My dog is not large, but seems to garner supernatural strength when a critter crosses her path. She can go from zero to 60 mph instantly and with great torque!
I’m told this a sign of another training “opportunity”.
In the meantime, I want to make sure she is not hurting her neck and trachea when on a leash. At the same time, I want to ease the impact on me when she goes “turbo”. As such, I put together the following list:
Relieve Impact of Pulling on Dog
The main reason for getting a good harness, is to stop strangling your dog when you walk them on leash. A good harness will spread out the pressure points created by pulling across the dog’s body or nose and relieve pressure on the neck. You don’t want to fix one problem, by adding a new one. So check the harness for sharp metal or plastic, rough feeling clips, abrasive fabrics or stitching that can create new pressure problems. Run your hands along the inside of the harness to check for such irritants. Also check measurements, sizing, strap width, and adjustability to ensure a good and comfortable fit for your dog and to ensure force will be distributed evenly.
Relieve Impact of Pulling on Human
Another feature I want in my harness is to help reduce my arm being pulled out if it’s socket when my dog pulls. There are many designs of products to achieve this. It is important to me that the harness I choose actually helps reduce pulling. Many products out there only ease the pressure on the dog’s neck, but don’t actually address the pulling. I asked friends and research the brands on-line to see if they really are designed to reduce the pull factor. And I’ve tested many products directly. Not all work with my hound.
Durability
No one wants to have to buy a new harness every month. I’ve bought a few that were of a thin nylon with metal hoops that cut through the fabric after only a few uses. You want to start with ensuring the fabric is durable. You can pretty much tell when feeling a harness -as with a leash -if the weave is tight and thick to withstand multiple uses. Also check to ensure the buckles and ring attachments are secure. The stitching should also be tight to withstand wear and tear.
Simplicity to Put On
Not much explanation needed here. I want a harness that I can put on easily and quickly that doesn’t require my dog to have to stand still for 5 minutes and doesn’t require me to have to bring out the manual to figure out what goes where to get it on properly. At 50+ pounds, I also don’t want to have to lift my dog in order to put the thing on her.
See Top Pick Dog Harness for Hard-Core Puller for the outcome of searching for harnesses to meet the checklist above.
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My Brody fits the classification of a dog puller, he is a Jack Russell Terrier and will go from 0-60 when he sees a squirrel. The best thing I ever bought was a Gentle Leader harness, then we migrated to a harness. SOOOOO much better than a regular collar.
Much more control. Good article
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