Zoeh Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Hey guys! so recently we bought a gentle leader easy walk harness for our 4 month amstaff. we've taken her for a couple of walks and it hasn't felt it fit quite right.. she's also had like grazing underneath her front legs.. does anyone use this harness that can give me a few tips? or is there another you would recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Hi I do not use harnesses .. but it seems the fitting of this one may be wrong? Does the pup pull a lot? is that why you use a harness? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) Hi Zoeh! To solve the chafing you probably need to loosen the chest piece at the front to get more clearance under her armpits. But if you do that, the chest piece may sag causing the harness to not work as intended. You may like to look at the Perfect Fit Harness or the Lori Stevens Balance Harness. Ruffwear Front Range is another. Vets who work in orthopedics etc. prefer these as the ones with a horizontal strap across the chest like the easy walk harness can cause injuries by restricting movement. I suspect the Lori Stevens may work out best for a growing pup (more wear before it's grown out of) but @leopuppy04 may be able to advise? Another option is the Black Dog Balance Harness (not to be confused with the Lori Stevens one), but it restricts movement like the easy walk harness. More info: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/20_4/features/Best-Dog-Harnesses-2017_21622-1.html https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html https://alpineoutfitters.net/scripts/article.asp How did you get along with finding a trainer to help you train your pup? Edited July 3, 2017 by Papillon Kisses 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappi&Monty Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 That doesn't sound like it fits your pup quite right. Maybe take her to the shop you got it from to get them to check the fit on her. As PK said, the Ruffwear harnesses are AWESOME! Probably not a good idea for a growing pup as they are quite expensive (but very adjustable) but they're definitely great for fully grown dogs. I managed to score 2 for $20 each on Gumtree about a year ago which was a bargain! (RRP around $65) But they're good because they're sturdy and great quality, and they have that front clip and the back clip too, but they don't impede movement like the gentle leader types can. If you need a no-pull harness that won't impede movement, maybe try out a Sporn no pull harness... we had one for Scrappi and it worked well. I prefer the ruffwear ones though since they seem to be much more comfortable. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoeh Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 On 7/3/2017 at 2:11 PM, persephone said: Hi I do not use harnesses .. but it seems the fitting of this one may be wrong? Does the pup pull a lot? is that why you use a harness? I've youtubed and googled it and i have it on properly... maybe my pup is just too much of a puller for this harness? Yes we use a harness because she tends to pull quite a lot and if we're only using a collar then she tends to choke herself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoeh Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 23 hours ago, Papillon Kisses said: Hi Zoeh! To solve the chafing you probably need to loosen the chest piece at the front to get more clearance under her armpits. But if you do that, the chest piece may sag causing the harness to not work as intended. You may like to look at the Perfect Fit Harness or the Lori Stevens Balance Harness. Ruffwear Front Range is another. Vets who work in orthopedics etc. prefer these as the ones with a horizontal strap across the chest like the easy walk harness can cause injuries by restricting movement. I suspect the Lori Stevens may work out best for a growing pup (more wear before it's grown out of) but @leopuppy04 may be able to advise? Another option is the Black Dog Balance Harness (not to be confused with the Lori Stevens one), but it restricts movement like the easy walk harness. More info: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/20_4/features/Best-Dog-Harnesses-2017_21622-1.html https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_7/features/the-no-pull-debate_20782-1.html https://alpineoutfitters.net/scripts/article.asp How did you get along with finding a trainer to help you train your pup? Hey PK! Yeah we tried loosening it but as you said, by doing that it doesn't work. I'll have a look at them all! Thanks for that! We haven't had anyone yet.. I've been trying to invest more time into her training but it's difficult with my work schedule.. still looking! decided we're not in that big of a rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Someone lent me a Sporn to try and they are good, except i was worried of him backing out of it as he is a scrawny pup! I use a headcollar now for the pup, but for a powerful dog you can't go past a prong, i walk my BT girl on one. Edited July 4, 2017 by juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Quote . still looking! decided we're not in that big of a rush Hmmm- a 4 mth old pup pulling like a freight train . Quote I get that training is an ongoing thing and by all means we knew what we were getting ourselves into and knew we had to put in work. We just need a little help from a professional I guess YES, YES, Yes!! the longer a dog has a habit, the harder it is to teach something else ;) Buying harnesses because of pulling .. IMO helping pup to walk calmly would be a better investment . Some good resources for you to enjoy and ... Like this 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoeh Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 2 hours ago, persephone said: Hmmm- a 4 mth old pup pulling like a freight train . YES, YES, Yes!! the longer a dog has a habit, the harder it is to teach something else ;) Buying harnesses because of pulling .. IMO helping pup to walk calmly would be a better investment . Some good resources for you to enjoy and ... Like this Thanks for the videos!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Good tips so far. At 4 months, although pup can go for longer walks, it's not necessary .. you could stick to the recommendations of 5 minutes per month of age. But the most important part of the "going for walks" at the moment, as you've figured, is spending the time teaching the pup how to walk nicely. And in teaching this, the pup will be getting so much mental exercise from the effort of controlling himself, that you'll have a more tired pup than you'd have from the same amount of time spent with him pulling. So plenty of soft small, easy to deliver treats, which you'll be giving every few steps at first. Once the lights go on, you can mark (my marker is "Yes") and treat at the moment the lead is not tight and/or the pup looks at you. Rinse and repeat. Distance covered is not an issue at this stage, nice walking is what you're after, and what you're rewarding. So you'll be looking at how many steps you can take with the dog paying attention to you/and or the lead not tight. It's a game, so it's fine to get excited when the pup manages to control himself. I've just been practising with my 4 month old Border Collie girl, who thinks everything should happen at warp speed, and that every person she sees needs to meet her. I actually forgot her harness this morning, so she was just on her martingale collar, and she was able to do a really good job. I spent much more time going forward than stopping so she could collect herself. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappi&Monty Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 YES!! Do the training ASAP! Sooo much easier to train it correctly in the first place rather than to teach them once they've developed bad habits! YouTube (I think Perse gave you some already) - Kikopup - Zak George (and perhaps -Grisha Stewart.) So helpful! I taught mine using these methods. But both of my dogs were older puppies by the time they learned and that was a bit of a nightmare! Would recommend what Tassie said, the training is more important at this stage than the excercise. Speaking of exercise, a tired dog is usually better at obedience on walks (less excitement to deal with). So go check out those trainers, make sure the harness doesn't impare her walking & good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted July 11, 2017 Share Posted July 11, 2017 On 7/4/2017 at 2:42 PM, Zoeh said: I've youtubed and googled it and i have it on properly... maybe my pup is just too much of a puller for this harness? Yes we use a harness because she tends to pull quite a lot and if we're only using a collar then she tends to choke herself... On 7/4/2017 at 2:45 PM, Zoeh said: Hey PK! Yeah we tried loosening it but as you said, by doing that it doesn't work. I'll have a look at them all! Thanks for that! We haven't had anyone yet.. I've been trying to invest more time into her training but it's difficult with my work schedule.. still looking! decided we're not in that big of a rush Go see a trainer. If you don't know how to use these items properly, based on how your dog is responding to them, you're more than likely doing more damage than good with any time you have found to invest in the training, because you're likely going to have to do some untraining to get it done the right way. You can ask questions on a forum and you tube away the many different methods, but none of them can see what or how you're doing things nor how your dog is reacting. Investing a little in a trainer in the beginning means you'll spend a LOT less later. The older they are the more of a handful (or a nightmare) it likely can be, and without a doubt, more work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 I know this thread is a bit old now, but a Gentle Leader is a head collar and an Easy Walk harness is a front attach harness, they are different, sounds like the OP is using an Easy Walk front attach harness. The other tools mentioned are different again. But as others have said, this needs a trainer to teach nice walking because dogs can easily learn to pull through ANY tool and using any tool incorrectly, especially on a puppy, can cause damage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 There is a Gentle Leader Easy Walk harness, SG. https://www.dogtrainingproducts.com.au/dog-collars-and-harnesses/11-gentle-leader-easy-walk-harness.html I agree with the comments re. training. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted August 6, 2017 Share Posted August 6, 2017 (edited) Ah ok, thanks PK Google tells me that the original Gentle Leader product was the head collar (which I am a fan of when used properly) and the EasyWalk front attach harness (which I use with two of my dogs, one for pulling and one for reverse sneezing with any collar pressure) is another product in their range. Got it now! Edited August 6, 2017 by Simply Grand 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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