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.


Los Angeles Dog Training
www.pawsitivefeedback.com

BlogCatalog

Stop and Smell the Hydrants

There are many notions in the dog training world that are out-dated, based on outmoded dog training philosophies or are simply not based on what we currently know and understand about domestic canine behavior.  This month I want to explore some of the "rules" that involve taking your dog for a walk: 

1) Myth - If your dog exits the doorway ahead of you, he/she is being dominant.

The Reality - This idea started with the notion that the alpha wolves led the pack and if you wanted to be a "pack leader" you need to walk ahead of your dog. The alpha dog concept has been questioned in recent years as scholars have argued that the old studies on captive wolves do not reflect what goes on in wild populations.  Moreover, dog social structures seem to be more fluid and less hierarchical than wolf populations. For a more detailed explanation and list scientific sources, read my article on the alpha dog theory.  The simple explanation for dogs wanting to run out the door is that what is outside is much more interesting than what they see inside the house day after day.  Walks are really rewarding for dogs, mentally and physcially, so it is no surprise that they want to run out the door. 

The main reason to train a dog to wait behind a door before you release them for the walk is for safety not to show your "dominance" over the dog. You don't want a dog make a habit of charging out of a door, especially if the leash has not been securely fastened. 

Because going for a walk is what I call a "life reward,"  I use this fact to my advantage and ask the dog to perform a behavior such as a "sit" or "wait" before I open the door and let them outside.  By doing this,  I reinforce their training (sit and wait) and the great thing is that the reward is not food, but the walk itself. 

2) Myth - A dog that walks ahead of you on a walk is being dominant.

The Reality - again, this notion has its roots in dominance or alpha dog theories and like the doorway myth, the studies do not support this idea.  I think the simplest explanation as to why dogs like to forge ahead on walks is because they usually can walk faster than us and what is in front of us is much more interesting.  It is not so much about controlling you as it is excitement and trying to burn off some mental and physical energy.  Walks are very exciting for dogs and are often the highlight of a dog's day.  I advocate the notion of walking with a loose leash which is comfortable for both the dog and owner.  A dog that is pulling you with a taut leash or a dog that zig zags is simply an untrained dog.

If you have a leash aggressive dog, however, you may want to train your dog to walk closer to you because giving an aggressive dog too much space ahead of you makes it harder for you to control and work with your dog if he/she becomes reactive when he/she sees another dog or person.  Again, keeping a dog closer to you in this scenario is more for safety and training purposes rather than rooted in notions of your dog trying to dominate you. 

3)  Myth - Your dog should not  be allowed sniff the ground on walks.

The Reality - this one makes me sad and I am not sure how this idea got started. It causes owners (and the dog) a lot of undue stress  and owners often end up jerking the dog around in frustration. The highlight of a dog's day is to be able to smell the "calling card" left by other dogs and leave one himself/herself.  A dog's sense of smell is so sharp compared to ours that there is a lot of information picked up by smelling the ground.  It is also good mental stimulation as your dog is processing information about the neighborhood.  When dogs are young puppies, I feel that smelling the world is vitally important for their development and learning not to fear the world outside the home.  Jerking on a puppy's collar every time he/she tried to investigate the world is very stressful and makes a walk unpleasant for the dog. 

In a casual walk, I allow my dogs to smells things and they manage to keep walking with me in a straight line and on a loose lead. Akitas and shibas were bred for hunting and I am not going to deny them the pleasure of smelling things. Moreover, my dogs do not need to look up at me adoringly for our entire 45 minute walk.  I am not training them for competitive obedience and neither are 99% of average dog owners.  If my dog lingers too long at a spot or if we need to keep moving, I have a verbal cue "let's go" and she knows that we need to move on.  If I need to her to go to a heel position and focus on staying close to me I have a verbal cue "heel." But, the bulk of my walks are leisurely, loose leash walks and keeping a strict heel for the entire walk is not necessary.  My view is that when I attach a leash to my dog, the walk around the neighborhood is for her pleasure just as much as mine.  Would you go on a hike without admiring the scenery?  Well, going on a walk without being able to smell things would be the equivalent deprivation for a dog. 

Now if your dog is zig zagging back and forth or pulling you around to smell something, that is an issue of training your dog to walk in a straight line without pulling.  This is a separate issue from letting your dog smell things once in awhile on a walk. 

So, next time you go for a walk, enjoy the sights and sounds.  Stop and smell the roses (or in the case of your dog, the hydrant).

Los Angeles Dog Trainer
www.pawsitivefeedback.com