Success with new harness

[Chris Smith]

I bought the "sense-ible" harness for Nalu. This is the harness that wraps around the chest and behind their front legs.

Nalu is walking GREAT with this new harness. No pulling at all! He walks completely different with this new harness compared to a standard type harness (which also chafed his skin) or a collar.

It is simple to put on and does not cross in front of the dog's legs so no chafing so far. It's a little pricey (about $25 to have it shipped to me) but so far, well worth it.

You hook the leash on at the chest area so when we walk, Nalu is right next to me instead of lunging 6 ft ahead. So now I can also practice the leave it command since I can see the trash that he needs to leave before he gets it in his mouth!

We've only used it a few times, but I recommend it so far for pullers.

[Luciann]

Chris, i got the same one for my two chis and i like the harness but i have had to take them off of my babies, it has rubbed the armpits to bare skin and is chaffing them.....but it works great for thick necked dogs also

So you might want to use it for walking only. i was having to leave it on them all the time since frodo will fight me to put it on each time....i am going to try the holt harness next since it fits farther back on their torso

[Mario Niepel]

Chris, i got the same one for my two chis and i like the harness but i have had to take them off of my babies, it has rubbed the armpits to bare skin and is chaffing them.....but it works great for thick necked dogs also

So you might want to use it for walking only. i was having to leave it on them all the time since frodo will fight me to put it on each time....i am going to try the holt harness next since it fits farther back on their torso

Luciann, I would suggest to NOT leave harnesses or collars on dogs if you are not supervising them-- especially if you have two dogs. My sister in law once came back home to a quite frightening situation. One of the dogs had apparently grabbed the collar of the other during play and then by some weird twist got her jaw tangled up in it. Both dogs were lying on the floor completely exhausted and terrified and the only way to separate them was to cut the collar.

This also makes sure that if there is any rubbing or chafing due to the collar or harness, it is kept to a minimum.

[Luciann]

Mario,

with frodo if i take his collar or harness off he tends to fight me to put it back on. with the collars that they both are wearing now they don't chaffe and stuff. how can i get frodo not to fight me when i try to put his collar/harness back on him every day?

[Marsha]

I had the same problem. Spanky wasn't really fighting, but was playing and play-biting alot. The longer I took the more hyper he got, and the more hyper he got the harder it was to put on and the longer it took!!!.....
The sens-ation harness was the easiest I've tried to put on, so that was very helpful. The other thing was to give him VERY good treats while I put it on. If I get it on quickly now, I can do it without treats, but if I'm having an all-thumbs day, I still need to get the treats out. Other than that, I don't know how to keep them from struggling with it.

[Chris Smith]

I only put the harness on Nalu right before I take him for a leash walk and I take it off of him as soon as we're back. He is not too happy about me putting it on him (just ducks his head) so the first several times I used treats to make a good association with it. I just make sure the opening of the harness for his head is nice and wide open with one hand and I have a small treat in my other hand so as he goes for the treat, he walks himself right into the harness. Then it's just one quick click around his middle and we are done. Much simpler than the harness that you have to pull a leg through.

I do keep a collar on his neck all the time since it has my phone number, his name, etc. in case for some reason he got out of the house or yard. He is not with another dog when I am gone. Is it safe to do that or should he not wear a collar anytime he is unsupervised?

[Luciann]

Frodo does not just struggle there are times he tries to get aggressive and nips me. since it seems like such an ordeal for him i try to minimize it. i really liked the sense-ible harness since it made walking them easier and did not go aournd the throat.

Right now i just have collars on them and i have not had a problem with those being on them all the time. other than the fact frodo can pull out of his if i am not careful

[Melissa Brunoehler]

Hi Luciann~

When his collar(or harness) is on practice touching/handling the collar and giving him treats- Touch collar, give treat. Practice this, then when you're ready have someone feed him treats while you put his collar and/or harness on. He will soon look forward to having his collar put on.

Mario,

with frodo if i take his collar or harness off he tends to fight me to put it back on. with the collars that they both are wearing now they don't chaffe and stuff. how can i get frodo not to fight me when i try to put his collar/harness back on him every day?

[Luciann]

Melissa,

I will try this but I am not sure what to give as a treat. He does not like most dog snacks. And he gets lean turkey weiners almost every day also..what would you suggest to give as a treat. he is a picky eater

[Melissa Brunoehler]

Stinky things like tuna or liver usually work well. Use tiny pieces (no larger than the size the nail on your little finger). When working on training I like to use a "medley" of treats- little peices of turkey, cheese, liver, kibble(if your dog eats it), veggies,etc.

Melissa,

I will try this but I am not sure what to give as a treat. He does not like most dog snacks. And he gets lean turkey weiners almost every day also..what would you suggest to give as a treat. he is a picky eater

[Luciann]

Melissa

I can try the turkey and cheese since he hates liver or seafood. But i will work with this and hopefully he will stop fighting me so much.

He will let me move his collar around some but I am not sure how he will react to me taking it off and on.

Thanks for the help

[Melissa Brunoehler]

Hi~

He will let me move his collar around some but I am not sure how he will react to me taking it off and on.


Just move slowly & work up to the point where he's okay with you taking his collar on & off. It's best not to rush this, just a minute or so a couple times a day. Starting with a simple touch to the collar then a treat. Every dog is different some dogs a couple days of desensitizing does the trick, for some its weeks or even longer, just be patient. And experiment with treats, we currently have a dog in class that likes banana chips & peanut butter better than meat!

[Luciann]

Melissa

thank you for your help, i will be honest i have been almost at my wits ends with the harness/collar issue. It use to not bother him but then about 6 months ago he pulled out of his harness and it took a week before i got it back on him and he will not let me put it on if has his tags on it. So i have to carry those with me.

I will work on this and take the time. this last time when he got nasty tempered about the harness he leerily let me put his collar back on him but got very nasty tempered when i tried to put the harness back on. thanks again for you help and advice

[Sheryl]

I ordered one of the sensation harnesses, and sure hope it gets here before the weekend so I can try it out! For those of us in Alberta, the Calgary Humane SOciety sells them and will mail them out.
As far as leaving a collar on all the time.... I have always done it, and never really thought about it. I suppose depending on the layout of your house (ie- stair railings, banisters, etc) and the size of your dog, there could be a potential for injury. But I don't think my big guy could get tangled up in anything here; my house is one story, no stairs, etc.

[Sheryl]

Well I got the harness in the mail, but it is too small, so I will have to send it back and get the XL. :(