# Harness or leash?



## BaxtersMum (Oct 6, 2012)

Hi

I'm interested to see how many of you guys use harnesses or leads.

Most people I have seen walking in our village have harnesses and say a lead isn't good for their necks.

As usual my trainer seems to think differently and said 'think about it, harnesses are used to pull (huskies and horses)' so she thinks it will allow him to pull more. She said she will show me a gentle leader, show me how to use it correctly and can sell me one for £10 if I'm interested.

Want to make sure I'm not wasting my money!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I agree with your trainer. Harnesses are for pulling.
How old is your pup? I wouldn't use a gentle leader on a young one.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

I've heard great things about a gently leader

As for us,we use a harness with great success. Your dog needs to have strong obedience skills for a harness IMO, but it makes it easier when I'm running. Every once and a while, due to bad drivers not paying attention, I have to rip Kauzy off his feet to safety and am afraid of injuring his neck/throat. Its also much harder for him to slip out of his harness than it is his collar. I really like our Kong harness, it has a grab handle on his back which gets used often (that's what I clip his car restraint to)


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We used an easy walker harness when Miles was a little puppy. It attaches in front so when he pulls it rotates his body so he can't progress forward. It keeps him by our side and helped us a lot. 

We are transitioning him off the harness now. We can use the leash for our neighborhood, a running lead for jogging, but we still need the harness for new and exciting situations. We love the harness and will be using it on our next pup.


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

We use a leash. We do use a prong collar on a long on-leash walk but rarely ever need to use it. They're both pretty good at "heel".


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## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

Oh, I should clarify that as puppies though (maybe until about 8 mo.) we used a harness because we wanted to wait to use a collar/leash combo until their necks were strong enough.


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## BaxtersMum (Oct 6, 2012)

Baxter is 13 weeks. I am finding reviews on the Internet good and bad for both. He isn't particularly pulling hard. I'm obviously still training and 9 times out of 10 he walks with the lead loose. I'm wondering whether to stick with his collar and lead for now.


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

We typically use a leash on our boy (8 months), however, I prefer his harness for his walks since he seems to pull less with it on. He walks much calmer with the harness as opposed to just a leash.


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## Phoebejane (May 10, 2012)

Hi baxtersmum..

I use a collar and lead on Harry he's only 7months, I still have to correct him when he pulls but most of the time he is pretty good at walking along side me and the buggy.
Could you not wait and see how he gets on once the training starts to sink in


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

I don't like using just a plain collar and leash because he can slip out of it easily and it does pull on his neck. I am looking forward to trying a gentle leader but for now I use a harness. Although it is supposed to be for pulling, I feel that it holds him tighter and I can have more control, for I am not afraid to hurt him. It feels like a to hold on him.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

For PIKE it is collar and lead - when the harness comes out it meens one thing - truck ride - takes care of his busness quicker then into the back seat and snapped in - who wants a 60# red rocket coming into the front seat if you have to slam the brakes on !


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

For those worried at how easily it slips off, you might try a Martingale collar. They're commonly used for sighthounds because of those long necks and skinny heads. You can find adjustable ones. If a dog applies pressure to the lead and/or collar, it tightens up, so to speak, but you can set how much it tightens, so it's not exactly the same as a slip lead/collar. Properly fitted it will be on the looser side, but not so loose it slips off the head. They work great for dogs that try to "back out" of their collars. 

Jasper's on a harness just because I don't want him getting tangled up when playing, which can be dangerous. He's not perfect on loose-leash walking, but he's not horrid either, so it works for us--he mostly just starts walking too fast, and will usually hold up with a verbal reminder. His pulling has not gotten worse as a result of the harness, but I introduced it long after he was a bad puller. I used the Easy Walk when he was little--that was nice. The number one reason I did not use a head collar is because, when he was younger, Jasper had a tendency to lag behind, then race ahead really fast. The head collars work by pulling back a little on the dog's head. So they're fine if the dog is sort of a persistant puller, but could be a little dangerous if your dog likes to run ahead and lunge.

I'd say train loose-leash walking on a regular collar/lead. If he's pulling enough that your worried it's hurting his neck (which it can), I'd try the Easy Walk harness first. Other harnesses like the Easy Walk include the Sporn and...well, I'm not sure, actually. I know there are more, just can't remember their names! If he does not have the same issues Jasper did, a head collar is probably fine, though it takes much more adjusting to than the Easy Walk. Most dogs hate it at first.


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## NeverGiveUpRAC (Aug 27, 2012)

Around Halloween, Cole saw one of those huge blowup Frankensteins and flipped out! He was barking and he "backed out" of his collar so fast!! He came right to me but I had a mini panic attack. I was also walking my mom's Doberman at the time. Phew! Lol

So, that collar, redrover sounds interesting! Thanks for the info!! And yes, he tends to pull sometimes so I am looking forward to getting a lead to help train him to walk nicely on lead.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

We have both. 

Trainers always say that harnesses are for pulling, but if we stop walking or switch direction at every pull (which is what we did) then no, they aren't for pulling at all. If you walk behind a dog while they pull you, ok, perhaps they are more for pulling, but in my experience, my V would pull just as hard using the collar/lead. 

We had a dog walker who adopted a ridgeback who was injured by pulling too hard on her leash/collar combo. She wouldn't walk Oso without a harness. 

We tried the gentle leader and I didn't like it. It calmed Oso down, but he really detested the thing. When he saw another dog and acted crazy, the positioning would get all messed up.

I have heard pretty much all positives in regard to the easy walk harnesses. 

Oso is very sensitive to cues on the harness. When we are running I just tug a bit on the lead and he knows to slow down. Once in a while he will have a crazy episode like after a dog passes or after going poop, where he wants to run, run, run and I much prefer him to be on a harness for that. Otherwise his poor neck is just jerked all around.

Ugh, that was not concise, hopefully a little helpful though.


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## finch (Sep 19, 2011)

I second Redrover. Finch has Silverfoot Martingale collars (http://www.silverfoot.com/store.php?crn=253) and I worked hard at training a loose-lead walk on a collar/leash. We were working toward her TDI certificate where she can't use a harness anyway, but I think it's a better foundation. Loose-lead really came together for her when we started learning "heel."

We have this leash from AlaskaLeash and it is well-made and the most comfortable for me: http://www.etsy.com/listing/24635833/rope-dog-leash-with-ergonomic-grip-34


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Really, every dog is a little different. When I adopted Willie, he was already set in his ways. As a mature adult male Vizsla, he is very strong, and was not leash trained at all. I've tried everything. He has lots of standard collars, a Martingale, a standard walking harness, and an Easy Walker harness. 

Honestly, the Easy Walker just made Willie a little uncomfortable as he was pulling. The standard harness makes it easier for him to pull me around, but at least it doesn't hurt his neck. The Martingale collar makes him choke and gag. I have tried and tried to get him leash trained, but with limited success. He probably does the very best when I walk him with his regular (wide) leather collar and leash combo. He chokes at first, and then slows down. I know... Not much help. Sorry!


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## rimrock5151 (Nov 13, 2012)

Hopefully enough folks will read this and respond. I need to know what brand of harnesses are being used and the success rate. The answer could be in a form like:

1. Harness brand used_________________ (list all that you have used)

2 Success with brands listed above______________________________

Don't need a lot of explanation or reasoning. I have looked on the internet at reviews on 5 harnesses so far and all have their + and - but only on this forum is it about Vizslas. As we all know a Vizsla is not like a gentle lab or well trained dog depicted in the advertisements.

Great forum guys.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

1. Harness brands used: not a training harness, but Ruffwear Webmaster
http://www.ruffwear.com/Web-Master-Harness_2?sc=2&category=1131


2 Success with brands listed above - Excellent quality. Would buy over and over again, but probably won't have to, as it's made very well.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Brands: EasyWalk (to discourage pulling), RuffWear harness/pack (for hiking), and AKC harness when Riley was a pup.

Reviews: EasyWalk was excellent - worked really well to discourage pulling, but did notice that walks longer than 1.5 hours tended to rub Riley's skin a bit too much. RuffWear harness/pack has been great for Riley to carry her own water and it also works really well as a harness. It has been *extremely* durable! AKC harness was okay for puppy use, but it fell apart too quickly.


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## Denaligirl (Aug 28, 2012)

Recently bought the Easy Walk harness to deal with the pulling problem. It works great!


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Denaligirl said:


> Recently bought the Easy Walk harness to deal with the pulling problem. It works great!


We just bought this for Ruby. I got her a size medium, but we can't get it to fit right. If it's tight enough it's not in the correct "T" shape they tell you it needs to be in. If we have it in the "T" shape it's too loose and sags. What size did you get Denali? Ruby is 36 pounds now.


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## Denaligirl (Aug 28, 2012)

We also got Denali a medium and she is only 30 pounds! It does sag a little in front but still works somehow. I was going to mention before that the only problem I have with it is that I feel like I am always re-adjusting it. The part in the front which goes across the chest doesn't stay on the tightest setting and I always have to re-tighten it. I figure to just keep using it though since it still does the trick and I'm hoping that it will just fit better as she grows. And the difference between this harness and walking her with just her collar is huge (especially since I hate how she chokes herself). So I guess just find the setting that works and go with it!


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

We got Miles the medium too when he was under 30 lbs. We flipped it upside down and tightened it up the whole way (so the gray band is on the top.) Our trainer told us to do that. Once he was over 40lbs we flipped it back the other way. Hope that helps.


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

I've used most of the harnesses found at petsmart or PETCO and have found this one to be the best for us. Its made by Kong. It is so much easier to put on than the ones the dog has to step into. The added traffic handle is very convenient.

http://www.amazon.com/KONG-Harness-...8&qid=1353027850&sr=8-2&keywords=kong+harness

As far as packs, I use a mountainsmith dog pack and am very pleased. I was going to get a ruff wear, as I've only heard great things, but got an amazing deal on the mountainsmith. Fits good and does what its designed to do

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/mo...l&utm_campaign=PCAMAZON2&codes-processed=true


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## zigzag (Oct 4, 2011)

At about 6 months old. 

http://www.gundogsupply.com/leather-pinch-collars.html


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## BaxtersMum (Oct 6, 2012)

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your replies, they are all very helpful.

I'm liking the look of the easy walk harness rather than the gentle leader because it doesn't hook over the nose. 

Can I just ask if you use your existing lead? The ones on amazon and other pet sites don't appear to come with the lead it just looks like the harness in the pictures. I see that with the halti harness you also buy the lead separately.

Thanks again!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Yes, typically the lead is a separate purchase. If you already have one that you like, just use that.


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## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

A bit late to reply...

We only use the harness in the car, any other time Elza wears a collar. On walks we use a slip lead for easy release but when she was smaller we just used a standard leash that clips into her collar. I cannot imagine her slipping out of her collar to be honest. She's a year old and it never happened. I've worked on the leash walk a lot and its not easy but we are getting there. She doesn't really pull anymore but likes to walk a head ahead of me. Still teaching her heel, with that she's even better on the leash. 
Personally I didn't like the idea of a harness rubbing her skin while running around and didn't want to keep buying them either till I find the right one. (££££)
Collar/lead has worked for us great. But as others said, every dog is different and you need to find what's suits you both.


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## Angie NG (Jun 6, 2012)

I am considering a harness and I'm not sure which one get.

Bella pulls constantly, that is at 6 months old the only real big issue we have with her. We are working on heel but it isn't going to happen overnight and we no that. It's just so frustrating, any advice and help would be great...


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## dmak (Jul 25, 2012)

As far as leads and leashes, any will work good IMO. I'm a bit crafty and like to make my own. Hers a few pics of my leads. A finished one, a work in progress, and my hands free w/bungee system running lead


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## BaxtersMum (Oct 6, 2012)

Wow they look fab! Well done you


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## Katscawn (Jun 24, 2012)

We use a Halti harness, our trainer did not like leads and collars as when the dog pulls you can damage its throat (no one bothered with these theories when we had dogs as kids.. It was choke chains!), anyway, Reuben pulls like a freight train and the harness is the only thing to help control this (we live on Dartmoor so he spends most of his walk off the lead anyway). We did try a Halti gentle leader but he completely freaked out and tried to get it off his nose, the trainer felt that it would traumatise him and generally do no good. But I know plenty of people who use them to good affect!
IMO it all depends on the dog!
Kat


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