Well just been out to local garden center and see in the pet section a "stop pull" harness made by HI-Craft..it was only £18 so thought we'd try it out as our ddb is a nightmare on the lead at times..Looked really well made and nicely padded where it needed to be.Got it home and put it on him and said the deadly words "walkies" normally he is gone like a bullet but not this time..absolutely unbelievable!!!! went on our usual walk and it was heaven..by my side all the way round.Really pleased with it and highly recommend it.Has anyone here used one with same success?

No but I want one!

Best £18 I ever spent!..heres a link to some pics of him wearing it.. http://www.captivebred.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3259  

Your dog is gorgeous!!!!

Or should I have said Dogue :d :d

Yes he is gorgeous :)
I've got a harness very similar to that one, only thicker bands on the back. Unfortunately it doesn't help much and I still have to use the collar. Never mind I will stick to the head collar which works but the ring gets caught up in her fur around the side of her neck :(

Yes, I've got the Hi-craft stop pull harness and I'm very very pleased with it. It's strong, safe and secure and Luke is very happy with it too!
:-)

Thanks for the kind comments..he just doesn't seem to be able to pull with it and seems to fit well and he doesn't object to us putting it on which I thought he might do..worth a try if you have a dog that isn't too good on a lead.

Been out again this evening with him and its like taking a different dog out!.wish I had tried one sooner.

He's gorgeous! Glad you're enjoying your walkies now that you don't have to go for a drag. ;-)

Thanks lori..certainly more enjoyable!

Hi Stu,

Very interested in this thread. Have a traffic-phobic rescue GSD and have been using Dogmatic with success. Although he is much better - and our roadside walks therefore more frequent - if he 'loses it' (just too much traffic coming too fast) it starts to rub under his muzzle and I want to avoid this obviously.

Have looked at the site advertising the harness you recommend but I just don't get it:  HOW does it increase your control?  I have avoided harnesses in the past because, while they might be comfortable for the dog, I couldn't see how they would give me better control of a large, hysterical dog and this was essential as we live in a cul-de-sac that opens on to a very busy dual carriageway.

Please try and explain how this has worked for you and your huge boy - I will be ordering one as soon as I am convinced. 

No pressure then!

Thanks

Linda

hi Linda..
Our dogue is also very nervous around traffic and hates large vehicles going past too..Its very hard to explain how it works although its very simple..basically if the dog pulls the straps start to tighten under the front legs which in turn start to raise him slightly whilst still giving you control..not sure if its just my dog that hates the feeling of it pulling tighter under his legs or if all dogs would react like this..bare in mind when I say tighten its not really really tight just taking up the slack from the harness..as soon as he feels it when he pulls he stops instantly..it really is a god send.I have also noticed a difference when a car or van goes past too..rather than freaking out he goes to pull then once it tightens slightly he stops and relaxes..so would say he seems a little better when cars etc come past too..I dont want to make it out as a miracle cure but for us it has more or less been that to be honest..and now when he sees the harness come out in the house he goes nuts so it cant be too uncomfortable either!!..

Hi Stuart. I agree with you totally At the other end of the scale dog wise, I have just bought one for our elderly peke, though she never pulled on the lead she was always a pain to take out as she just stops and glares at traffic and people:rolleyes:. Now she is a joy to take out as she walks happily alongside me with her tail over her back. It is like having a new dog. W

I would not advise these harnesses for a dog that is to be shown as it will ruin their front.

hey brainless i was just wondering what you ment by ruining their front?
does it mean that it rubs the hair away or their stance becomes wrong?

i brought one for my mongrel as she pulls alot for her weight because she is scared of traffic and during our dessensitisaiton period i don't want to be working on her heel work at the same time. it really works and i wanted one for my vizsla but if it ruines them for showing i won't buy one.

hope this makes sense
anna

What can happen is that, if the harness goes in the dog's armpits, the elbows go out and consequently the toes point inwards, throwing the weight on the wrong part of the paws; the front goes from being straight and true to looking 'bandy-legged'.

thankyou - i won't be buying another one then.
this only happens on some dogs tho - not every one does it?

It depends on the design and the shape of the dog. I've never seen a dog with a harness walk 'normally' - if correct movement's important I'd avoid using a harness; the risk of spoiling it's too great.

It certainly started badly affecting the movement of my Kizi's sister when her owner used one to help make it easier for her to walk her (she is disabled and the jerks when there was food or a smeel unbalnced her).  It took some road work and trotting with my freinds to get her riht again over about 6 weeks,a dn she had only been pulling on the harness for a month or so.

just that with my mongrel when she is in it she walks with a loose lead almost straight away. would this still affect her?
i am getting worried now.
sorry for all the questions.
also when you say "she is disabled and the jerks when there was food or a smell unbalenced her" do you mean the dog or the owner?
sorry i may be being really dense
anna

The owner :D

Hasn't affected my boy, but then he spends very little time on the lead pulling at his harness, he usually just wears it running free in the park because it's also a car harness. :-)

Hi Linda, I have a Goldie and it worked for him too. He was recovering from surgery on his leg so not pulling was important but he was (oh, confess, still is!) learning not to pull towards dogs. The minute he wore the harness he just stopped trying to pull at all. So works for adolescent , exhuberant Goldens as well. Dogs have a lot of 'front wheel drive' power. The harness just throws their balance slightly back on their hind legs. It's pretty subtle for us but was very calming to him.

Does it stop them pulling when you later start using a normal neck lead again or is it only while they're using the harness?

How will it "ruin" their front?..not that we intend showing our dogue.
Emma you could maybe alternate between the harness and collar..someone also suggested using both at the same time and correct him with the harness when he started to pull.

Thanks to Stu and others for the input; you've convinced me.  I have always had the image that, if Zak wore a harness, he'd be the sled dog and I'd be the sled but now I see how it works.

Anyone who's read my past contributions knows that with a Tripehound and a Ratbag (although perfect examples of their type) showing doesn't come into it, so his front will just have to take its chances.  His muzzle was certainly suffering from the Dogmatic although it got us through some very difficult times.

Emma, I think a harness, just like a headcollar, should be seen as a managementrather than a training aid when trying to change on-leash behaviour. To discourage pulling I found the old 'immediate stop and then start when dog in position' technique was a slow but sure method. (Well slow in Zak's case; Miss Thing got it in two days, he took three months.)  Zak has no problems (finally) on or off leash away from traffic but is still occasionally like a thing possessed when near it.

Now I'm off to place the order.  Once again: thanks.

Linda

Look forward to hearing from you once you get it..I'll think you'll be very pleased!

"Well slow in Zak's case; Miss Thing got it in two days, he took three months"

HA - you think 3 months is slow!?  My youngest is 18 months and we're still going, been doing it since 7 weeks...

A dogs front assembly is attached to the ribcage by muscles, they don't have shoulder sockets liek we do.  So anything pulling their front about will ruin their frotn movement and stance.

When I got it Milo didn't pull on his lead under normal circumstances. He only did the alligator shuffle when he saw another dog. Even in the harness I worked on desire to pull. You could see he still wanted to (he wasn't giving me his attention), just physically couldn't. I have tried the halti and the harness to control the pulling in some situations but not consistently, or for a long time. He will go back to naughty habits the minute they are off. I got them because I was worried about him damaging his leg after surgery. I mostly do a lot of work on his regular collar trying to squelch his desire to meet every dog in the North East. We're not quite there yet but we're working on it.

I've had many satisfied customers at our local PAH who have brought them on my recomendation (infact I've never used them but I'll do anything for a sale) and dogs get used to them quicker then they do a halti if being used for an older dog :)

I use/d a harness for my two who use their entire body weight, because they can :rolleyes: And also because of breed tendencies,  believing they're the leader. They were bred to lead livestock from the front, not behind and still naturally have this very strong urge to be up front. (no excuse though for poor manners/training when out on the lead IMHO)

I use it as a training aid only. When I take my juvenile delinquent out now, when I use the harness, it helps me to control her 'four wheel drive tendency' along with the 'watch me and listen' command whereas, when I was using just a collar she would go her own way, as is typical of her and the breed that she is. Now that I have managed to communicate with her and make her understand exactly what I want, she is far more accepting, eager to please and well behaved when back on her collar.

I had to go back to basics recently with my eldest boy, popped on the harness for a few days and he soon regained his memory ;)

I've used various other training aids in the past with my current and other dogs but have still found that no matter what you use, training is key.

How long would it take for me to notice his front end becoming "deformed" due to wearing this harness?..He isn't walked for miles each day just a 20 minute walk round the block..Have asked several people their opinion on this and they have said that the amount of time he  spends in the harness will not affect him to the degree some have mentioned.

My neighbours' collie was noticeably out at elbow after a couple of months of wearing the harness for about half an hour each day. It took about a year of not wearing it to get her front looking better again.

If he still pulls hard enough with this harness to cause worry about his shoulders deforming, why use it?

Is this reply for me?..If so then my dogue doesn't pull on the harness at all..sorry if  your post wasnt for me.

It's a dog's life for the poor owner, isn't it? 

I totally agree that training is the key to managing behaviour but (for me at any rate) I have to have a sense of control - both of self and dog - to be in the proper mind-set for training.  Our first outing proved that.

Zac had appeared to be a 'normal' young rescue dog; energetic, not bonded but amiable and affectionate.  Out we go down the road on the extender lead, the idea being to allow him some controlled roaming in the local park.  He must have been in shock at the approach of the road because he didn't start until we got into the median strip at which point he turned into this hysterical, leaping, plunging, barking maniac.  Now I was in a state of shock but quickly went into panic mode and pressed the release button on the lead by accident.  I now had an out of control dog on 20 foot of lead in the middle of a piece of ground only 20 foot wide between two busy lanes of traffic. As the Americans say: do the math.  To say we were both shaken by the experience is an understatement. I must painted a vivid picture for OH because he has never taken him out on the road.

But it lead me (no pun intended) to exploring methods and theories via this board and other means and while I'm not saying I haven't made mistakes, he is an exemplary dog apart from in fast moving traffic in close proximity and coming from behind. But we're working on it.  I may find that the harness is not the answer but I'll give it a go.  (If this doesn't work I'll just have to go back to rattling the bottle....joke. )

Thank you Stu for your original post; it's good to talk!

Linda

Hi

I have the Hi-Craft car harness which I have tried on my Springer and it didn't seem to stop him pulling.  Is the one you're talking about here something different?  It looks different in the picture you posted as mine is red.  I'm using the halti at the moment but it seems to rub his eyes as did the gentle leader so am keen to get a harness if I can get one that works! 

Obviously agree there is no substitue to training but we are still working on this!  :rolleyes:

it is a hicraft stop pull harness. it slightly tightens as the dog pulls and releases when they stop

The car harness is like a traditional harness that fits the dog for safe restraint.

I am using one like that on my little Foster girl, as she has never been lead trained, adn feel it is less traumatic for her being around 15 - 18 months old.  I am using it precisely so that I have bodily control of her should she panic, as a panicking dog fighting a collar is likely to really loose it, and there is no way she can gewt out of it as it is adjusted to fit her snugly.

The harnesses designed to stop pulling have the bits under the armpits designed to tighten if the dog pulls and slacken when they don't, so that it should stop, and it is these that I feel will damage a show dogs front/movement/stance.  Also I ahve seen with some types the dog get out of one when they have backed up when it was loose.

Though they do seem to work, in my opinion  are useless for dogs  that are over excited or aggressive in my view as you have no control of the head, so can't keep or get the dogs attention when it looses it.

You make a very valid point here as to lack of control of the head if you have an agressive dog..Our bordeaux is very good with other dogs so we haven't experienced any aggression whilst he wears the harness but certainly worth bearing in mind if you have an aggressive dog! Must say though the harness never gets that slack that he could step out of it..are you sure it was adjusted correctly?

My friends dobe bitch got her leg out of the LuPi one when she backed up in a bit of  over excitement over another dog.

It is abit like with the ehad collars they work great when the dog is pulling forwards, but not if it is pulling back away from you, whcih is what a frightened dog can do.

your welcome Linda

On an American breed specific forum that I frequent, I have just seen someone advise a puppy owner to ditch the flat collar in favour of a harness as the flat collar will cause all sorts of skeletal problems and several other members have agreed The breed concerned is a giant breed, bred to pull, and I have never heard it recommended here to walk one on a harness. In fact, I am very proud of the fact that my 12 month old walks very nicely on a flat collar and lead as i have worked hard to train her to do so. I wonder if this is another difference between us and our American cousins in our attitude and practices?

Incidentally, I met two dogs on harnesses yesterday morning - a lab and a spaniel cross and both looked noticably bow-legged