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I'm confused and looking for some insight into possibly why and a remedy
Laufey has a roman style harness that he didn't mind at all when we got it but recently he hates having it put on. Once it's over his head he's fine with putting his leg in it and having it on but he tries to back away from having it put on, yawns and shakes himself off so he obviously hates having it put on I noticed it start when I tried to speed the process of getting out the house up by offering him treats to move faster and stick his head in. I realise I could just accept defeat and get a harness I just put his feet it and fasten behind him but they don't seem as comfortable - every dog I've seen in one it never seems to fit 'right'.
Walking him without a harness isn't an option simply because I have never, and don't ever want to, walk him on just his collar
Tucker is like this too, he hates having the harness put over his head. I think just the body language involved in looming over a dog and then reaching straight towards their face with an object freaks them out. Plus in order to be fitting the dog properly it's likely a little snug going over the head which may not feel super awesome over the ears and stuff. With Tucker I just wait him out, he really wants to go on a walk and knows in order to get that he needs to come over and let me put the harness over his head. Sitting/kneeling down on the floor may help if it's a body language thing. You can also teach a formal "stick you're head through the harness" cue in training sessions starting with the harness opening adjusted very large and then making it smaller until it's to the proper snug adjustment. That way it's not something you're doing to him, it's something he's choosing to do.
Jasper used to be the same with his over-the-head harness, and would get downright snarky about having it put on & taken off, so we got a step-in one. Then he ate that one when we were on holiday and the only one we could get was an over-the-head one. But with a bit more maturity, he was OK(ish) with it then. I'd go with Maxy's suggestion of training 'stick your head in here' - when I take Jasper's harness off I always ask him to go 'back' so he's reversing out of it rather than me pulling it over his head.
We only use the harness for longer car trips so Jasper can still get a bit worked up over having it on as he knows we're going somewhere 'exciting'. If I just bunged the harness on him quickly he'd probably get mouthy/grumpy, so I either lure his head through the loop with a treat, or ask him to 'wait' while I put it on. And then he can get a bit funny about the clips... a good way with him is to stick a treat just beyond his nose and ask for a wait as he'll usually control himself well then.
Have a look at 'Perfect Fit' harnesses. They come in different configurations so you can choose whether they are step-in or head-through. They also sell the different components separately so you can get a perfect fit (hence the name), and are good at advising and swapping bits that don't fit.
I don't think our harness is adjective correctly at the best of times, it's very loose in the neck because it's easier to get on him and seems to sit better across his back and belly if the straps come further down his chest instead of further up. I'll see what I can do about teaching him to do it himself - the problem seemed to start when I was luring him into it so it could take a while I've seen the perfect fit harness in pictures but never really looked into it much although separate pieces is good. Laufey's car harness is much the same as his normal one but has a clip on the neck bit too and he's better at putting that on although still wary of it over his head but I hate walking him on it as it seems bulky and he seems to pull in it.
I think his combination of issues at the minute are just waring me down and I don't know what to do with him. Hopefully we can get through the next 5 weeks and then I can get some really solid new behaviours sorted over Christmas
This is why I like (and therefore sell) perfect fit harnesses, because there are SO many ways to put them on and you can break the thing down and drape single pieces over your dog during a desensitization process!
I do not have experience with a harness for a dog, but have quite a bit of experience with horses. My suggestion would be to try a different approach to the dog when you are going to place it on him. Instead of standing over him kneel down and approach with the harness from the back. Also, don’t make a big deal out of putting the harness on him. Just quietly slip it over his head from the back and see what happens. There is something about the process that he does not like and you will just have to figure out what that is.
It could be something about the harness that he is not sure about. You may try putting it on at odd times through the day and leaving it on for awhile...who knows what’s in a dogs mind. Sometimes we have a negative thought about what we are doing with the animal and they pick up on that.
delladooo wrote:I just don't understand because he doesn't have the same problem with his collar going over his head
Sometimes we just have to accept that we can't work out what is going on in their heads, and just find a workaround If you're overwhelmed with the different issues right now, I suggest you just focus on one or two - either the ones that are the biggest pain, or the easiest to fix. So forget about the ravenous appetite until he's off the steroids, maybe forget about weeing in the garden till you feel up to spending a hell of a lot of quality time out there with him... The harness might actually be the easiest one to fix, but not if you're having to do this scary thing to him several times a day... so I do think investigating a different style would be worth it (anything for an easy life is my motto ).
JudyN wrote:anything for an easy life is my motto ).
Oh an easy life sounds like heaven right now. I'm not sure how we ended up here with him because we were doing so well. I'll definitely look into a harness and find a size appropriate long line (yet another issue we're having). I'm at the stage where I think all of the quality time in the world couldn't get him peeing in the garden. We have one steroid left so we'll just wait and see so the harness it is. I didn't envision him being this stubborn when he's so eager to please
Nettle wrote:Stop seeing it as stubborn because he isn't being stubborn. He only has limited ways to tell you he doesn't like something. So he's telling you.
I definitely need to remember this but sometimes I can get past it, especially when out and he spots something far more interesting than me
On a related note, we're trying a long line again. The washing line broke when he was 'helping' wash the car. I'm waiting for 50ft of 550 paracord to arrive to do something with it. I'm thinking it should be strong enough as just a single cord to hold him but then I want to put knots along it and a handle. I'm determined to improve his recall and stop him chasing birds and other dogs. I just want a pleasant stroll but it's apparently too much to ask.
It's certainly too much to ask until you have installed the buttons. IME it takes two years of hard work with a normal well-reared well-bred puppy, before we can get that level of co-operation on a walk, and even then, there are circumstances under which it would be unwise to test your control. With rescues, or those with a poor start, it can be a lifetime's work.
Don't set unrealistic goals. it makes life a whole lot less stressful if you celebrate each small success, and let the unhappy stuff go. You are all he has, and he didn't choose this life. You chose him. You and he can have a great life together, but it isn't going to be what you want right from the start.
I have no idea what a paracord is, but if it is thin then beware of skinning your hands if he dives off. You would be better to go to a horse equipment place and get a lunge line.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
Thanks Nettle when I look at how far he's come it's brilliant, sometimes I just think it would be nice to take him for a walk without worrying his going to poison himself or take off after a dog in the distance but we'll get there.
Paracord is quite thin, it started life as parachute lines in the military but is now widely available but will be used with gloves only which isn't much of an issue at the minute as I need gloves anyway. I'm not 100% sure on how to use a long line with the collect and let it out but I cannot let him off in open fields where nothing blocks his sight or he takes off
We use an Easy-Walker harness. You around his chest/neck, then behind his front legs. No having to slip anything over the head or step into or anything. Pretty nice. As far as putting things over our dogs head, we've taught our dog to put his head through the opening of his jacket. We did this by holding some peanut butter in the opening, and eventually progressed to peanut butter only have putting it on, to no PB at all.
As far as being ok with the collar and not the harness, your dog probably sees them as what they are, different things, as opposed to the action of putting it over their head. Or maybe it's just not comfy....
Sometimes we have a negative thought about what we are doing with the animal and they pick up on that.
If you're overwhelmed with the different issues right now, I suggest you just focus on one or two - either the ones that are the biggest pain, or the easiest to fix. So forget about the ravenous appetite until he's off the steroids, maybe forget about weeing in the garden till you feel up to spending a hell of a lot of quality time out there with him... The harness might actually be the easiest one to fix, but not if you're having to do this scary thing to him several times a day... so I do think investigating a different style would be worth it (anything for an easy life is my motto 
IME it takes two years of hard work with a normal well-reared well-bred puppy, before we can get that level of co-operation on a walk, and even then, there are circumstances under which it would be unwise to test your control. With rescues, or those with a poor start, it can be a lifetime's work. 
when I look at how far he's come it's brilliant, sometimes I just think it would be nice to take him for a walk without worrying his going to poison himself or take off after a dog in the distance but we'll get there.