GoldenGirl85 Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Lexi used to love wearing her harness (it meant the car) as she got older I started adding her backpack onto the harness (empty) for walks and she was fine with that, then I started adding bits of weight to the packs, again she was fine. I have two different harnesses and she shuts down when either of them come out, however she is still happy to have her collar put on Now all of a sudden she shuts down every time I bring the harness out, I don't know what has caused the sudden change in behaviour, I can only assume it must have been something to do with the pack, but the changes were all gradual, so I'm not sure Anyway, how should I go about training her to reaccept the harness? I have been clipping her into the car by a collar, but I really would prefer to use a harness because its safer, I've been leaving them lying around the house, and putting treats on them so she has to go near them (not that she avoids them unless I pick one up), and I've also been treating her while holding them, but as soon as I go to touch her chest with it she shuts down, by touching her I just mean the harness in my hand, to rub it on her fur, I haven't attempted to put it on her for a couple of weeks now Has anyone else got any ideas? I was thinking about trying the 'look at that' game, but seeing as how I've gotten nowhere in the last two weeks I figured I'd best ask for advice before any more damage is done, she is a very sensitive dog so I really don't want to make the situation any worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 no chance the weight/harness is causing her pain? What's the harness made of .. could the rubbing be creating static electricity ? Nylon harness/pack ,rubbing on fur could well be zapping her! have you tried taking her to her favourite spot - park/beach /wherever .. on collar/lead then clip on the harness and carry on happy and busy ?(whilst leash is clipped to COLLAR I certainly wouldn't be rubbing her with it or being at all hesitant. it's on, or it's not. What does she do when you use the harness in the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 no chance the weight/harness is causing her pain? I don't think so... What's the harness made of .. could the rubbing be creating static electricity ? Nylon harness/pack ,rubbing on fur could well be zapping her! The little one is nylon, the one with the pack is a cotton (I think its cotton) ruffwear and has covered straps etc, looks like it should be comfortable enough have you tried taking her to her favourite spot - park/beach /wherever .. on collar/lead then clip on the harness and carry on happy and busy ?(whilst leash is clipped to COLLAR I haven't tried putting it on her outside the house, considering she shuts down every time I pick it up I doubt it would work, I guess it can't hurt to try though I certainly wouldn't be rubbing her with it or being at all hesitant. it's on, or it's not. Why not? What does she do when you use the harness in the car? Once its on she is ok, well after a few hesitant steps she is ok, but I don't want to force it on her, I want her to be happy to have it put on, which is why I've stopped using it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 If you are worried , hesitant , etc - she will be picking up on it. AND if she is getting zapped by static electricity , or it is associated with a bad experience(smell/action/taste/sight) things may get worse for her.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 If you are worried , hesitant , etc - she will be picking up on it. AND if she is getting zapped by static electricity , or it is associated with a bad experience(smell/action/taste/sight) things may get worse for her.... There is no signs of rubbing, and the main one I use is the cotton one, so that wouldn't be zapping her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 put it on her and leave it on her until she gets over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 There is no signs of rubbing, ? as soon as a dog moves, the harness rubs on fur/hair - and can create static electricity ;) I have accidently zapped dogs with brushes/combs..and it has taken time to get the dogs to settle at grooming again...... so it can easily happen with certain materials & hair in friction..... but , if you are sure ,then that's fine- it must be something else. I like nekh's suggestion . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dxenion Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 What behaviours are you describing when you say she is 'shutting down'? You mentioned that you were adding weight to the backpack and she was fine but then started shutting down. Was there a particular incident the last time she wore the harness with weight in it? Did she react immediately when you put the weight in or later on during or after the walk (ie a soft issue or other injury)? Did anything else change on that last time she wore it happily? Just trying to see if there was an event that happened the last time she wore the harness happily. An out of the box idea - have you experimented with someone else (who has good canine leadership skills) putting her harness on using a no nonsense approach. Just ruling out the possibility that she may have linked you + harness + a bad experience. Possibly in her eyes now, you holding the harness is a precusor to the bad experience and 'shutting down' resulted in you not putting the harness on her. Because the shutting down behaviour worked before, she is now even more motivated to 'shut down' in order to avoid the harness. Another out of the box idea - does Lexi wear a jacket and is she comfortable in it? Is your harness adjustable? If she has a jacket she is comfortable in, put the harness on her over the top of the jacket. The jacket should minimise or possibly eliminate any rubbing. Don't attach anything to the harness. It's only a temporary measure but it will help her to get used to it again without it being in direct contact with her fur. When she is comfortable with the jacket/ harness combo, remove the jacket and repeat the process. Assuming: - she has been checked out to confirm no injuries/ bruising/ rash which could cause pain where the harness sits, - no event that may have caused this behaviour, - she wont accept the harness from another experienced dog person, I would agree with Nekhbet to leave it on her and ignore any undesired behaviours that may be exhibited to get your attention (attention equals reward for exhibited behaviour). If you know the harness is not causing physical harm, just keep her under observation for a couple of hours a day, rewarding any behaviour that is acceptable to you and ignoring any 'shut down' behaviour. Please let us know when you get Lexi happily back into her harness and how you did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 Assuming:- she has been checked out to confirm no injuries/ bruising/ rash which could cause pain where the harness sits, - no event that may have caused this behaviour, - she wont accept the harness from another experienced dog person, I would agree with Nekhbet to leave it on her and ignore any undesired behaviours that may be exhibited to get your attention (attention equals reward for exhibited behaviour). If you know the harness is not causing physical harm, just keep her under observation for a couple of hours a day, rewarding any behaviour that is acceptable to you and ignoring any 'shut down' behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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