Best harness for a 6kg dog that pulls

[Radiatar]

We are training a cocker breed dog who is about 6kg. Ddog pulls a lot and is learning heel but so far only manages it for a minute then just tries to resume the sled dog position. Ddog is very good almost perfect recall off lead but on lead we have poor control due to over excitement which we want to improve so we are clicker/treat training all over again but need a decent harness to help us. Ddog is 1 and in the teenage phase!

I don’t like the look of the harnesses that go around the snout and we have no issue with snapping and don’t want to hurt DDog just get some more control during training. But if these get best results we will get one.

Halti do a few different types just wanted opinions. I don’t think a front clip lead will make any difference - ddog does not really mind being uncomfortable and will continue to pull even if lead is tangled underneath the body.

Perfect fit do a good range of harnesses and you just replace each part as it wears or as the dog grows up.

We had good success with Eagloo off Amazon for pulling - it has a double clip so you attach a lead to both rings.

I bought a Heele harness on Amazon for my springer spaniel. I attached his lead to the front loop and the first time he lunged he fell over. His manners improved quite dramatically and now I walk him with the lead on the back loop.

Perfect fit, with a Perfect fit 2metre lead which has a clip at each end to attach to two D-rings at once. They're really comfortable for the dog, escape proof (our current golden retriever aka Houdini, got out of every harness we tried until we found Perfect fit harnesses), they're strong, and having a lead attached to both the front and back D-rings makes it a doddle to manage an excited, pulling dog, without them hurting you.

I'm tiny and I can comfortably manage our now full grown, bonkers retriever with one hand, with that leash and harness arrangement.

I have perfect fit as well for my similarly sized dog.

⚠️Controversial and only do in a safe place!

What happens if you drop the lead and stop walking?
Sometimes dogs get so used to pulling, it's like a safety blanket for them.

Try the above, if your dog runs off into the sunset, ok go down the different harness route. (But choose one that doesn't hurt or make hin trip over! That's beyond crul).

If your dog stops, turns round or even indicate you need to get the lead, you are on to a winner!
Just walk a bit by giving the heel comand. Dog should voluntarily tug in beside you. If they stray, stop and remind of heel comand...
If you are worried about running off or ignoring you later on, have a trailing lead (best to use an old one as they get knackered) you can step onto.

This worked for my Spaniel X only took her a few days to learn. That's on the basics that she, in theory, knew the heel comand.

I have an almost 5 month old cocker. We have a 'True Love' branded harness from Amazon which has been brilliant for what we needed it for and pretty inexpensive. I do think a harness makes him pull more though.

But I will say, the most effective thing we have done for pulling so far has been stopping every time he pulls, and only continuing when he comes back into a reasonable position close to me. It doesn't have to be a perfect heel, but he picked up the gist of what we were trying to achieve very quickly. You do look a bit of a twat stopping every 10 seconds on your walk but it doesn't bother me 🤣

I've only been doing this the past couple of days and pulling has improved vastly - I am actually pretty gobsmacked by how much of a difference it has made. We even just walked him clipped to his collar today, which would have been unheard of before as he would pull so much he would wheeze from the pressure against his neck.

So I wouldn't spend £££ on a harness as it's likely it won't make a difference at all. I do like using ours as it has a handle on the back so it's easy to grab him if I need to when he's off lead.

Hi,

We use a Julius harness - it’s great. They come in a range of sizes, even tiny, and have a luminous strip which is helpful in the dark. You can even customise them if you want.

https://www.petsathome.com/product/julius-k9-powerharness-dog-harness-black-m-0/7121298P?

We also tried a Halti with our second husky because a relative swears by them for his lovely collies. Unfortunately DDog was too skinny, too Houdini-like/too wriggly/too strong for it to be a good fit. I think Haltis might suit smaller lighter breeds better than bigger dogs, so may be good for your DDog. They also look ‘nicer’ than the Julius, (if that’s even a ‘thing’ with dog harnesses).

www.petsathome.com/product/halti-anatomy-dog-harness-teal/P71934?

I think the ‘stopping every time your DDog pulls’ is great advice and should work with a spaniel, (it didn’t work with either of our two dogs unfortunately, but huskies are a) weird and b) bred to pull😹).

However, harnesses are better for all dogs anyway, imo, because they avoid any pressure at all, no matter how light, on the neck.

We tried stopping and starting but the effect of this has completely worn off and it’s just not working. We have a crappy cheap harness and just don’t feel in control. If we dropped the lead she would bound on ahead then realise you had dropped the lead and come back - she has good recall she just wants to walk at HER speed (20mph) not human speed but sometimes it’s just essential to be on a lead and walking with you. Narrow paths, busy crowds etc. She always comes back, she wants to be near you, she’s just too excited. @YorkshireFelix the dog we had at 5 months is not the same dog at 15 months 😂

I have found the Julius harnesses to be the easiest to fit / remove, however a harness will enable the dog to pull more and is not a good training aid.

If you are within an hour of Winchester, I can show you how to stop the dog pulling.

We used dogmatic when our retriever was young. It does go round the snout but is much more comfortable than others of that type. It was like magic. I went from being pulled over to being able to hold the lead with my little finger.

I think I can train her to stop pulling but not with the equipment we have it’s just not suitable. I will look into all these brands and see what one fits her best. I agree the harness basically just makes it easier for her to pull me down the street I want the opposite where she can feel how I am trying to control her. I tried stop start on her yesterday it’s just doing nothing at all now, you get her to slow down a few moments she is then just straight back to pulling. We taught her heel that also works for a few moments only now.

She is intelligent enough I think she can learn if all else fails we are getting a proper dog trainer as I am sick and tired of the situation now.

I am going to fully blame my DH because he was in charge of training the dog and he has been lazy and fucked this up by letting the DC walk the dog when I am not there, and now she is dragging them around and just insane on a lead and we had a falling out about how unsafe for everyone and impractical this is. Now everyone is upset with me that I said they can’t walk the dog anymore until she is trained. what did help was a relative visited recently and told him honestly it was a shit show and one of the worst dogs they had ever seen on a lead it was unsafe and unmanageable so I think he is going to take it more seriously now. We are lucky she is not bigger and stronger.

She is otherwise a lovely dog and great at following other commands but a year of being walked predominantly by CHILDREN and not my DH (can you tell I am fuming, this happens when I am at work and I always thought he was doing the lead training) now she is reactive to bikes, scooters, zip wires, swings from so much over exposure to these things that seem to over excite her (she tries to chase them if she’s on a lead).

I know, I am not stupid. But a harness isn't going to make a difference 🤷🏻‍♀️

Julius K9 style harnesses are really bad for their joints - they "work" because they restrict the dogs movement.

Every single time she pulls she is reinforcing that behaviour. You are fighting an uphill battle every single time and it WON'T change. You cannot correct her behaviour on a harness, she'll just end up confused that sometimes pulling is fine and sometimes it isn't.
Find a really good gundog trainer (if you are in Lincolnshire I know a fabulous one), get a slip lead and use it correctly. Until her lead walking is solid - which won't take long if you are consistent - take her where you don't need her on the lead and do short sessions on it. Good walking is a training thing - the lead is almost irrelevant, with or without if you tell her to heel then she is in the same place by your side.
Make sure she sits every time you stop, without fail. Do lots of sharp turns to keep her engaged and a gentle upwards tug when she sniffs. If you go through doors/gates etc - you go first. Basic listening and respect is half the battle.

@Radiatar
Now everyone is upset with me that I said they can’t walk the dog anymore until she is trained

That means nobody will be walking her for about 15 years. Training isn't a thing you do once, and it's done. It is a constant thing that continues.

Labradors are born half trained, and cockers die half trained - I think that's the adage.

Me, I’m walking the dog, not children. Obviously she will get walked but by an adult. A 7yo is not going to be walking the dog anymore because she is untrained and training is not working because DC’s are not suitable to do the consistent work needed. Perhaps when the DC understands the commands needed it can work but right now they are too young and it’s not working. I don’t even think children even should be walking a dog unless the dog is pretty placid and able to keep the pace of a child. Just it’s not right for this breed

I can spend a whole week getting her to heel on a walk DH then takes her out with DC and she is back to square 1

@OrlandointheWilderness I am stop starting, it’s slow I know. I know she knows the command to heel. I can do it if I keep going. DH then takes her out with the DC and all the work is undone, especially if they are on a scooter she pulls to get to the scooter, the pace has been all wrong, or he lets them go into the park and the dog has to watch and then it over excites her with the noise and motions and then she is an over excited pup.

I have a DH problem not a dog problem I suspect

Yep you need to keep things calm, scooters and children are too over stimulating and will make things much, much worse!
At risk of outing myself - this is the chap I know. He is fab with the dogs, calm and sensible. He has a YouTube channel so worth having a watch.

I knew what you meant, I was meaning that if you are going to wait until doggo is trained before anyone else can walk her, you'll be doing all the walking for the next 15 years. It was supposed to be humorous, however I have dealt with many owners in your situation and it can cause a bit of a sense of humour failure. I didn't intend to rub salt.

I am working with a couple of owners who are struggling with other family members undoing their good work. One thing that usually helps is to have two leads. One for you to train with, and the other for the rest of the family. The dog will learn which is which and behave accordingly. It is quite amazing. Also helpful when you don't have time for a full lead walking session.

@HappiestSleeping 2 leads is something I already suggested, DH seems to think that everything will just happen of its own accord. I am the party pooper as I ruin all the fun by saying no so when I am not there, he lets them hold the dog as they whinge. I was like where is the clicker? Oh he’s lost it. Why is a child holding a solid handle retractable lead with a dog that’s pulling like a sled dog? Oh he forgot the other lead. Why do we have scooters on this walk where the dog can’t go off lead? Oh the kids wanted them (then he also has to carry the scooters and wrangle the dog).

He wanted the dog

It's a common scenario I'm afraid. I see it all the time.

A halti harness works well for our small steam train 🤣. like you, we’ve tried stop start, turn around, treats, positive reinforcement and the occasionally telling off but it’s just excitement and I think he feels out of control a and I’ve given up worrying about it.

Thankfully, most of our walks are off lead and his recall and off lead heel is 100%. If we go on a road walk though we use the halti and it works wonderfully.

@HappiestSleeping I am so angry with him! His dad hates walking the dog and I feel bad for him as he help us out and are also trying not to be dragged or tripped over. There is other stuff. Constantly buying different food which confuses dog. He doesn’t walk her when he ought to and then complains she is hyper.

As always, you have a DH problem, not a dog problem - and unfortunately, this scenario seems to happen all the time. Bloke wants a dog, claims he'll do everything, gets the kids involved to ramp up the pressure, then bam, puppy arrives and he suddenly CBA to do any of it anymore.

It's such a shame. I hope you manage to figure out a way forward.

Can this be a cautionary tale 😂

I love this dog, I’m a dog lover I just knew this would happen. So it’s on me too even though I strongly objected. Trust your gut!

Why do men want dogs this badly then never follow through. He gaslights himself that things are not too bad which doesn’t help. Says I am nothing but negative but it’s getting embarrassing now