Good lead and harness for puppy?

[Lifeonrepeat]

Before getting our puppy (Cockapoo) I bought a puppy harness from Pets at Home. However, now that we are taking her out on little walks, it seems quite flimsy and possibly uncomfortable for her. Can anyone recommend a strong unrestraining harness?
Also, I got a retractable lead from TKMaxx but it is on the thin side. Can anyone recommend a good retractable lead?

The doodlebone harness has always been good for me. I wouldn’t use a retractable lead, I don’t think they’re overly safe and they actually teach the dog to pull in the direction they want to go in. They pull=get to go wherever (essentially, they pull=positive renforcenent) I would always walk a dog on standard lead. But that’s just personal preference.

Ezydog or Perfect Fit.

The julius k9 harness has been recommended to me. We haven’t collected pup yet so I can’t talk from experience.
Our breeder is recommending a harness over a collar and lead though I thought we might buy both, as collar and lead may be easier for initial toilet stops in garden? How did you get on using the harness for wees in garden initially?

I use a basic harness and long line with Elfpup when he needs more freedom than a short lead will give. There have been stories of the retractable mechanisms on retractable leads breaking with tragic results.

Perfect Fit is widely recommended but it's expensive and pups grow out of harnesses very fast. We're on our third.

Walking on a collar and short lead is a good skill for the pup to learn. They don't "get it" straight away but my 8month old now walks beautifully with just a collar and short lead. It was a couple of weeks of real hard slog though to start with but I'm glad I persevered.

I'd dispense with the harness completely if I could but its essential with the long line and I need the long line as he no longer recalls!

Curli.. it's a comfortable fit and strong.

You need to take your dog with you when buying a harness and get one that fits your dog properly. My dog's breed is small but broad across the shoulders - or whatever they're called on dogs - and I have quite a time finding a good fit. Get one of the shop assistance to fit it for you and get the adjustments right. I've seen so many puppies and dogs with their harnesses sort of hanging around their shoulders and looking as if they could just slip out of them.

Pets at Home harnesses vary considerably in quality depending on price. You definitely get what you pay for with this sort of thing.

I've always used an extendable lead with my dog. Used properly they're no more dangerous or inclined to make the dog pull than any other type of lead. Obviously if you release the catch when the dog pulls then the dog is going to go on pulling.

The 'Flexi' extending lead is a good make OP. Buy one that has a flat woven lead. The wire type cords are not ideal, they can snap very easily and if you happen to grab the cord for any reason, you'll likely to find your hand will end up with a nasty cut.

Obviously, that's grabbing the cord while the dog is running, not while holding the thing in your hand.

Mekuti or perfect fit. I have a mekuti for each of my dogs, you can either clip the lead onto just the back clip for them to mooch about, or if you want to train them to walk without pulling, you can attach to the front and the back (need a double ended lead which mekuti supply). This means you can sort of unbalance the dog so it doesn't lean into the harness to pull. I am very pleased with both my mekuti harnesses (and one of my dogs is a cockapoo), and neither dog pulls on the lead now.

Used properly they're no more dangerous or inclined to make the dog pull than any other type of lead. Obviously if you release the catch when the dog pulls then the dog is going to go on pulling.

I disagree. I used to think that and I was very strict on on the not releasing the trigger until dog1 was walking nicely thing.

Dog1 is a pig for pulling. Then it was pointed out that the mechanism of the lead meant that it's constantly got some tension and the dog is pulling the lead out every time they move further away from you. I stopped using the Flexi lead and saw a big improvement (although he is still a puller).

Dog2 walks beautifully on lead and has been walked on a standard lead and collar from day 1. He also wears a harness at the same time and gets attached to a longline when dog2 is off lead.

Maybe Dog2 would have been easy no matter what but I do believe it really has helped that he has never ever been on a Flexi lead.

Maybe dog1 was always going to be a puller but I definitely think going on a Flexi lead at a young age made him much worse.

Op regarding house-training and taking out on a lead. I personally think most dogs train easier if allowed to roam the garden freely when you take them out (still going out with you there too). The collar and lead serve only as a distraction from what they need to be doing.

Also there is some speculation that harnesses are not good for very young puppies shoulders.

I also think a pp is right that walking on a collar is something all young puppies should learn.

Sorry the house training was to sweet pea

If you are in need of a harness because your puppy pulls like mine then I would say invest in lead training while still young enough, my cocker is 5 and is a nightmare on the lead, I trained her really well in so many areas including recall and off lead walking but over looked the lead walking and it’s my biggest regret x

Also dog2 is still a puppy hence the longline whilst dog1 is off lead.

Firstly ditch the retractable lead if you want a dog that won't pull. You can use a fixed-length long line for recall and a short lead for heel walking.

With harnesses you want one with a Y shaped front - ones that cut across the front, like the Julius K9, affect how the dog holds its weight on its legs and can impact on gait and long term on the musculoskeletal system.
They are also easier to back out of than Y styles.
Perfect Fits are great but I might hold off until he is grown as they aren't cheap.

My dog has always been on a Flexi lead and doesn't pull because she's been trained not to.

Having a very young puppy pulling on a collar and lead, especially on a smallish breed, can cause damage to the dog's trachea; good reason for using a harness.

pig if your are letting a puppy pull enough to damage their trachea, then they are arguable pulling enough for a harness to cause developmental harm to their shoulders. Also if you are training correctly from the start, then the puppy should never be given a chance to really pull, never mind pulling enough to damage anything.

Also when I talk about Flexi leads creating a puller - I don't mean steam training ahead, dragging the owner, I mean keeping the tension on the lead that the Flexi has taught them to keep because that is what a Flexi does any (and all) the time they are given free rein on a Flexi.

My dog2 who has never been near one, instead learnt to keep a beautifully loose lead and stay in heel, until the lead is taken off the command given to leave my side.

Swimming I wasn't really thinking of pulling so hard as to damage shoulders, that's a whole other lever. On small breeds it's easy to cause damage to the trachea with a collar and lead, obviously it's different with a larger, tougher dog.

A lot of people don't use Flexi leads properly and for that you're right that they have the potential to cause problems - seen so many people using them attached to the dog's collar which, should the dog pull suddenly could cause catastrophic neck injury.

Tbh, I was probably lucky with my dog, as she was never a big puller, which is probably why a Flexi lead works so well for me.

I do use a normal lead some times but I like the freedom and flexibility a Flexi gives . We live semi rural and some of the places we walk in I like her to be free to wander but don't necessarily want her completely off lead because of some aspects of the terrain: steep cliffs, deep water etc.

Neither of my dogs liked harnesses as pups so we had to walk with collar initially until they were a bit braver. I agree you need to have the dog with you to try it on.

We've been through various harnesses and have settled on perfect fit. Neither of mine particularly love them but having had a JRT who ended up with a collapsing wind pipe which the vet attributed to being walked on a collar for years (she was 18 when she dies) they don't really have a choice.

Flexi leads, like any lead or training, are fine if used correctly. We have numerous combinations of leads. Short leads, flexi leads, double leads, bungee leads for Canifit. Both my dogs are walked on short leads for round town/busier walks and in flexi leads for more rural off road walks. They know the difference and behave differently depending on which we are using. They are calm and by my side on short leads, wonder about a bit more on flexi lead and batshit crazy when the canifit harness and leads go on. All are fine if used correctly. On the flexi lead it is very rare that either reaches the end of the line and there isn't any more tension in the lead when I walk them close by on the flexi lead as there would be with a short lead. You need common sense with them but they are very useful to give more freedom to dogs that aren't off lead and I can't see why a long line is any easier/doesn't cause same problem.

I would start off with collar and short lead and build up to harness then extendable lead later if it is sonething you still want to use.

I can't see why a long line is any easier/doesn't cause same problem.

Long lines don't cause the same issue as the dog is never pulling the lead out/there isn't that tension you get with Flexi leads.

The longline actually takes more work for the owner than a Flexi - hence flexi's still being more popular than longline despite top modern dog trainers advising the use of a longline and not a Flexi.

I would start off with collar and short lead and build up to harness then extendable lead later if it is sonething you still want to use.

I think that's the key. They need to start off learning on a collar and short lead. So their default is to expect no tention on the lead, thus not cause it.