Figure of 8 leads?

[sparklins]

Hi

We have a large breed dog she is 8 months old and currently 27kgs. I walk her on a harness and lead but despite my best efforts she pulls a lot. My DH recently had knee surgery and whilst I don't mind her pulling me (I usually stop when she does and she comes back to my side but it never lasts long with her) we can't risk her tugging at DH in case it damages his post op knee.

A couple of people I know IRL have suggested a figure of 8 lead and others one of the ones that loop around the neck and tighten if the dog pulls but I wanted to get a little bit of a wider opinion and perhaps some suggestions for brands or links to ones worth trying out.

Does anyone use it? Are your dogs ok with it?
Also when using a figure of 8 lead do they need to stay on their nose at all times or can they be taken off?
Thank you in advance!

Slip leads need to be combined with training.
Most can be used as a slip lead, there is a little metal slider that stops it being a noose. Good for popping on when answering the door.
Can also be used as a figure of eight.

I'm sure the comfort of them depends on the dog's head shape. I have seen some rub fur or slide into eyes. A good idea to get a real life person to show you how to use them properly.

www.viovet.co.uk/Dog-Co-Supersoft-Rope-Slip-Lead/c60577

What breed have you got?

Personally I dont like them. They tighten around the neck and also the mouth. This causes a lot of discomfort to the dog in the neck jaw and can also hinder breathing if not released quickly.

What I would do as you have a harness is have a double ended lead and use a headcollar, either dogmatic, maybe a halti. Then to keep you DH safe when walking he can have most of the pressure on the back harness but when needed for safety he can then spread the pressure to back and front harness.

Hope your DH recovery is smooth and quick

Tried it but my dogs both hate them.

We use a Ruffwear harness, and attach their leads to the front clip sitting on their chest which pulls them around towards you if they pull. They soon learn.

We used a figure of 8 lead with both of ours when they started to pull as adolescents. It made walking two Rottweilers of 40 and 50kgs respectively possible for me (as a 55kg woman) in an instant. We did a mix of walking with the loop over the snout and removing it if they were walking nicely. They both walk to heal on standard leads and collars now.

Have you tried a Dogmatic Halti head collar? My 6 stone lab pulls like a train and this is only thing I can walk him anything near comfortably on.

I've also tried a Halti figure of 8 lead which was also fine but I felt out of the two, he just pulled less with the Dogmatic.

I’ve tried a dogmatic which was good and didn’t hurt the dogs at all. It doesn’t really tighten.

The best control I’ve found though is the SWAG agility headcollar. I’ve had mine for years and can walk 3 very large dogs in one hand now. It does not bother them at all and I let them off wearing it.

Another vote for a front looped harness.
I use Trulove for my labs; with a double ended training lead which could be attached to collar as well when training.
Particularly good on icy roads.

The only dog I’ve seen recently with one was a young springer who ended up with a really nasty cut across his nose... because he was pulling just as hard.

That’s the issue with aversive training aids for pulling, they’re often not hugely effective - lots of dog’s just carry on pulling, but now they’re in pain too.

Thank you for all the advice! Just to update I have realized her harness has a front clip after reading @BoodleBug51 s suggestion (silly me had no clue what it was for) and as soon as I clipped her lead on the front she was so much better on the walk. No more pulling as it keeps turning her back around - although she did give me a ''what the heck is this?'' look the first couple of times it happened to her

At least I'm not spending the majority of the walk digging my heels in and stopping in my tracks to get her to come back to my side.

She still gets very excitable when seeing other dogs if we can't keep a decent distance between us as we pass (not all routes allow it) so I am trying my best to do some training but will see how we go - any tips on this would be really appreciated also.
I might have to look at getting a Swag head collar as @3ormoredogs suggested for when DH is walking her and she wants to say hi to another dog.