ok so since we live in a house in the woods with a lot neighbors but not too close Millie and I don't get to meet a lot people around when we walk. She's now six months old and I got a friend 10mins walk from here that yesterday started to walk with me in the mornings (I do 2.6km walk in the morning with Millie). My problem is that Millie focus on to try jump my friend that also walk with a stroller, we do a lot stopping and being dead until she stops pull, then we continue walking. Today she didn't try jump towards my friend so I got some progress , instead she try pull to get first which she never done before. But with all this pulling she started to get wounds from the harness under her leg, so I was wondering if anyone got any comment if this ruff wear harness is any good? I'd like to get something less rough under her front legs. Funny thing is she walks on loose lead as soon as we drop my friend off at her house and walk home. At least she is improving just from 2 days so I'm convinced she will stop soon, just takes a lot of stops when she pulls until we can walk forward.
Sounds like Millie is making progress already. If she doesn't have a lot of contact with other people / dogs it will be really exciting for her so she will jump. You need to be consistent with jumping and decide how you are going to tackle it and do it every time. The same with the pulling - be consistent. I use an easy dog harness which is fleece and doesn't rub at all. it has a Y front so more comfortable for dogs. http://www.dog-harnesses.co.uk
"Wounds from the harness"? Yikes! Not sure which model you have, but I used the RuffWear Web Master Harness and found it to be excellent. My dog didn't pull, but I bought it in his last year and used it to pull up on to help him up from the floor and also when he got tired walking to give him some extra support. There was plenty of chances for the harness to cause problems if it fit him wrong or had sharp bits that rubbed, but it fit him well and he was very comfy in it for all day wear. I've never used a harness on a dog who likes to pull as I'm not strong enough to control them that way. However, I did use a leather pulling harness for both my big boys for me to grab onto to help with my own balance. It had a nice big leather triangle in the chest area that was padded out with sheepskin and the rest made with very soft leather. As these are made for pulling, maybe they would distribute the pressure better and not cause chafing? However, I would think the bigger issue is the pulling. Harnesses are more secure than collars but give the dog all the power and leave you with none. They can be controversial, but head collars have worked very well for me. Or even a normal flat buckle collar would give you more control than a harness. For safety, you can attach the leash to both the collar AND to the harness. This is what everyone does here with rescued street dogs for the first few months, as they are very clever at getting out of their collars and running away. The harness plus collar solution is the "double safe" option.
Hi there, Proofing heelwork to something as exciting as a buggy will take time, but it sounds like you're making great progress already You might find the following articles of interest: Top Harnesses For Labradors Walking On A Loose Leash Clicker Training Heel
Try a Y shaped harness, and also get one with a piece on the back so the connection point is lower down the dog's back and the girth strap is way back behind the front legs.
I guess I should have also added that my large breed harness experience is not with Labradors but with Rotties, which may make a difference? Maybe Labradors are more "tigger-esque" and bouncy so that makes a difference in the type of harness that works best.
I actually have two harnesses one got this easy step in with big reflex patch on it that I use in the evening, so I used it for our walk today and to my suprise she didn't pull today at all. So I must have done something right these two last days (unless she sees a butterfly). My friend could even come to her and pet her without Millie jumping on her. But I still want to find some better harness for her the one that gave her marks I had help to fit out in the petsmart and I really dislike it now when she get rub mark under front legs. I always got Millie hooked to my strollers handle and then I can easy grab the leash to control her what way she needs to be. Or if she pulls toward something I can hold on to the strollers handle to get better strength to not let her pull, yesterday I had her hooked to the stroller and I had other leash in my hand to get even more control. I been trying to find those harnesses in stores here that got those lower connection points since I want to try it on before I buy it. But they seem to not have them here in stores. I will just have to bite the sour apple and hope for the best with ordering one. I'll look up all your ideas later today when my daughter decide to not try give Millie the whole bag of her chewy dental suppliments.
Which part of the harness is rubbing? You can get harnesses that don't have a piece that goes between the legs, so there is no chance of rubbing at all. I use that kind. Some harnesses have quite a wide piece that goes down the chest, between the front legs, but actually there is not much room between the front legs at all when a dog is standing or especially when running. The harnesses look ok when the dog is sitting (which is when the chest is broadest) but everything changes when they move, run or jump. Basically, you want all bits of the harness well away from the legs. This shows the style I mean. It's a Blackdogwear harness (this one is actually a bit small and was replaced by a new one that was a bit bigger. They make some of their designs to measure). The black part on top is a separate handle and isn't part of the harness.
Hi, The harness they spoke so good for in the store is basically like the padded big chest piece but it's thinner string from the neck down to the belly connector, hard to explain and I couldn't find a picture . Clearly is a no go for Millie , it's at least not open wounds just rubbed off the small amount of hair she had behind her front legs. Used the other harness for our small walk abouts we had today and I noticed how that one sits way better on her then the one they praised in the store. I'm totally sold on that harness Oberon , I don't want anything going down in her front anymore. So now when my household is sleeping (been chaos in the evening because my kitten and puppy loves to play together when my daughter is not interfering) I can actually sit down and sip some tea and look at harnesses. I want the best for my little love bug, well not so small anymore 22kg puppy
Hopefully this is not a violation of the forum rules, but I got Brogan's service dog harness at Bold Lead Designs in Colorado. It's a small shop owned by a lovely lady - she and her team make everything by hand and do custom work such as the mobility harnesses as well. Probably not the best for a growing puppy (they are kind of pricey) but if you run out of other options you like, it would be worth checking out her website. She also does sheepskin wraps you can use with your existing harness. Good luck finding something that works great for you.
