Best harness to discourage pulling?

I personally think that training is the answer. There are harnesses which wrap around the chest, and therefore avoid chocking the dog when she pulls. But it would be better if the dog learned not to pull. That being said, one of our dogs is a highly trained, well behaved dog, but he still pulls on the lead.

I accept that a little bit of pulling is probably normal. She is a very intelligent dog and quick to learn (most things) so I will persevere with the training. Maybe she will also grow out of it. She's only 18 months old.

Thanks for reply.

Have you taken her to any organized classes? That's what made the boy dog such a well-behaved dog. But, as i said, he still pulls. He's 14 now, he's not going to change.

No I haven't yet but am planning to. I have only had her for a couple of months. I don't think her previous owners took her out much as she is not well socialised with other dogs and barks at people she passes. It's quite embarrasing to be honest.

Apart from that, she is a great dog and my daughter loves her too.

Does your dog pull constantly or just at the start of a walk?

He pulls pretty much constantly, but it's not a struggle, he just runs out to the end of his leash, and i'm never moving fast enough to suit the pace he wants to set. The girl dog lags behind; it's a ploy on her part to find and eat garbage on the street before i can stop her. So, i've got the one dog out front, wanting to go faster, and the other lagging behind, hoping that i'll give up and stop watching her. It's a lot of fun. I love both the little doggies, and don't begrudge them their foibles.

Hi,
one of the best anti pulling harnesses is one called a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness. It fits snugly around the dog's chest and behind the front legs and has a 'D' ring on the chest piece. Having this ring at the front means that the dog is not encouraged to pull you along - a natural behaviour that is triggered by the lead and therefore the weight being centred behind the dog's shoulders. If this fails then you might want to try either a Halti or a Gentle Leader. These are similar to the halter worn by horses and are fantasticf for walking problematic pullers.

As a vet nurse for the last 15 years I can honestly say that both of these products work really well and are kind to the animal. Of course doing some basic obedience training is always a great help too.
Hope this is of some help.

Good for stretching out those arm muscles too! he he

Hi sisinik,

thanks for the reply. I have seen the Halti one at my local pet shop so I will try this on your recommendation. But I will carry on with the obedience training too to try and discourage her aggressive barking as well. It hurts my ears!

I bought a halter/leash and the difference was immediate. My dog's big and very, very strong. I'm told the neck is the strongest part of a dogs body and like a horse, they will meet force with force, so dogs will continue to pull unless they are trained. The harness seems to be a much easier and gentler way to control and correct the hound. My only concern with it thus far is that it tends to leave a rash on my short haired fella, so now I'm on the search for some strips of sheepskin.

Training.

Even if you're going to try a Halti, you need to do the training.

I own - and trained - the dogs Set talks about. When I use the proper training leads (not Flexis), the boy dog doesn't pull for me after about 2 minutes - he knows this is a business walk, not a hanging out and relaxing walk.

Thank you for the replies. I will continue with the training as well.