Impact Of No Pull Harnesses On Dogs

[Salukifan]

Please read this article

Dr Christine Zink is the "go to" sports vet for advice for many dog sports people. When she came to Australia some years back, she was already expressing concern about the delilitating long term impact on dogs of ANY harness that restricted shoulder movement.

Anyone using or advocatng the use of such harnesses needs to read this article and reconsider IMO. As a short term control option they may have their uses but you should not be walking a dog in one all the time.

[Leah82]

Devils advocate here...

While Dr Zink does seem very qualified to make her assumptions they are just that. For most dogs they would only be in the harness at the most for 30-60 mins per day which unless shown evidence to the contrary I can't see how that would impact the dogs gait permanently.

Also the article only refers to front clip harnesses, there are other no pull harness options like the sporn harness and those that tighten up around the chest that allow the dog to spread their weight evenly on both the left and right sides so I'd hardly call it a 'No-pull debate'

[westiemum]

I use the Ezy Dog quick fit harnesses for the westies which clip on at the side and have a D ring at the top as I think they do less damage than collars do on delicate neck structures such as the larynx. But like the article I have nothing to back that up with except knowledge of the vagus nerve and laryngeal structure and innervation and I believe, common sense.

So I think in the absence of concrete evidence one way or another you make the best decisions you can for your dogs - and in my case, after Macs laryngeal paralysis and near death from suffocation I'll always use harnesses and never use a collar again.

Edited September 25, 2015 by westiemum

[Ashling]

I use the front attach no pull harness. I have read things before and worried over it. I have a large dog and I am small, he is very strong. I trained him very well but if something happens I cannot hold him without his harness on and I won't use any corrective collars. He is a very happy doggy walking in his harness and walks just like he would without it. He wears it quite loose and just walks by my side or a little in front of me on a loose leash at all times. He is great and it has been great for us. I still worry a bit because I don't want it to be damaging him.

[BullBreedBoy]

Personally I agree with her position that the answer to pulling is to train the dog. The idea of using some kind of no-pull harness long term may well be bio mechanical issue as I have definitely seen some that restrict natural movement.

We need to correct problem behaviors folks, and try to avoid band aids wherever possible.

[Jumabaar]

So I see harnesses let on dogs while they are off lead, running around. They are used every time the dog goes for a walk for their entire life. And if they have problems like elbow dysplasia then it exacerbates the condition greatly.

As a short term 'teach the dog not to pull' I don't have a problem. BUT they should then be removed as soon as possible.

Ashling- your boy knows how to walk- you now need to train him that the rules apply when the harness is not on him.

Also Chris Zink is coming back early next year. I am working on numbers so please PM me if you would like to attend/help promote the event.

Here is my blog on the topic- with pictures http://www.primalpaws.com/primal-paws/2015/1/harnessing-potential

Edited September 27, 2015 by Jumabaar

[Podengo]

Oooh really keen to keep up with when Chris Zink is here - would be happy to take a trip to see her!

[sheena]

I use these on my dogs whenever we are in an excitable situation...I can't see how they impact on the dogs movement. I attach the lead to the front if there is any chance of the dog getting overexcited & pulling me over like when walking through the bush. For normal walks I just attach to the back. My girl even trains for agility in hers & if it were impacting on her movement, then she would be knocking bars, which she is not.

[Two Best Dogs!]

I have a no pull harness for situations I anticipate to be more stressful than usual and I don't want to drag her around by her neck/head. Either because I have to drag her (frozen in fear) or she's going to panic/bolt and I don't want her to injure her neck (i usually walk on a martingale)

(the harness is not used as much anymore now that she's getting better, but for new locations where she might get startled and try to run i will use it until she seems calmer. And for "bad days".).

It's not the kind in the above pictures, it looks like this? It tightens around the body when the lead goes tight. So she can't get out of it when panicking. But when she's walking loose lead it's also loose (not so much as to trip her over or anything)

We also have doggie backpacks which I would think would also change the gait a bit but wouldn't think would cause harm if properly balanced and appropriate weight?

[LisaCC]

I use these on my dogs whenever we are in an excitable situation...I can't see how they impact on the dogs movement. I attach the lead to the front if there is any chance of the dog getting overexcited & pulling me over like when walking through the bush. For normal walks I just attach to the back. My girl even trains for agility in hers & if it were impacting on her movement, then she would be knocking bars, which she is not.

I have one of these. I love it.

But I've only used the front attach once just for experimenting as my dog doesn't pull.

I am interested if these harnesses have any impact on movement though when used on a pulling dog as they have the Y front. I really like them.

[Jemmy]

I have the ruffwear one as well. I don't notice it impeding shoulder movement myself, so would also be very interested if it actually does. I don't use the front attach for normal walking, but will use it for something like reactive dog class so if I miss a signal and she lunges forward she gets turned back towards me.

[Staffyluv]

I tried a no pull harness (actually a few different ones) on Zig a couple of years ago and gave up - he still pulled like a machine.

So I gave up and just trained him to not pull.

He still will pull in an excitable situation but I tend to divert his attention and walk in a different direction now.

[*kirty*]

My dogs walk nicely when I walk one at a time, but it's a very different story walking multiple dogs.

[Steph M]

My dogs walk nicely when I walk one at a time, but it's a very different story walking multiple dogs.

Same.

I wonder if for some dogs who might not get walked at all without one that this is the lesser of two evils.

We use one, Gus wears it when on lead for 30-60 mins a day, tops and I don't think it does him any real harm.

[sas]

I cringe when I see dogs in these harnesses, they do damage the dog. Money would be better spent on a trainer to help the owner learn how to train the dog.

[sas]

My dogs walk nicely when I walk one at a time, but it's a very different story walking multiple dogs.

Same.

I wonder if for some dogs who might not get walked at all without one that this is the lesser of two evils.

We use one, Gus wears it when on lead for 30-60 mins a day, tops and I don't think it does him any real harm.

It does, look at the anatomy, if a dog is pulling into something, no matter what item ie. collar or harness you're going to get muscular damage in those areas, the dog typically alters its gait in these harnesses and that can create compensation issues. So what you don't think is causing a problem right now is going to further on down the track when the body gets to a point it's going to show you obviously discomfort. Remember, just because you can't see discomfort doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Rather than a no-pull harness, consider getting in a trainer to help you.

[sas]

Devils advocate here...

While Dr Zink does seem very qualified to make her assumptions they are just that. For most dogs they would only be in the harness at the most for 30-60 mins per day which unless shown evidence to the contrary I can't see how that would impact the dogs gait permanently.

Also the article only refers to front clip harnesses, there are other no pull harness options like the sporn harness and those that tighten up around the chest that allow the dog to spread their weight evenly on both the left and right sides so I'd hardly call it a 'No-pull debate'

I don't mean to be rude but it really is a common sense. Put yourself into the same situation where something is pulling and interfering with your musculature and gait for 30-60 minutes per day....it's illogical to believe it's not doing any damage.

You may see what she says as assumptions, perhaps instead you'd like to consider her observations and other people who work with a large amount of dogs who put their trained hands on dogs.

Although I appreciate your devils advocate approach as there always needs to be one, there is more to it.

Edited September 28, 2015 by sas

[OSoSwift]

She specifically stipulates the no pull harness.

There are harnesses that don't cause an issue due to fit/design. I don't use harnesses but Sibes etc pull into appropriate harnesses and couldn't do it for the distances they do if their gait was impeded. This is in relation to front attach no pull harnesses and in my mine any harness that goes straight across the front of the chest. Y front type harnesses would be much less of an issue

[dididog]

When I took Didi to our first obedience club as a pup all of the trainers were trying to push a front attach harness on me. I didn't know the first thing about training a dog but I did know that everyone who gave me advice about raising Didi had said to take extreme care with her joints. And when I watched the dogs wearing these front attach harnesses, the way their bodies were being contorted made me cringe. That and the fact that dogs in the higher up classes were still wearing them (and still pulling in them) put me right off the idea of trying one.

I stuck with a martingale and even though she could easily overpower me, I've never needed more than a martingale and she will walk loose lead on whatever I choose to walk her in. I think they still have their merits in a training context if the dog is very hard to control, I would much rather see a dog lunging in a front attach harness than a headcollar but I think there are much better no-pull harnesses suitable for long-term use than the front attach harnesses.

Imagine if everytime you walked your dog in a front attach harness you wore extremely ill-fitting shoes. I bet after a few weeks of walking in those shoes for an hour or so everyday your feet would begin to get sore and that over a longer period of time you would begin to have issues with your feet/ankles/legs...

[Simply Grand]

(Not in response to anyone in particular)

But the idea of the front attach no pull harness is that it is a tool to use when training your dog NOT to pull. So once the training is done, if done properly the dog ISN'T pulling on the harness, same as when you've trained a dog to walk on a collar without pulling.

I know there are plenty of people out there who either don't know how or can't be bothered to use them properly and therefore the dog continues to pull against the harness, but that could be said of any training device.

So I'm interested to know whether when the harness on but not being pulled against it causes the same issues.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Simply Grand