Harness to discourage pulling!

[Terry & Chris Ann]

Marley is getting quite large at 60+lbs now. He likes walks but pulls on his lead quite a bit. We got him a padded harness at first and then tried this harness from Tractor Supply. 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/petsafe-easy-walk-harness...

He continues to pull making the walk not so pleasant for either of us. I looked at the Gentle Leader but it looks too much like a muzzle.  Any harness recommendations are welcome.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

It is difficult here because the other human member (I won't mention names) is of the mind set that all you have to do is hold the leash and let the dog do what he wants to do. : (

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, that would make it difficult, lol.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Good for you Karen--I wish I could say the same with my 50 pound Rio--having three doodles and raising pups, I just did not make the time--but happily the halter works just fine and I don't see it as a temporary tool...just because you do, does not mean everyone does--it is just your opinion. One thing about training dogs, there are almost as many opinions as their are dogs!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ginny, I certainly never said that "everyone" sees a halter or a harness as a temporary tool, or that everyone should have the same opinion I do. I simply said that any dog can learn to walk on leash without pulling if that is what their owner wants, and related my own experience, which was meant to be encouraging. I do believe that most dog owners would be thrilled to be able to just clip a leash to a plain collar and have a dog who walks along calmly without pulling, regardless of the circumstances, and what I am saying is, that's possible for any dog, if you want it. If you don't, that's fine, too. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also,the idea that these devices are meant to be temporary training tools is not "just my opinion"; I didn't pull the idea out of the air, lol. While there are certainly many, many different schools of thought on training dogs, I have yet to see any that advocate just using the tool forever. The following advice about tools like haltis is fairly typical:

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/head-halters-the-device-th...

"Not every dog is a candidate for a head halter, but the devices are valuable in certain training situations. Dogs with aggression issues are one example where head halters may be recommended. Owners with limited physical ability walking a hard-to-control dog can also better direct the dog with a head halter than with other walking tools. The halter minimizes forward motion, such as pulling, and gives directional control. By pulling gently upward, the person can use the halter to close the dog's mouth, which can help control nipping and mouthing. When the halter is used in combination with training a desired response, such as teaching a loose-leash walk, it can be a transitional training tool that is used temporarily to teach a particular behavior."

And this, from Victoria Stillwell: 
https://positively.com/dog-behavior/nuisance-behaviors/leash-issues...

• If you are overpowered by your dog’s pulling and cannot start the teaching process for fear of being pulled over, then there are humane equipment solutions to help modify the pulling while you teach your dog to walk appropriately.
  
  

[Ginny Nightingale]

I use the one that you feel looks like a muzzle--it is not a problem and they can move their mouth fine--it does take some getting used to--the salesperson told me to leave it on 24/7 to get the dog used to it, but I never did--if he gets upset about it, I just give him a bit of a tug and tell him to move on. It works very very well and I recommend it highly...I could carry a cup of tea in the hand with the leash when using it!

[Richard Crowe]

When Holly was younger and would pull against the lead, we used a 2-Hounds Design Freedom No Pull Harness...

This harness has two attachment points, one on the back and one at the dog's chest. 

https://freedomnopullharness.com/Freedom-No-Pull-Dog-Harness/

You attach the lead at the two points.

The company sells leads with two snaps for attaching to the two attachment points however, I prefer a Euro Lead with a snap at each end.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=european+dog+leash&a...

I purchased this combination after seeing it in action at a dog trainer presentation.  An 80 pound pit-bull was out of control even with a pronged collar.  As soon as he was wearing the Freedom No Pull Harness and secured with a double snap Euro Lead, the dog calmed down immediately.

I did not like using the Gentle Leader on Holly because it looked like I was muzzling Holly because she was aggressive...

[John Deutinger]

What I have done with Guinness is when he starts to pull I just stop walking and say  "Guinness - With Me"  he will then stop pulling and come to my side, once at my side I give him a treat and provide lot's of praise. Then I say "Guinness - With Me " and start walking again holding a treat in my hand which he gets if he walks by my side and does not pull, repeat as needed.  Guinness is now much better at walking and stays by my side most of the time.  It just takes time & practice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Kudos to you, John. This is the method many of us have used to discourage pulling, combined with a solid overall training program. It does take time and patience, but with consistency, the dog learns that he is not going to get anywhere if he pulls, and since getting somewhere is his prime motivation, lol, it does work.

[Wendy and Myla]

I totally agree with this!  It does take a lot of time (two years for me) but most of the time Myla is awesome.  If there is a deer scent, all bets are off but then I need the "really, really good treats".  I have tried the gentle leader and the halti but Myla absolutely hated me putting them on her (though they did work like a charm) and that concerned me.  I still don't know why she hates them so much but I decided that I would try to "train" rather than use something she absolutely hated. It's definitely a lot of work and if anyone has a puppy, this is something that I would work on immediately.