Should I put Molly on a lead or in a harness? She's a westie, 4mths old and at the mo she's on a puppy collar and lead but the trainer at her class said it would be best to put her in harness as this won't pull her neck. But she doesn't actually pull on walks (it's normally me pulling her!!!!).

So I've just been to Pets at Home to have a look and can you believe they don't have any at all! So my question is - do you think a harness is best? where can I get one from? (would like to see it before buying so internet no good) and are they adjustable like a collar as she's still very young and I don't want to keep buying a new one?

I've just got a Lupi harness for my Molly (working cocker, 3 months): the pet shop didn't have any harnesses in a puppy size, but the small dog size was fine - will have to get a bigger one in a couple of months or so, but at £6 it's not so bad. They are adjustable, and there's quite a bit of room for her to grow into at the moment. She was just terrible with the lead & collar - sounded like she was going to choke herself to death, but is a lot easier to deal with on the harness. Only problem with Lupi is that if you take the lead off, the straps loosen and the harness could come off, so if you wanted to let the dog off the lead, you would have to take the harness off as well. There are other kinds of harness, though, that don't do this. I'm surprised PaH didn't have any - most small pet shops do.

Hope that helps.

I really couldn't believe Pets at Home didn't have any. I even asked but they said no. Mind you I think they're a bit useless as they never have her food either. It's amazing that the smaller independent shops always have so much more in them and they're not even that much more expensive.

I didn't realise harnesses are so cheap so I may get her one and give it a go anyway, even though she doesn't pull. She doesn't really like going out on walks (bit scared cos she's so small) so anything that makes her happier/more comfortable will be worth a go.

try wilkinsons if there is one near you,i have an old harness i dont need anymore if you email me i will try to send you a piccy if you like
mel:)

Hi Claire,
I know we all have different opinions, but if my dog didn't pull I don't think I'd bother with a harness. As it happens, I do use a Kumfi harness for my Aussie, which is great, because when I take our two dogs out together he pulls like mad - on the harness he can't. But if he didn't pull, I would just use collar and lead. I know you've got a smaller breed, but if the dog doesn't pull I don't see how you'd damage the neck anyway.
Hilda

My lab pulls like billyo on harness or on collar. With collar on she has almost past out before and before anyone says anything I am not pulling back! I bought as harness that tightens under the front legs if she pulls - worked for about a week and then she got used to it and started pulling again. She will respond to treats but the moment the treat has been swallowed she starts pulling again. However if I stand still she just stops and waits and soon as I move off, yes you guessed it she starts pulling again.

Still trying to work out the best way to stop her as one arm is developing bigger than the other - don't have the same problem with my Akita.

:D :D sounds like my lab tess, normally after shes been out for about for lets say 48 hours non stop she might and i mean might stop pulling :) . she has always pulled ive tried collars, check chains, half checks, walkrites, lupis, harness, slip leads, haltis, you name it ive tried it, haltis were the best though, for a laugh that is when walking near grass she would walk with her head on the side pushing it through the grass, with her bum in the air, trying to rid herself of the halti from hell :) as she is yellow she had lovely green 'go fast stripes' down the side of her face and neck, and yes go fast she did :D

My local PatH stocks the anti-pull harnesses, I have them for my springer and working cocker, they are great for dogs that pull but as you have no problem with pulling I would just get the plain body harness. My PatH has plain harnesses hanging with the matching collars and leads, you know the big selection of red/blue etc. maybe you just have an odd PatH?? As shes only 4 months I would wait until she is fully grown, no point throwing good money away.

Just out of inerest - when we were preparing for our new dog last month, Pets at Home had NO COLLARS OR LEADS!!!! :rolleyes: I couln't believe it - there were 2 empty "walls" where they should have been! When I asked when they were likely to have any in, they vaguely said "in 2 or 3 weeks".....

However, they did have the Dogbags at a very good price, so the visit wasn't a complete waste of time. But there'll always be a place for the little shops, won't there, with this major chain being so useless about such obvious, everyday items.
Cathy.

Did you find the staff to be really uninterested aswell? I went in for same Puppy Naturediet and they had none (a week prior to this they'd had no Pedigree Puppy either). When I asked someone they said 'oh, there might be some out the back on the delivery but if it's not on the top of the cage you'll have to wait' so I asked them to see if it was on the top of the cage and the girl said 'no I can't really'. Can't be a**ed more like! I promptly went to my tiny local shop and got what I wanted plus advice on what age to feed up to.

What worried me though is P@H didn't have any of these basics, but they did have a nce big display of bandanas for dogs. The picture showed them tied around the dogs neck. Is it just me but I would have thought these be a major choking hazard?

Yes, the staff were very off-hand, in fact no help whatsoever.
Cathy.

I spotted the dogbags in PatH the other day, was contemplating one that would fit both my spaniels in so that I could switch them about while working with them at obediance classes etc. Are they quite sturdy and do they need to be pegged down???
PatH are the worst when it comes to customer service, I once bought a bag of pedigree senior and when I got home it was out of code, I complained but the girl seemed uninterested and I knew she wouldn't bother checking the rest of the stock so I wrote to head office, never heard a word from them. Also the number of people that come to classes with the wrong collars/leads/harnesses etc. because they have had advice from the staff at PatH is annoying.

at my puppy classes i was told not to let my lab pup wear a harness because it makes them strong round the shoulders instead to flick and relax the leadbasical Yank the lead back them let it go loss i hated her doing in to my pup she just wanted to run and the woman and pulling her so hard backwards it was make my dog bites it tounge !!!! i hate doing it so i atmit i do let wear a harness sometime:)

is this a normal method of stoping pulling or just a weird mean way???

hello labluver

i think thats a harsh thing to do to a puppy to stop it pulling,harnesses are great you have much more control, i hate to say this but some dog trainers are not always right in their methods ,another dog trainer would totally disagree with that kind of training. speak up for your puppy!

shaunie

I agree, i am amazed that some trainers are still doing this - it is IMO really harsh to yank a pup back in the way you have described, esp. as she wanted to run away :(

Do find another training club, i hate to say it but this one sounds awful and if the trainer can only teach by yanking (which by the way i used to do myself many moons ago) then she doesn't know much about training.

Lindsay
X

We've only used the dog bag in the car, thus far, and it seems to be very effective at keeping the dog safe & the car clean. We use it in an estate with one back seat down, and we anchor it to the front seat & the boot anchor points. Really, it's meant to be used either in the boot or on the back seat with an extra booster affair to stop the dog falling into the well in front of the seat.
Cathy.

i use a lupi on my cocker it just goes over there head and there legs go threw then it gets pulled tight theres loads of room mine could probably fit a lab and theres no fiddling with ajusting the thing:D i like them because it lets the dog go for a nice walk without any pulling just a relaxed walk. if i were you id get a lupi and on short walks id just use the colla , and the lupi will last years.
I did try a nylon harness but, i was walking down the road and suddenly the middle part breaks away and before i knew it the dog was in the middle of the road . good job shes good at her come here. with the lupi i know theres nothing to give away:D much better
Lab lady your trainer actully pulls that hard it makes the dog bite its tounge. im no exspert in dog training but that dosent sound good for a pup. i could understand if it was a fully grown out of hand lab. but it isent!

After my much loved Dobermann, died of a slipped disc in her neck, I now us harness for my dobes. Gives me extra confidence when out walking, and makes walking a pleasure. My dog training club is totally against them (see my other post re do dogs challenge us all the time)

Charley

nah harnesses are great. nothing wrong with them if your dogs too strong then a head colla gives you better control without having to yank the neck,

When we rescued our Staff x Pit she walked to heel perfectly in a collar and lead but decided to buy a harness anyway and just couldn't find any that we really liked so went to a Saddler and he made a couple for us - and they are lovely. She loves the harness and I think she actually enjoys walking so much better in it so would perhaps recommend going to a saddler to have one made if you can't buy one.

Oppsss...should add that it maybe wasnt a collar that caused the injury. I like to us them now, as I realise now how delicate the neck is.

Charley

i much prefer using a harness, it just seems so much more comfortable for them (the dog) i just know if i was a dog i'd rather wear a harness that supported the whole of my upper body rather than a collar. hehe, always look at it from the dogs perspective! the harness i've got is adjustable it has little buckles thingys (like seatbelts) not sure what the brand is though. but i would definately say harnesses!

Thanks to Mel for the offer of the harness but we actually bought one on Saturday. Went down to our local independent pet shop and they were fantastic. Explained to her all about Pets at Home and she said she knew of instances where the staff hadn't even been able to sex an animal. How bad is that?

Anyway, took Molly in with me - she thought it was wonderful and made great friends with the owners dog. Then the shop owner had all the harnesses down and was putting them on and sizing them up and going through the various merits of each one. She was really helpful. Finally got a nice red one for about £7 and it's got plenty of growing room.

Took her out and I think she's actually happier on it. Anyone who's read my earlier posts about her not enjoying her walks will know what I mean. Also, as the lead is now attached to her back she doesn't get her legs tangled up.

So thanks for all the advice.