A harness is a great tool to be used when training with your furry best friend. It distributes pressure away from the neck/collar to the main body of the dog which helps you, the guardian, to gain better control of the movement & posture of your dog. Remember, posture is directly linked to behaviour So, if you are going to invest in a harness:
Do’s
- Measure your dog properly and according to the manufacturer’s instructions
- Make sure it is comfortable & fits correctly
- Get one with a handle – this is incredibly helpful when helping your dog in and out of your car. (I will talk about the effects of jumping in & out of cars in another blog)
- Make sure it has a 2-point lead attachment. This type of harness influences your dog’s posture in 2 ways and brings them back into balance more efficiently. Check out the Tellington TTouch Balance Leash technique to help reduce pulling on a lead which uses both these points of attachment.
- Train your dog to walk politely in a harness – as all forms of pulling on any anti-pull equipment/harness will result in injury. A harness or other anti-pull equipment is NOT a substitute for a lack of training.
Don’t:
- Allow the harness to restrict or impede the natural forward and backward movement of the forelimb. Look for a harness that is a figure of 8 or Y shaped – these go around the shoulder blade of the dog and NOT across it, which is bad.
- Assume that your dog will automatically let you put the harness on. Desensitise the harness.
- Assume the harness will magically cure your dog of pulling – that’s what training is all about.
I have 2 top tips for this week-
- If you need to purchase a harness, check out Perfect fit Harnesses or the Tellington TTouch Harness – they are both brilliant and
- TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN and Oh did I mention TRAIN!!! Both YOU and your dog need to be trained!!!
Thank you for reading today’s article.
Louise James, Momentum Clinical Canine Massage
