Tools: The no-pull harness

Why doesn't this work to stop pulling?!?

 They pull really bad, so we bought harnesses.....What's so bad about that?  And why hasn't it helped?

For the exact reason that this works to assist a dog pulling weight behind them:

Your typical harness is not designed to help you stop the pull at all.  In fact, your store-bought, comfortable harness is distributing the pressure across your dogs strong chest and shoulders and allowing him to push into it with the full weight and force of his muscles, and is in fact increasing the pull.  Yes, he is no longer choking himself on a collar, and that's good, but now you have a dog who is literally following his physiological coding and pressing into that which presses into him:  The standard harness straps. 

Still want to keep him in a harness and stop the pulling?  Good News!  They have stuff out there that actually does that!  Remember that photo of the dog a couple articles ago?  The one with the no-pull harness on backwards? (to the right) 

Clipping the leash 'on top' of the dog means the harness was still functioning as a device the dog was comfortable leaning into.  Either that, or this is what they call a "Freedom Harness" and that is most likely why it's like this, and not working.  The martingale enclosure on that harness is meant to go on the chest of the dog, if it's to help stop forward motion at all....So let's talk about why they work, how they work and if you have the patience to teach your dog the techniques necessary in order for it to become a comfortable part of your walking regime....Which, I'll admit, I am behind on today because coffee and blogging are more comfortable; we'll go after this Dogs, I promise :)

 

No-pull harnesses.....Only work like magic for the first few days, if you are failing to use some kind of training technique to teach the dog what you are asking of him.  Does this sound like every other posting of mine?  It should, because it does.  Over and over I stress, no matter what tool you choose, if you don't spend an eensy-weensy little bit of time teaching the dog what that tool is for, it will being to fail in its effectiveness.


So today we talk about the no-pull harness.  Most of them are designed to stop the forward motion of the dog by simple physics:  It is near impossible to move forward, when your body is turned around.  Hence the reason the clip where the leash goes in actually on the chest of the dog.  The chest strap should be fit, but not so much as to restrict natural motion (dog should be able to run in it) unless he tries to pull.

There are several versions of this on the market, and as a matter of fact, the one this guy in the photo is wearing is not my preferred brand.  While it works mostly just fine, I've seen dogs pull free of this.  It also has no padding at the shoulder joist, which means it can chafe and rub and be quite uncomfortable if mis-fit at all.


This one, to the right, however, is wonderful (in my opinion).  It is by the Halti company, and has many features that the others do not.  So let's start at the O-ring on the back piece.  This allows you to either use it as a secondary point of connection for those super pullers, or to use it more like a traditional harness.  It does nothing to stop pulling, unless attached to both the chest ring and this O-ring, but should you be hiking or out in tall grass and want to allow your dog more freedom without restricting motion, this is the one you clip the leash to.

The biggest difference in this product, as compared to some others, is that magical little clip on the chest piece.  In this photo, is in unhooked, but when in use, it goes to the D-ring on your dog's regular, flat collar.  This keeps that chest strap exactly where it belongs; preventing it from sliding into the elbow of the dog.  It also makes certain that, in the unlikely event that this comes off, you are still attached to your dog!

Third; this harness has neoprene lining at the shoulder joists, which means comfort for your dog.  The "other" guys is not a "T" connection, but rather, three straps connected by an O-ring with no lining. 

And finally, the fit of the Halti no-pull is far superior to that of the other guys' harness.  It has five points of adjustment:  one on either side of the O'ring, one on the belly strap, and two on the chest strap---This means you get a much more custom fit for your dog.  Which means more comfort and security for you.  Halti's version also costs less than the other one.  Weird.

The little guy in this pic (at left) has the double clip in use.  While his person is allowing too much tension on the back strap, this is a good photo of what it looks like all fit and hooked up.

There are several "no-pull" devices out on the market, as far as harnesses go.  Some of them just do not make any sense to me.  Such as this poor guy on the right.

The idea with this is that (and they sell these at Bed, Bath n' Beyond, which should indicate a little something.....) when the dog pulls, the cable tightens around their mid-section  behind the ribcage and becomes so uncomfortable that the dog slows his forward progress.....ok, great, but I don't relish the idea of smashing my dogs' guts (or genitals, as I've seen some Humans place this directly on top of some poor dogs' penis sheath) to stop them from pulling.

Now, I have used a hunters' half hitch to teach a dog to hold a stand...and occasionally, I have looped a dogs' leash under her belly as a quick here to there from car to yard, but this is not a long-term solution, and it bothers me that this is being sold as such. 

These lil' numbers:  The loops go on each of the front legs and the premise here is that when the dog pulls, the loops tighten and cause it to be uncomfortable, so the dog stops.  They do not work for larger dogs.  Period.  They may start out working, and so you buy the thing at the store, but the dog adjusts so quickly to this, and it is so close to the design on a regular harness, that it is just not an idea that works (in my opinion).  They may function on a very sensitive dog, but if your dog is really that sensitive, you'd be better off with a flat collar and some positive reinforcement training, really.

They are, however, a fantastic option for some small dogs.  The very fact that the little guys cannot pull you over and that they are so close to the ground, makes this sometimes a good option.  With the front clipped harnesses, sometimes the little guys wind up with the leash under their legs just too often (and yes, this again is a Human-not-paying-attention problem) making the chest snap ineffective anyway.  Some of them also come with a mesh chest piece, which can ensure a comfy fit for the little dudes...

Ummm, yeah...I'm not even sure where to start about this one.  I'm guessing the inventor just kept strapping ropes to his dog until he finally had a contraption that the dog just didn't like moving in anymore, and he said "Voila!"

Restricting all of your dogs' movements is not teaching.  And by the looks of this, it would just rub all the fur off the elbows and the hind legs anyway...I mean, just look at how happy this dog looks (not at all).

These hind leg no-pull things do not impress me either.  There's been a product out for years designed to stop a dog from jumping, by restricting his ability to fully raise up to his hind legs...This is a modification of that product.  This has been invented and endorsed by a vet, but I again believe that this sort of thing is grossly unfair to the dog, and most likely pretty uncomfortable to walk in.  Yes, there are fleece linings on the straps, hooray...I'm guessing that if your dog is so hyper that you needed something like this, he's not gonna be still long enough to make putting this thing on very simple or easy.

So the point of the no-pull is to stop the pull, but if I don't use a technique, it won't work anymore?
That is correct.  They'll just learn to walk weird as they pull you.  Dogs are incredibly adaptive animals.  They will learn to tolerate a lot of uncomfortable stuff, unless you are teaching them exactly what will get them paid (be it in treats, toys, praise, touch etc.).  When you teach them what will get them rewarded vs. what is not comfortable or easy for them, they will choose to get rewarded every time: 
They aren't stupid.

The no-pull, I can put that on any kind of dog, and it will stop the pulling?
No.  Just like any Tool out there, this isn't right for every dog.  Some dogs aren't effected by these things at all, and continue to slam into them and haul their Humans down the street.  That's most likely because the human wasn't applying any teaching when they first used it, and the dog has gotten used to it.  Or it's simply because it's the wrong tool for the job.