# Dog harness good or bad idea for a puppy ???



## gally (Jul 13, 2012)

When I try and take my 13wk old lab for a walk he pulls on his lead. Should I maybe try a dog harness as I feel he must be hurting his neck. Or just persevere with the collar and lead ?? Iv'e also tried walking him to heel but when he does eventually get going he just wants to dart off and run. If the harness is a good thing is their any particular ones you would recommend ? Thanks.


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## hayleyth (May 9, 2012)

I wouldnt use a harness, hes still very young. Keep trying with the collor and lead and possibly look into some classes. Mine pulled alot when he was a puppy but i just gave him more exercise off lead and in the garden to get his energy levels down.


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## SLB (Apr 25, 2011)

Use a harness that fits properly and isn't designed to stop him pulling. Smokey Bear will have some ones you can use. These harnesses will not interfere with his joint growth etc. 

I have only recently moved over to a collar and lead with my pup, she is 5 months old. I would rather have her pulling into a harness than damaging her throat.

He doesn't know what heel means, you haven't taught it him. And remember, especially in obedience, heel is just a position. You should use another word for the movement of walking with you whilst at heel.

Primula cheese (in the squirty tubes) are brilliant for teaching heelwork. All you do is get the dog in the right position and walk with it by your leg , so the dog is continuously getting cheese, but only in small squirts. Then after a little bit you can give him little bits every now and then. Don't rush training. He's 13 weeks old - everything is exciting to him. Get a decent harness, find a brilliant class and just enjoy him for a bit. He'll soon grow. As long as you get the foundations right - everything else will follow.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

He's only young. Try using treats and a clicker to get him to walk beside you. I'd prefer to keep perservering with the collar and lead, its education he needs at this age.
Another method is to suddenly turn him round and walk in the opposite direction, he'll get a surprise and then treat/praise when he's walking next to you.


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## Redice (Dec 4, 2011)

My Pup is 15 weeks now. I have been using both. Sometimes doing short 'training walks' with lead and collar and the rest of the time using a TTouch harness. This approach has been working well.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I wouldn't put a harness on a puppy, there's no need for them, not only can they exacerbate pulling, but I would worry about joint development and whether an ill fitting harness might cause problems. 

Having said that, I wouldn't walk a 13 week old puppy for more than 15 mins per day in total, play exercise and training wear them out more than forced lead walking. 

Can I ask the breeding of your pup as you seem to be having a couple of problems with him, and I just wonder whether he's from lines that are quite lively? I've got a 13 week old bitch pup I bred, and she's very calm and laid back generally speaking, she can have her moments but she is good overall, much better than her Mum was so far!


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

A harness is an excellent idea (providing it is correctly designed) it is a terrible idea if it is not.

A harness can prevent damage to the trachea and, if your dog pulls on the lead, this restricts oxygen to the brain which can then result in adverse behaviour changes.

Many osteopaths, chiropractics, physiotherapists and other health and training professionals advocate the use of harnesses in dogs of all ages.

A well designed harness will leave the whole of the shoulder and upper arm free from obstruction and thus cause no joint damage.

The type of harnesses you should be looking at are:

Tilley Farm TTouch Harnesses and Leads
Haqihana Italian hand made dog harness
https://www.kumfi.com/index.php/onlien-store/complete-control-harness-detail

These are fully adjustable and anatomically designed to be kind to the dog.

Do not use an anti pull harness.


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## Pindonkey (Feb 5, 2012)

I would use a harness,especially for a puller.

I walk on a harness now nearly all the time.

Have a look at this to see why you shouldn't walk with a collar,

Dogmantics Dog Training Blog: Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog's neck?

I have a julius K9 one,but now i kind of regret buying it because of its desing but it does the trick and Oscar likes it! But i also have a normal harness like this one here,
Dog Harnesses: on Sale now at zooplus: Hunter Vario Rapid Harness - Black

I like these ones,
Fleece Lined Harness for dogs and cats
Balance Dog Harness: stop your dog pulling on the lead.
https://www.kumfi.com/index.php/onlien-store/complete-control-harness-detail


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

I use a harness for my yorkie as they are prone to trachea collapse. My Lhasa/poodle has a collar and lead. It took a lot of work, but he walks to heel. I used lots of high value treats and if he pulled I would turn and walk the other way. I also took him to training classes and that helped as he was my first dog.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Jobeth said:


> I use a harness for my yorkie as they are prone to trachea collapse. My Lhasa/poodle has a collar and lead. It took a lot of work, but he walks to heel. I used lots of high value treats and if he pulled I would turn and walk the other way. I also took him to training classes and that helped as he was my first dog.


There's a difference between toy breeds and larger breeds, I accept harnesses are useful for toy breeds, for any breed above that size unless they are being trained to pull something, I fail to see the advantage in using one. Training to walk to heel should be the priority.


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

Chester has used a harness since his first day at puppy class ( 12 weeks old) a harness and a collar with a double ended training lead attached to both..no problems here  the lead attached to the collar is always held loose.


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## Shadowrat (Jan 30, 2011)

Im not a fan of harnesses unless other methods have been attempted first. I feel every dog should be able to walk nicely on a collar in time, and most can with enough patience and effort. 
Dres pulls sometimes too, but Im persevering with it. I want him to ultimately wear a collar, not a harness, so thats how Im training him.
Your pup is still very young, and nice loose lead walking can take months to get right. My friend has a dobe who was about 14 months before he finally 'clicked' with the loose lead walking. He got there in time, it just took a lot of patience! Its very worth it, though.

I also find it goes in peaks and troughs. Dresden had a period when he was about 15 weeks when he walked beautifully, for a fair while. I actually used to boast about how well behaved on the lead he was! Then it kinda just went to crap for no real reason. I think he just got older and got bolder, got more developed senses of smell and such and became more interested in what was around him and more apt to pull.

What I do with Dres is just STOP whenever he pulls. And I wait until the lead is loose again, and he returns to my side, then I carry on. Sometimes I use the turn 180 and walk back a little way whenever he pulls but the stopping dead seems to get into his head a bit more.
I find turning and walking back a little way doesn't really bother him, he'll just pull in the opposite direction instead! With him, its not like he is desperate to get somewhere specific, he just wants to GO! So walking back where we came from doesn't really phase him, because we're still moving somewhere, and thats fine by him!
Stopping dead seems to get through to him more. But all dogs are different and the method that works for one might not touch another.

I've only been doing this for a few weeks with Dres now, so can't comment yet on whether it will ultimately work, but it seems to be clicking a little bit. I can see it in his eyes that he's thinking 'why have we stopped?' and, being a smart little pup, Im sure he'll make the connection eventually.

I also have Dres on a half check. But this was more for safety than for lead training. He was able to back out of any flat collar as a pup, and probably still could now. He has a narrow neck and head, so I was worried about it. With a half check, he can't back out of it, and I feel much more happy about it.
I also like the way the half check hangs loosely around their neck when they're just walking around or playing, so they don't always feel like they have a collar on and pressure around their neck. 
In order to stop Dres backing out of a flat collar, I'd have had to put it on pretty tight, which I think has got to be a bit annoying for a dog. I love half checks. 

Personally, I don't require my dog to walk along at my side robotically, as some people want their dogs to do. I feel that a walk is for their amusement, its their fun time, their enjoyment, and they should have a bit of freedom to amuse themselves. I feel they should be allowed to sniff things, stop when they want, investigate things and so on. I don't mind Dres walking a little ahead of me a few paces, I just don't want him pulling. A relaxed lead with him walking a bit ahead is perfect for me. But we're all different.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

Good post  Whilst harnesses do have their place in training, he is a lab puppy and labs have quite strong necks compared to a small dog, so just try to apply a bit of the training methods already mentioned and you should see an improvement.


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> There's a difference between toy breeds and larger breeds, I accept harnesses are useful for toy breeds, for any breed above that size unless they are being trained to pull something, I fail to see the advantage in using one. Training to walk to heel should be the priority.


That's why I explained why my yorkie has one and explained how I trained my dog to walk to heel with a collar and lead!!


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I've had my 13 week Lab pup out to the vets three times over the last 24 hours (Tau has cystitis but I took pup along for socialisation and to get her used to seeing the vet surgery), I'm absolutely amazed at how calm and laid back this pup is, I know they're not all like that, but no pulling, she sits calmly in the waiting room and waits for people to fuss her, ok so she wee'd a couple of times but that's pups for you. She's not walked on lead for a long time, as she's far too young, she gets a good play with the other girls, which she loves, and all I'm working on is her recall and sit, with a teensy bit of encouraging her to walk in the right place to *heel* (I actually use 'here'). I know not all pups are the same, so I'd be interested to know the breeding of the OP's pup as by all accounts this pup should be a pretty outgoing character, she's certainly bold, but she's very biddable at the same time.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Jobeth said:


> That's why I explained why my yorkie has one and explained how I trained my dog to walk to heel with a collar and lead!!


And of course it is perfectly possible to train a dog to walk to heel with a harness, a head halter as well as a collar.

People should do what is in the best interests of their DOG.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

smokeybear said:


> And of course it is perfectly possible to train a dog to walk to heel with a harness, a head halter as well as a collar.
> 
> People should do what is in the best interests of their DOG.


The problem is, you are a successful trainer and competitor, the average Joe Bloggs with a Labrador pup, wouldn't know if a harness fitted well or not. And given that Labradors can have a predisposition to developing joint problems, surely recommending the appropriate level of exercise for a 13 week old puppy, rather than a fix to walking to heel is of more priority? I still don't see the need for a harness with a Labrador pup, the only type I've ever used is a tracking harness, it's not rocket science to train a dog, as you yourself should well know, so why recommend training aids that aren't necessary, when it's more a matter of training the handler in most cases. How would you feel six months down the road to learn these people had bought a harness you recommended, and walked their pup successfully for the last six months, every day for longer than the recommended time for this type of breed because the harness *works*, and suddenly discover they have some issue with the health that could have been exacerbated by overwalking?


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## Yorkiemorkiemum (Jun 14, 2012)

I have a standard Yorkie who is ninenext month and a morkie pup I have always used a harness, particularly after my yorkie who died(at 15) nearly choked by pulling on a collar and lead and he was'nt a toy breed. Why do people assume that yorkies are all tiny? Original yorkies are terrier working dogs? Sorry, Im on my soapbox again!!! Anyway my morkie walks brilliantly now at 5 and a half months but I make him stop/sit/ wait and treat him with little treats. He loves it! He has two 15 min walks and I cant have them pulling as I have spinal damage and have to walk very slow. We live in a small village and the dogs stop and greet people and other dogs they love it.
Keep at it but make it fun I find we put ourselves under pressure to gave the perfect pooch. I have read lots ofvdog training books when we first got our pup and to be honest I forgot how to relax with him because of it. You constantly think 'he shouldn't be doing this and that' and forgot how to enjoy each others company. It was a lady on this web site that helped me with common sense and now I even have comments from people about how clever and beautiful my dogs are. So please dont worry about his walking its all new, stressfull noises and experiences, I would pull to get back home wouldn't you?


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> The problem is, you are a successful trainer and competitor, the average Joe Bloggs with a Labrador pup, wouldn't know if a harness fitted well or not. And given that Labradors can have a predisposition to developing joint problems, surely recommending the appropriate level of exercise for a 13 week old puppy, rather than a fix to walking to heel is of more priority? I still don't see the need for a harness with a Labrador pup, the only type I've ever used is a tracking harness, it's not rocket science to train a dog, as you yourself should well know, so why recommend training aids that aren't necessary, when it's more a matter of training the handler in most cases. How would you feel six months down the road to learn these people had bought a harness you recommended, and walked their pup successfully for the last six months, every day for longer than the recommended time for this type of breed because the harness *works*, and suddenly discover they have some issue with the health that could have been exacerbated by overwalking?


I do not see anywhere in my post where I have made any reference to the amount a dog walks as that was not part of the original OP query.

I have no compunction about recommending a properly designed harness for dogs any more than I would recommend a properly designed collar or a properly designed head halter etc etc

I have not recommended overwalking, the two issues are disparate.

IF the OP had wanted advice on the distance, duration, frequency of walks no doubt they would have asked?


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2012)

You can teach a dog to walk nicely on a leash without even using a leash 

Oppositional reflex is going to kick in regardless of what restraint tool is used - collar, body harness, head harness, etc., so you are still going to have to train the dog to walk nicely. Nothing takes the place of training 

This is a thoughtful article about collars vs. harnesses
Dogmantics Dog Training Blog: Is it harmful to attach a leash to your dog's neck?


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## gally (Jul 13, 2012)

Have taken note of all your suggestions, thanks everyone so many different views !! Have realised as a first time puppy owner that there is sooo much I don't know . Have bought a more substantial lead as the one I had was too small and he seems not to be pulling as much, but would consider trying a harness if the pulling continues to access. Still not wanting to walk very far so have been taking him on short walks around the block. Owning a new pup is a step learning curve and abit of trial and error so I just need to relax and enjoy his company while he's still young and his playful self


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