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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Pulling like a truck!

28 replies

CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 17:12

We've just taken in a emergency foster dog he's Bullmastiff x Great Dane, he's 22 months and has never been walked or socialised. He is getting on okay with our dogs and is booked in to be neutered tomorrow but he's a nightmare on walks Confused dh is 6'3 and can just control him. What's the best Halti, Harness to help with the pulling? Any advice would be brilliant

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Floralnomad · 17/03/2015 17:17

Canny collars are very good ,provided the dog has enough of a snout IYSWIM .

SinclairSpectrum · 17/03/2015 17:25

Dogmatics are excellent.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 17:30

He looks like a Great Dane with the height/weight/ body shape but bullmastiff colour.

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tabulahrasa · 17/03/2015 17:32

Either a harness where the lead clips to the chest, mekuti, xtradog and perfect fit all do good ones.

Or a headcollar, dogmatic comes well reccomended, I use a kumfi dogalter - I wouldn't use a halti though, they tighten which I don't like in general, but it also means they can slip off as they're loose when not being pulled on.

You'll need to train him with a headcollar though. That is to wear it, not to walk with a loose lead, you'll still need to do that with anything, but you do it over at least a few days like muzzle training.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 17:37

I'll check them out thanks, another thing he's okay with our dogs but because he's never been walked before last night he's a nightmare around other dogs to the point where he'll hump them and then try and attack any advice there? Our dogs are not this much of a problem Confused

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tabulahrasa · 17/03/2015 17:40

Um, don't let him, lol.

Let him meet dogs in a controlled way, reward him for good behaviour, remove him when he goes too far do something else with him for a minute and then do the same again.

ClaimedByMe · 17/03/2015 17:41

I use a Gen-Con head collar for my pulling staffie, makes such a difference.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 17:43

The problem is when he sees another dog he starts lunging and snarling then last night another dog was off lead and came running up and he started. He's not a bad dog just no manners and doesn't know how to behave as his owners never walked him

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tabulahrasa · 17/03/2015 17:48

Oh if he does it on sight, then, treat for looking at the dog, lots, gradually that turns into him associating dogs with treats and he'll look to you for that rather than being bothered about the other dog.

myusernameisusername · 17/03/2015 18:12

i use an ezidog harness and leash DD never pulls now and she was like a freight train when i first got her

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 18:32

Thanks, he's 16 stone of muscle and we were told by someone that a harness would give him more control?

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ClaimedByMe · 17/03/2015 20:15

We were told the same by our behaviourist about a harness giving her more control and making her feel more powerful.

Lara2 · 17/03/2015 20:24

Gentle Leader - bit like a Halti. Anything that is attached to the chest won't stop the pulling because that's where all the power is. The snout/head harnesses work like a horse's harness - if they pull they just go round in a circle and there's no power behind it. Worked like a charm with DP's rescued wolfhound who'd never been on a lead let alone had any training.

ClaimedByMe · 17/03/2015 20:28

Thats the gencon, she doesnt pull at all wearing it but if i use the rope lead shes all over the place!

Pulling like a truck!
tabulahrasa · 17/03/2015 20:39

Actually the front fastening harnesses work well, they make the dog step sideways when they try to pull.

I only use the headcollar because mine is dog aggressive and sometimes I do need to have him by the head.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 17/03/2015 21:00

Right we're off to pets at home tomorrow and will look round the shop when he's getting neutered, microchipped and will look at all the suggestions, he'll need the biggest size due to his size. I'm not wanting to spend a fortune on a product because he's only here for 4 weeks

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myusernameisusername · 17/03/2015 21:00

Yes harnesses are so much better especially one like the ezidog it has a brestplate for extra comfort Smile

myusernameisusername · 17/03/2015 21:02

Harness was £19.99 for the large and the matching easy leash was £13.99 not from pets at home though they should stock it its extremely popular

BinarySolo · 17/03/2015 21:22

I have two spaniels and they're both terrible for pulling - one weaves as well. I use a gentle leader on one of them - really simple to use and she responds really well to it. Other one is on an infin8 headcollar. It's been by far the best for him and he tolerated it right from the first wear. It really seems to curb his weaving too, so might help you have more control in avoiding other dogs.

We had him on a stop pull harness which worked like a miracle but only for about a month. Canny collars are ok but a determined dog will put its head down and pull against it.

If you use an extension lead then the infin8 is good as it fastens behind the head so pulls down rather than to the side so there's less risk of neck injury.

For shorter leads I really recommend the gentle leader as it pulls their head round to face you so you can control them more and get their attention back.

A good trick to teach might be te watch command. Hold a treat by your face so they look at you and say watch. Hopefully then when they're potentially going to get distracted you can get them to focus on watching you until the distraction has passed.

mrslaughan · 17/03/2015 21:27

my dog is 60kg - I have tried a number of harness's based on recommendations on here - but found them hopeless (sorry), they were great as long as he was level with me, but if he got just a fraction in front of me, he had me.

I kept on going back to the dogmatic headcollar, he seems to find it comfortable and it gives me the best control. A friend who has a great dane who I walk with has found it best for her too.

MyFeatheryHat · 17/03/2015 21:35

I have recently discovered the joys of the simple figure of 8 lead. Mine can be converted to an ordinary slip lead if I need it, eg. if we are walking past a horse or crossing a road and I can't be bothered with the fiddling.

Our old ones came from underneath which turned their heads sideways and down if they pulled, and required re-looping if I needed them to walk on the other side to the way the lead was set up. Our new ones come either side of the ears so can be used either side (though I suspect they would be harder to use initially, it's just that our dogs are used to them now)

I like them as they are not size specific so can be used for multiple dogs. With any unpredictable dog, I would always attach a safety lead to the collar as well, in case of an escape or incident (just any old clip lead will do) just until I was sure what I was dealing with.

tabulahrasa · 17/03/2015 23:00

"If you use an extension lead then the infin8 is good as it fastens behind the head so pulls down rather than to the side so there's less risk of neck injury"

I'd only ever use an extendable lead with a harness, never a headcollar or a normal collar.

mrslaughlan - mine is a Rottweiler, so not a small dog and he can't pull me in his harness any more than the headcollar, I just don't have control of his head when there's a dog too close to him.

OP, you'll probably find a headcollar to fit him easier than a harness, but you'll then have a few days of training him to wear it happily.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 18/03/2015 09:19

Right, we had a look around and they had no harnesses and they didn't have a harness that would of fitted his weight because he's underweight so will continue to grow Shock he's got a Canny Collar and a Dogmatic to see if any of them can help. Poor soul was howling and trying to leave with us Sad

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NeedABumChange · 18/03/2015 09:23

Half of if these work depends on if you use them correctly. Do you have any experience of riding horses? I find giving "half halts" or checks works quite well with halters rather than a contact tug which you see some people doing.

Original poster
CandyAppleFudge · 18/03/2015 09:38

I rode horses when I was younger, on Friday when he should be feeling a little better a trainer from the rescue is coming to start working to help with his issues

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