also showdogs that can be shown on losoe leads etc etc.

Personally i find most who use harness do so because they feel when they pull it doesnt hurt as much & its just makes life easier but you have no control & end up with a dog doing just the same "what evers".

I do believe for certain health issues etc etc then a harness is a great tool but as already said nothing beats training & that starts at 8 weeks.

Use your voice,commands & be interesting & be smarter than your dog.MAke a point of knowing when to take the mind of a situation that is about to happen.

[ell&diesel]

I'm no expert but from what I've heard it can sometimes be better to walk thick-necked breeds (whose necks & skulls are similar widths - eg SBT, BT & ACD I've been told) in a harness to prevent them from "backing out" of the collar. Of course training would also prevent this, but in the case of young pups who are still learning, I'd rather be safe then sorry. Have also heard that some of the breeds with fine bone structure (eg Yorkie) should be walked in a harness to prevent any neck injury. Same with breeds with long slender necks (eg Italian Greyhound, Whippet - although I believe you can get special "sighthound" collars for these dogs which distribute the "pressure" of a collar over a larger surface area, thereby protecting their necks).

If I owned one of these breeds, this would probably encourage me to use a harness on regular walks and a flat collar during training sessions until walking with just the flat collar was perfected enough that the dog wouldn't back out of it or lunge forward & injure its neck.

Also keep in mind that harnesses (if fitted properly) don't hurt the dog when they pull - rather, it makes it easier for them to pull because they can get their whole body into it. That's why sledding dogs and weight-pull dogs wear harnesses, not collars.

Sorry, I don't think my post is any help. Good luck with whichever option you choose though

(Edit: To add the bit in italics)

Edited August 20, 2008 by ell&diesel

[husky princess]

Just wondering what your opinions are on leads and harnesses? Which is better? We have always just used a lead on our dogs when I was growing up but I'm concerned it may hurt the dogs neck when they pull. Is a harness & lead better or does the harness pull also and hurt their legs? We are going to start walking our dog as soon as she turns 12 weeks so just wondering in advance.

Hi Aimee, at obedience training they get asked that question alot and they usually answer with - small dog, collar and lead and big dogs like mine a 9 month old sibe a harness and lead is best. Sibe's are infamous for escaping their collars I experienced that once at obedience training chasing her in front of 40 dogs and owners. So went straight to the pet shop and got a harness and complete 360, she's a different sibe!

But started with a collar and lead when she was your pups age only just now using a harness. Get her used to a collar and walk around the house with a lead so she know's what the restriction is.

No one bite me or anything but we are learning this right now, walking your dog without pulling. So here it goes.

* Get her attention, maybe bring some treats in a bum bag or something, and let her know you are just as fascinating and enjoyable as the doggy poo on the grass out there. Walk, loose lead good, tight lead bad, bad. Pulling you into the direction she wants means she is walking you not the other way round.

* She pulls stop shorten the lead to your chest. Wait for her to sit down and if she does look at you reward her, praise her. May even want to turn the other direction when you start walking. She tightens the lead stop again. You don't have to give her any treats if you want.

* Training not to pull is a working lesson, many many trips with constant stopping. In the beginning you will be stopping more than walking so if you are like me, not very patient try walking in the backyard or in the house first. To her you stopping is ruining her fun and no longer exciting.

Give it a go and try not to cave in to her cuteness. I'm still teaching mine not to pull and it frustrates the hell out of me. But she's learning. Eventually she'll learn that's the same ol boring spot we walk everyday, JK. LOL.

Good luck.

Edited August 20, 2008 by husky princess

[huski]

Hi Aimee, at obedience training they get asked that question alot and they usually answer with - small dog, collar and lead and big dogs like mine a 9 month old sibe a harness and lead is best. Sibe's are infamous for escaping their collars I experienced that once at obedience training chasing her in front of 40 dogs and owners. So went straight to the pet shop and got a harness and complete 360, she's a different sibe!

Good luck.

My sibe learnt how to back out of his harness :D

For the very reason you mentioned, we only ever walk ours on a martingale collar/limited slip collar - they are impossibe for a dog to back out of. They are great! I also found Micha pulls a lot when wearing his harness, but not on the martingale.

[Leema]

Here is some instructions on teaching a dog not to pull which I like.

http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Leve.../TL15Leash.html

As for collar or harness... I teach my dogs that they can do 'whatever they want' (pulling included) on a harness, but are required to walk on a loose lead on a collar. My dogs are only little dogs so pulling isn't problematic for control on a harness. Also, when my dogs are pups, they have a flexi attached to their harness at parks, but never have a flexi attached to their collar.

[MsKatie]

Hi - what are peoples feelings on 'check chains' - I used those with all my other dogs when training them but am just about to start walking and training a new puppy (kelpie). So far I have used a simple flat collar and have worked with her on getting her to walk where I want her to go but I am intersted to hear other peoples advice.

Cheers

[huski]

Hi - what are peoples feelings on 'check chains' - I used those with all my other dogs when training them but am just about to start walking and training a new puppy (kelpie). So far I have used a simple flat collar and have worked with her on getting her to walk where I want her to go but I am intersted to hear other peoples advice.

Cheers

Hi Kelpiepupmum

I wouldn't use a check chain on a baby puppy (have used them on my older dogs in the past) - I much prefer martingales once the pups get old enough to wear a training collar :D

http://www.k9force.net/index.html?row2col2=mart.html

Edited August 27, 2008 by huski

[Jibwa]

Hi,

When Jib (ridgeback x) was little I used a harness, but he is stubborn and when theres something he really wants to small, he lays down and i cant get him to move until he wants. Since then I have him on collar/chain and now we have can sometime muster a beautiful loose leash walk. Still have a problem when he sees a person. But slowly were getting there by turning around and when hes walking nice, we walk back towards the person, if he pulls we turn and walk other direction again. I look like a fool who cant make their mind up, and living in a small country town, it doesn't help the image. :S

But yeah im all for the collar and lead.

[Odin-Genie]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. But thought I'd share my experience. My first puppy (a Norwegian Elkhound, who is now almost a year old) used to pull a lot. Our trainer suggested a 'Lupi' harness which is gentle for the spine but stops dogs from pulling. This seems to work like a miracle.

My other puppy (a seven month old Golden Retriever) doesn't pull, and walks like an angel!!!

[Rockafella]

I had a halti (head harness) for my rottie and absolutely loved it. My small kids were even able to walk him without being dragged around the park.

[Bellaboo]

Hi,

I guess its really depends on your dog, but I prefer a collar. I have boxers and before that a Malamute and I found that the harness just gives them more pulling strength. Instead of just using their neck to pull they used their whole body. The Mally in particular was almost uncontrollable with the harness. She was 50kgs and so when she pulled it was very difficult to hold her back. (particularly considering she weighed more than me). Dogs dont like their heads / necks being pulled back, so with a collar it is much easier to train them not to pull.

Because I used to walk both the dogs together and was concerned about being able to control them should another dog come at us (combined weight they were nearly 80kgs), I started to use a halty. They were fabulous. Although they didnt like them to start with, it stopped them pulling completely and also allowed me to walk them both using just one hand. And when other dogs did come at us I was able to control both my dogs without any dramas. My boxer is very good at getting out of her collars tho, so when I use a halty with her I still double click it onto her collar just for a bit more security. I now have another little boxer pup who I only use a collar with. He is much better so there is no need to use a halty with him.

I think its just trial and error. Try both and see what works best.

[Bellaboo]

Hi,

I guess its really depends on your dog, but I prefer a collar. I have boxers and before that a Malamute and I found that the harness just gives them more pulling strength. Instead of just using their neck to pull they used their whole body. The Mally in particular was almost uncontrollable with the harness. She was 50kgs and so when she pulled it was very difficult to hold her back. (particularly considering she weighed more than me). Dogs dont like their heads / necks being pulled back, so with a collar it is much easier to train them not to pull.

Because I used to walk both the dogs together and was concerned about being able to control them should another dog come at us (combined weight they were nearly 80kgs), I started to use a halty. They were fabulous. Although they didnt like them to start with, it stopped them pulling completely and also allowed me to walk them both using just one hand. And when other dogs did come at us I was able to control both my dogs without any dramas. My boxer is very good at getting out of her collars tho, so when I use a halty with her I still double click it onto her collar just for a bit more security. I now have another little boxer pup who I only use a collar with. He is much better so there is no need to use a halty with him.

I think its just trial and error. Try both and see what works best.

[Odin-Genie]

the harness just gives them more pulling strength.

That's right. Initially I was using car harnesses to walk my dogs and they just found it easier to pull.

My boxer is very good at getting out of her collars tho, so when I use a halty with her I still double click it onto her collar just for a bit more security.

This is where I find the Lupi more convenient. Like Halti, Lupi is also meant to stop dogs from pulling. However, it's near impossible for a dog to get out of the Lupi, so I find it safer.