Harnesses, Martingales, Gentle Leaders, Oh My!

As a dog trainer, I feel compelled to try all the various no pull harnesses and collars on the market so that I can give an educated or (at least a first-hand opinion about how they compare). Owning two Akitas, I am fortunate enough to have dogs that are powerful and have a natural tendency to pull so they have been my guinea pigs so to speak. Here is the rundown and review of what harnesses I have tried and my personal opinion on the pros and cons of each:

Freedom Harness by Wiggles, Wags and Whiskers

This harness may be my favorite. I was introduced to this harness by Fabienne Lawrence at Bam Bam and Friends who carries this harness (I have not seen it anywhere else in Los Angeles). It is also a front-clipping harness like the easy walk but slightly different construction.



Here is Kiku wearing the Freedom Harness. The leash that comes with the harness makes it a versatile piece of equipment.

Pros: Works well on most dogs and cuts down on pulling. Like the Easy Walk, there is no breaking in period because the dog is more likely to accept this harness. The body strap is made out of velvet and softer than the Easy Walk. It comes with a lead that has a double clip and it can clip to D-rings in the front and on the back. The lead is adjustable from a 3-foot traffic lead to a 6-foot lead. The chest strap fits better than the Easy Walk (at least on my dogs).

Cons: pricier than the Easy Walk. Hard to find at pet stores (in Culver City at Bam Bam & Friends or online at Wags, Wiggles & Whiskers ).




Easy Walk Harness

Tis harness ranks high on my list of no-pull equipment.



Pros: Works well on most dogs and cuts down on pulling. No breaking in period as most dogs take to them readily, easy to use and effective on most dogs. It is easy to find at most pet stores and not that expensive.

Like the Freedom Harness, I use Easy Walks on some of the rescues I work with because of the ease of use and acceptance by the dog.

Cons: the chest strap does not fit well on dogs that do not have broad or protruding chest. In such cases, I clip the front d-ring to the neck collar with a carabiner to keep the front strap from dropping too low. The Freedom Harness tends to be a better fit with most dogs especially ones with narrow chests.




Here is Kiku wearing an Easy Walk harness which is attached to the neck collar with a carabiner to help hold it up.


Sporn Halter (with sheepskin covers)




Pros: cuts down on pulling surprisingly well (at least with my dog), no break-in period.

Cons: cumbersome to put on and take off, too many clips and moving parts (not good for furry dogs because hair can get caught), sheepskin covers slip and move too easily. Less control for reactive dogs.



Here is Kiku sporting a Sporn harness on a hike at Will Rogers State Park.

Sporn Simple Control Harness




Pros: Easier to put and take off than the Sporn halter, no break-in period.

Cons: Experienced more pull than with other harnesses.


Sporn Mesh Control Harness



Pros: Seems easier to put on and take off than the Sporn Halter. Decent job at reducing pull. No break-in period.

Cons: the mesh panel in the front did not fit well (on my dogs).

Gentle Leader

Gentle Leaders are not my first “go to” piece of equipment. But there are times when it may work better on certain dogs and for certain owners. I recently recommended a Gentle Leader for a client that had limited mobility due to a recent knee surgery and who had a very large dog. In this case, I felt the better control the Gentle Leader provided was warranted given the size of the dog and recent surgery. Sometimes, I also use this harness on a more reactive dog.



Pros: significantly cuts down on pulling, good control over the dog’s movements, a good option for reactive dogs or for people who are not that strong.

Cons: requires an adjustment period for many dogs, many dogs do not like the sensation of something over their mouth. People think the dog is wearing a muzzle and their fear of the dog will be expressed through body language and facial expressions.

However, one of the reasons, that I do not use the Gentle Leader very often, which is leading me to the “oh my” part of this piece is that, despite the fact that this product has been on the market for nearly two decades, people still mistake the nose loop for a muzzle. This causes people to recoil from the dog (especially when the dog is a large breed dog that has prick ears and looks like a wolf). When you see a golden retriever wearing a gentle leader that is one thing, but an Akita wearing a Gentle Leader causes people to side-step the poor dog and treat the dog like a pariah. For a young dog that needs to be socialized, this is not the reaction you want the dog to get from people the dog is trying to be friendly with. When my white Akita is wearing her Freedom harness, she receives smiles and requests from people to pet her. When she is wearing a GL, she receives sideways glances and people trying to avoid her. Because of this reaction, she rarely wears a GL because socialization is a high priority for this breed. So, there is a trade-off between control and managing reactivity and socialization with strangers.

Martingale collar

This is a nylon collar with a limited constriction on the neck. My Shiba Inu, who is an escape artist wears one. She does not pull so there is little pressure applied to her neck and I never jerk on her collar. This collar is better than a choke collar because the amount the collar tightens is limited and does not choke the dog if fitted properly. It is also good for dogs that have narrow heads like greyhounds or whippets.




Pros: prevents accidental slippage for dogs with narrow heads or who are escape artists.

Cons: does not necessarily cut down on pulling.

Choke chains/training collars/prong collars

Although I have used choke collars many years ago on dogs that have long since passed on, I don’t use them currently. Most people do not know how to use them properly and because of this, the risk of injury on the dog is too great. Moreover, dogs tend to pull more when pressure is applied to the neck, so I find the no-pull harnesses to be a safer and more effective way to discourage pulling. More importantly, why train dogs by putting pressure on their necks or choking them when you can use positive methods to teach them to walk on a leash. For these reasons, many trainers, including me, discourage the use of choke chains. See APDT UK's Brochure on choke collars here.


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Choosing the Right Equipment

Perhaps, the one piece of pet equipment that vexes most dog trainers is the retractable leash.  I do not know of any other trainer that actually encourages its use.  A few years ago, a Consumer Report warned dog owners of the dangers of retractable leashes.  The article specifically profiled an incident where a woman’s finger was severed by the retracting cable.  In addition to injuries to fingers, hands and paws, there are several other reasons why retractable leashes are not favored by most dog trainers.  Retractable leashes are not really well-suited for walking on busy, urban streets.  An open park or field is one thing but a narrow city sidewalk is not the ideal situation to allow your dog 10-20 feet of unrestricted distance from you.  Your dog may run into the street before you can stop it from happening or your dog may confront a not so friendly oncoming dog before you have a chance to intervene.  I have also witnessed many dogs on retractable leashes aggressively charge after another dog with the 15 feet of  freedom afforded by this type of leash before the owner can apply the "brake".

I have also witnessed owners accidentally let go of the handle only to have a very frightened dog being “chased” by the retracting cartridge.  In addition, many trainers teach dogs to walk with a slack or loose leash which is the antithesis of a retractable leash that works by remaining taut due to the dog’s pulling.

So what equipment should the average dog owner use?

Leashes

I prefer a  traditional 5-6 foot canvas or leather leash.  One inch width for  medium and large dogs over 20 pounds and 3/4 inch width for small and toy dogs under 20 pounds. I feel the length gives me a lot of flexibility compared to a 3-4 foot leash.  It is not so short that the dog does not have room to meander, yet the length is not so great to be cumbersome.


         

Harnesses and collars.

I have previously written a detailed article reviewing the different body harnesses and collars out there but here is a brief summary of the equipment I most often use.  I do not use prong, choke or slip collars as its use and application is contrary to positive-reinforcement-based methods of animal training. I prefer to use no-pull body harnesses as my first go-to piece of eqiupment .  I feel that most dogs do well with a body harness and are more comfortable wearing them which is why I rarely use a head harness like the Gentle Leader or Halti except in special circumstances which are summarized in the article above. Examples of no pull harnesses include the Freedom Harness made by Wiggles, Wags and Whiskers, Premier's Easy Walk Harness or the Sense-ation harness.  These harnesses are removed after the walk and should not be worn all-day.  My personal favorite is the Freedom Harness as I find it fits the majority of dogs very well.

             

Kiku modeling a Freedom Harness

Martingale Collars - For those dogs that do not tolerate harnesses or are escape artists (like my Shiba Inu), I use Martingale collars.  These collars are limited slip collars that prevent the head from slipping out.  If you are going to use this type of collar, care must be taken not to jerk your dog's leash and collar to avoid neck injuries. 

   

Buckle Collars – I also use a plain buckle or snap-type collar to hold my dogs’ i.d. and for short excursions. Even though my dogs are microchipped, they always wear a buckle collar with I.D. because if your dog gets lost, the average person will look for a tag and it may not occur to them that your dog is micro-chipped.

 

Long lines

For training dogs from a distance or working in parks and fields, I like using a long-line.  These extra long leashes allow one to teach a dog to come or stay from a long distance and lessens the risk of having your dog run into the street or other unsafe situation. 

Using equipment that reduces the risk of injury to you and your dog and is comfortable and painless for your dog is the first step to starting an effective training program.

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