Harness - walking vs traditional

With a regular harness, the dog can pull. I only use regular harnesses when I actually don't mind the dogs pulling - like when we're roller blading. However, for walking I like to use the no-pull harnesses that have a clip in the front (near the chest). My dogs have not slipped out of any of their harnesses - pulling or non pulling. The clip in the front will redirect the pulling pressure so it causes the dog to turn around (kind of) so they don't get any benefit from trying to pull.

 ah, for some reason I was thinking that on the walking harness the leash attaches to the same general area as on a traditional. ok that makes a lot more sense!! haha.  kinda makes them 'face up' to you every time they decide they're gonna 'drive' lol

Cool I think I'll be making walking harness'!

I use the easy-walk harness for Casey - it clips in the front, like what Julie was saying. I really like it - and he can't slip out. I clip the harness to his collar, just in case something happens - I have a back up that keeps him on the leash - never had a problem though.

also no one has had any problems with rubbing anywhere? like on their shoulders? Is it pretty comfortable for your dogs? 

I use a harness for my neighbors border collie mix when I walk her and it takes dogs a while to get used to them but they work great. Not so much presure on you arm. Mickey hasnt ever slipped out of it.

 cool. I think I'm gonna make my girls some in neon orange - I can get some paracord that has reflective tracers in it. It's funny used to always want everything black, now it's all about safety these days. I'll have to post a pic of them when I make them.

I think I'm going to take Max to Pet-Co and see if I can get someone to help get him fitted for a good walking harness.  I don't want to just buy one based on weight/size because he has a really deep chest and I don't want to be running back and forth exchanging them.

Joyce

I often use a Ruffwear harness on Kenya for walking.  It might be over kill, but I use it b/c I like having a leash attached to her back.  She is completely trained to heel (we compete in obedience) so there is always slack leash dragging on the ground.  On a normal collar, she will step over it and then it gets tangled in her front legs all the time.  SchH requires a slightly different position and type of heeling than traditional obedience.  Since I have no reason for correcting Kenya with a leash, I like attaching the leash to the back of her harness and then draping it around my back so I'm either holding it in my right hand, or I just lay it over my right shoulder.  I don't think dogs can back out of a Ruffwear, but I do attach Kenya's harness to her regular collar as a precaution.

Coke wears and Easy Walk b/c we are still training him.  The clipping in front is annoying, but he would definitely pull like a mule on a regular harness!

Cherokee's always been able to back out of collars, plus she chokes like crazy in one, so she always wears a harness.. I bought one of the front clip ones (an Easy Walk), but I hate it. I've never been able to make it properly fit any of the three dogs I've tried it on. I hate the Martingale-esque loopy thing in front. If I was gonna buy one today, I'd buy the Sense-ation one, or one similar to it...

I had much better luck teaching Cherokee not to pull by just stopping dead whenever she did, and continuing to walk when she quit pulling. I have a Halti headcollar, a Gentle Leader, an Easy Walk, and none of those helped us at all. Sooo now she wears a Ruffwear Webmaster harness, and on the rare occasion she starts pulling, I just stop.

ya the fitting issue is why i decided to make one, plus I can make it any color combination I want - not just standard solid colors. :)  I was thinking about making another piece that could attatch on the back in case one of them can back out of it, kinda like the puppy pulling harness, an extra band that goes around the belly & would be attatched to the harness on the side rings. 

this is Casey's harness -

I like this type a lot better. We used the tradition harness when I first got him - but it rubbed sores in his 'arm pits'

 Emma's been taking lots of walkies in the ruffware harness, too. It's super secure, and makes me feel good. She also heels, automatically, but I tell her to go sniff on walks, LOL. They're as much for mental stimulation as exersize, so working then relaxing wears her out!

My GL harnesses are a godsend.  I can walk ALL four of my dogs........safely, with 2 coupler leashes, by myself, and feel that I have control.  I would never be able to do that without them.  We cannot all be on roller blades with the dogs behind us now, can we