Best Harness..?

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:36 am

Hello all,
The artist formerly known as RobbyB here. My email address changed and I had to recreate my profile...?

Anyway, I have a query. As the title suggests, I want to know what the best harness is for my border collie Poppy. I have bought one in the past but it was hopeless and slid around. I couldn't get it tight enough and it still had a loopy bit around her neck.
I wanted one that could be used to secure her on the back seat of the car with combined use of a seat belt and that was sturdy for walking. I don't want it to go around her neck. She can really pull on the lead and it concerns me she'll harm herself.

If you know of any brands/ websites i may try to find the ideal thing - I seem to be drawing a bit of a blank and I'm wondering whether such a thing exists!

Many thanks in advance,

R

danabanana · Post by **danabanana** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:08 am

I think quite a few on here use the halti harness? It goes around the chest so there is nothing around the neck. I have a separate car harness so not sure if it would be suitable for in the car

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:25 am

I use a halti which you can get pretty much everywhere. Thing is though I don't think they do a harness which doubles up for walking and the car. If they do then I want one too! I used to have a seperate car harness but Ellie hated it so she chewed through it, but now she is used to the halti I am guessing she wouldn't object too much to being 'fixed' into the car again.

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:47 am

Do you think these look any good...?

http://www.dfordog.com/acatalog/ezydog_dog_harness.html

They've got a detachable strap for the car seat belt, but without a picture of a doggy wearing it, it's a bit hard to tell it it would sit right...!

Thank you again

R

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:32 am

Hmmmm. These wouldn't be any good for me. The thing about the Halti harness is that the 'working' part of it is a front chest strap that clips onto the dogs collar. You attach the lead to the front of this, the effect being if doggie pulls them they just end up turning themselves towards you. This means that you aren't getting your self into a tug of war situation.

The Halti also has a ring on the back of it where the lead would go like the one on your picture. Now if I use that on its own with Ellie, she might as well just be in a collar as she is sooooo strong she would just pull me over. The only time I ever use the back ring is in conjunction with the front ring on a double ended training lead. I use this when I need extra control like when I am running with her or when she goes particularly bonkers.

I guess it depends how strong your dog is, but I would imagine that any dog could pull in this just as effectively as in a collar.

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:40 am

Ooooooh clever ocelot!!! Look what I've just found....

http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/item--C ... elt---dogs

This will go with anything apparantly. Now I must get off this forum and get some work done

. You lot are a terrible distraction you know.........

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:53 am

I just adore the picture of the little doggy in his car safety... well, what can only be described as a suspended, rakishly angled safety box. He has an understandably perturbed look on his wee doggy chops!
In fact, if you click on his picture, you can see a whole gallery of alarmed looking dogs in a dazzling array of padded boxes.
Maybe the designer of this 'unusual' contraption should be consigned to a padded box...?

Oh dear, I think I'm more confused than ever about double ended training leads and harnesses and rings on collars.
Must stop looking at the picture of the little dog in a box. It's not helping.

I'm doing it all wrong with a flexi lead and a collar, that much I do know. If someone could be really kind and tell me what I need to stop Poppy dragging me (most recently into a swollen river in full view of a load of hilarity-stricken anglers) where I don't want to be dragged, I'd be most obliged.

Thank you for your kind advice again

R

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:41 am

Lemonthyme wrote:I just adore the picture of the little doggy in his car safety... well, what can only be described as a suspended, rakishly angled safety box. He has an understandably perturbed look on his wee doggy chops!
In fact, if you click on his picture, you can see a whole gallery of alarmed looking dogs in a dazzling array of padded boxes.
Maybe the designer of this 'unusual' contraption should be consigned to a padded box...?

Oooh I missed the doggie in the box. That's a goulish looking contraption!! Whose idea was that then?

Er yup re the dragging thing, collar and extendable lead won't help. Obviously the idea is teach doggie to be v well behaved a model citizen and to trott along nicely next to you, but that isn't going to happen over night. So you need to do two things really,one is to read Mattie's thread on loose lead walking (its now a sticky on the methods thread & very good indeed) and in the meantime invest in a harness, gentle leader, whatever to stop Poppy pulling you into the river (though this may not go down well with the anglers who I am sure were most amused!).

The harness, contraption of whatever kind, will allow you to have control of her when you are taking her for a walk as if you do the loose lead training only, she may not get past the end of the road for a few days! Also the harness will take away some of the reward of pulling as she will get nowhere fast. Then obvioulsy put as much time in as you can to teaching her to walk on a loose lead. Put the two together and you should get results reasonably quicky.

Harness / gentle leaderwise, I think its personal preference really. As I said earlier I have a Halti which is quite good but Mattie prefers a trail harness (you should see that on her loose lead walking thread I think). I have never used a trail harness so couldn't tell you which is better, nor have I used a gentle leader which i know a lot of people rate highly.

No matter which one you go for though a double ended training lead is pretty much a must. It will work with any of the contraptions mentioned above and is also long enough (you want the 6 foot one) to do your loose lead training with.

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:52 am

Thanks Ocelot!

Thing is, she's never really had to walk on a lead as we live in the midle of nowhere surrounded by fields - ie no roads or footpaths for the need for a lead. Hence on the very odd occasion when we go somewhere where she she needs to walk in a sedate manner, she has problems. This is of course all caused by us not training her properly. We need to give her the opportunity to show us her gentle rolling gait as she she elegantly trots along side us.
Rather than crashing through the undergrowth trailing bits of tree and pheasant in her brush...

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:21 am

The only harness I will use, and I have tried a lot, are the Trail Harnesses from TRPD http://petcraftproject.proboards24.com/index.cgi?. I have 2 dogs that get rubbed easily and these harnesses have never rubbed although they have been wearing them for a long time.

All the profits from TRPD goes to providing collars, leads, harnesses, coats, blankets etc for dogs in rescues so when you buy from them you are also helping dogs.

This is Bonnie in her Trail Harness. I will put a post up after this about how these harnesses work.

Mattie · Post by **Mattie** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:28 am

How a Harness Works

Different designs of harnesses do different jobs, and I prefer the trail type harness which is a webbing v fronted design. The V at the front means that the dog can't set its shoulders and push, like a horse into a collar, (horses push not pull).

The lead connects to the centre point of balance and the dog can't have his full body weight to push into like he can with a collar. A dog can push all their weight behind a collar. The lead clips to the main body strap that goes round the body behind the front legs. The further back this, the better, preferably where the ribs dip upward is ideal. If the dog creats tension in the lead, the body strap raises slightly upward, without causing pain, which interupts the forward momentum, and the dog doesn't have enough power to push. If the handler is on the ground and the lead is low, the dog will be able to push into the harness more.

The main thing is the "Comfort Factor", the dog feels comfortable and surprisingly un restrained as it is evenly distributated so doesn't need to fight as with the lead to collar. Nothing tightens up or affects the dog's breathing, provided it is correctly fitted with V front going far enough down the chest, the dog is more relaxed and so is the handler. Good walking training is a doddle as the handler is more relaxed and can chatter away to the dog, the dog isn't concentrating on battling to breath or escape the neck pressure.

A dog can be held by the strap on top as well if you need to have them that close to you for whatever reason.

I also use this harness as a car harness and my dogs have travelled for over 6 hours in the car with their harnesses attached to the seatbelts without any problems or any rubbing. It is easy to get my dogs out for toilet breaks and to stretch their legs, I just clip the lead to their harness then unclip the harness so very safe.

The only dog that didn't pull when they first arrived here was Merlin but my dogs soon learnt that they had problems pulling. If your dog does pull, it is better to keep them close and raise your hand a little, this lifts the dog's chest and makes it difficult for them to pull.

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:39 am

Thanks Mattie, a very comprehensive and sensible reply to my divvy postings!
Bonnie's a very cute sausage, isn't she?!! I like that you can get them in and out of the car safely with the harness you mention. we're off to Scotland (11 hours - yikes!) so plenty of loo breaks and leg stretching are required. Poppy does get disorientated quite easily and her bid for freedom from the car is often a little frenetic, so safety is important.

Thanks again

R

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:19 am

Lemonthyme wrote:Thing is, she's never really had to walk on a lead as we live in the midle of nowhere surrounded by fields - ie no roads or footpaths for the need for a lead. Hence on the very odd occasion when we go somewhere where she she needs to walk in a sedate manner, she has problems. ...

Lucky you & Poppy (on the surrounded by fields bit)!! As for the not walking on the lead much bit, its all to easy a trap to fall into isn't it? When I first got Ellie (May last year) the weather was nice so we were at the park, in fields, up hills, everywhere, also she was fab off the lead almost instantly i.e. she never went out of sight and always came straight back to me when I called her. So guess what? Not much lead work done. Then comes winter, dark mornings, dark nights and not so safe for a lone female and puppy to be in the park or woods in the dark, and shock horror

she pulls.

A lesson to be learnt there I think, do the loose lead training from the get go

Still we are doing pretty good now with a LOT of practice.

Mattie's pretty hot on this harness business isn't she? Also she made a really good point which I forgot to say, the Halti harness is rubbing Ellie's shoulder at the mo. I think I will therefore replace it with a trail harness and get the gizmo I found ont t'interwebulator so I can use it in the car too.

Ocelot0411 · Post by **Ocelot0411** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:21 am

Forgot to say, yes Bonnie is a very cute sausage indeed!

Lemonthyme · Post by **Lemonthyme** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:35 am

I looked on the Pet Rescue website that Mattie attached, and I couldn't see how to buy the trail harness...
I know I've displayed my fabulous naivity/dippyness already, but IS it me this time..?
AND I tried to put a picture of Poppy on here, but technology and me are not happy bedfellows as you may have gathered!