Julius K9 Dog harness

[fatchap]

Just wondered are these any good? I've seen lots of people have them for their dogs, but there seems to be lots of different sizes obviously but is it worth it for a growing puppy? Because they ain't cheap. Webley appears to need a size 1 which is 36 quid, but as he is only 5 months old how long is that going to last before I need a size 2 and shell out another 40 quid. Then size 3 etc etc

Is it best if I want a harness for him to wait till he stops growing or just get a collar and lead.?

[Walker570]

Are we talking just for having the dog under your command here?  If so then a simple collar and lead for public use and a rope slip lead for sporting use.  The only harness I have ever used was a tracking harness on my dogs when tracking lost deer, with a 35ft  webbing trailing lead and this was adjustable for most mid sized to large dogs, the lead clipped on a wivel between the shoulde blades and did not cause a problem with the dog and if things got a bit thick I could just let go and go around and pick up the other side..  I appreciate in the town you may need a collar marked with your details.  I see people with straps over their dogs noses which are a sign they didn't do the training in the first place..

[fatchap]

Just to clear things up Webley is not a working dog, if he was human he would be signing on. The same for sporting, unless its covered in Marmite he ain't going to chase it.

I have him on a collar and lead at the moment and by all means blame me its my fault I should have nipped it in the bud ages ago, But he pulls like a steam train, He is only 5 months but is extremely powerful, Me and my son are the only ones who can take him for a walk, He will easily pull my wife and daughter down the road.

A harness I believe will give you more control and less damage to his neck and throat, when I have to bring him to an abrupt stop.

[Dave at kelton]

Harness won’t help if you think what they are designed for...huskies that pull sleds. The dog is young and I would not expect to have heel work in any of my labs Sorted at that age, in fact I would be just starting. 

you need to get into basic heel training and it doesn’t matter if you use a lead and collar or a slip lead. Nor does it matter he is just a pet. When the dog pulls you stop and don’t move again until he comes back in to heel. Make sure you hold him rock steady so tuck your hand in your pocket or whatever. You repeat this behaviour every time he moves past your knee. At first it will take you half an hour to get down the drive. He will quickly learn that to get to where he wants he has to do so at heel. There are other tricks for when this is cracked but start here.

For ladies or anyone who is not strong I recommend you hold the lead in the opposite hand around your backside and hold the rest in your controlling hand. That way if he tries to pull it is against your weight not the strength of an arm. This is no comment on physique either😁.

i rarely use leads at all and have four dogs at heel an the minute one moves out of line I just stop, no commands, and back in behind they come. It does work So good luck.

[washerboy]

Harness.. For idiots who have no idea how to control a dog IMHO. 

 

[fatchap]

41 minutes ago, Dave at kelton said:

Harness won’t help if you think what they are designed for...huskies that pull sleds. The dog is young and I would not expect to have heel work in any of my labs Sorted at that age, in fact I would be just starting. 

you need to get into basic heel training and it doesn’t matter if you use a lead and collar or a slip lead. Nor does it matter he is just a pet. When the dog pulls you stop and don’t move again until he comes back in to heel. Make sure you hold him rock steady so tuck your hand in your pocket or whatever. You repeat this behaviour every time he moves past your knee. At first it will take you half an hour to get down the drive. He will quickly learn that to get to where he wants he has to do so at heel. There are other tricks for when this is cracked but start here.

For ladies or anyone who is not strong I recommend you hold the lead in the opposite hand around your backside and hold the rest in your controlling hand. That way if he tries to pull it is against your weight not the strength of an arm. This is no comment on physique either😁.

i rarely use leads at all and have four dogs at heel an the minute one moves out of line I just stop, no commands, and back in behind they come. It does work So good luck.

Cheers for that very helpful 

[millrace]

Try on slip lead,,shorten you grip so as your hand is straight above his head,and then tuck the lead up behind his ears as such and keep hold tight not choking tight,,,maybee others can explain it better but something about the lead round back of ears stops them pulling forward as such.....

almost think how they pounce round crufts with silly little dogs with bows,,,lead straight up from head no slack......lol

[WalkedUp]

There are two schools of thought: try to physically control the dog, or try to mentally control the dog. I can tell you life a lot easier without a lead, to do that you need to get the dog to want to heel to you. 

[Walker570]

Yep, lots more effort and work I'm afraid as any fancy leads are not going to solve the problem.

[Rob85]

4 hours ago, Dave at kelton said:

Harness won’t help if you think what they are designed for...huskies that pull sleds. The dog is young and I would not expect to have heel work in any of my labs Sorted at that age, in fact I would be just starting. 

you need to get into basic heel training and it doesn’t matter if you use a lead and collar or a slip lead. Nor does it matter he is just a pet. When the dog pulls you stop and don’t move again until he comes back in to heel. Make sure you hold him rock steady so tuck your hand in your pocket or whatever. You repeat this behaviour every time he moves past your knee. At first it will take you half an hour to get down the drive. He will quickly learn that to get to where he wants he has to do so at heel. There are other tricks for when this is cracked but start here.

For ladies or anyone who is not strong I recommend you hold the lead in the opposite hand around your backside and hold the rest in your controlling hand. That way if he tries to pull it is against your weight not the strength of an arm. This is no comment on physique either😁.

i rarely use leads at all and have four dogs at heel an the minute one moves out of line I just stop, no commands, and back in behind they come. It does work So good luck.

That's a lead technique I saw demonstrated in the book "The rough shooters dog" by Michael Brander. A great book that makes me want a pointer so bad but I would never have the proper use for one. He would use it from the very start to get the dog used to the idea of being led by him and to follow him not merely being told where to walk when it steps out of line.

[Walker570]

Rob85  General purpose pointers are caable of anyhting if you train them right from the start. I have owned a GSP(one of my best all round dogs) five vizslas and they have all been superb alround dogs, even a bit of wildfowling (agree a Lab takes some beating for this ).  Viszlas in particular are different from any other dog I have owned but are solid friends for life and never tell you lies. I have used mine for picking up, beating, peg dog, rough shooting and deer recovery and they have enjoyed their lives as much as i have.  They like all dogs need the proper training from day one, starting with good manners.

[loriusgarrulus]

I have the Ezydog harnesses with breast plate for our small dogs, they are good as they double as a seat belt harness. They are not suitable for a powerful dog that is already pulling as it gives them more purchase to pull.

I have in the past used a Halti head collar when I inherited a red Setter who was 4 years old and pulled like a train. The haltis work as they tighten over the muzzle when the dog pulls and slacken as soon as they stop pulling. You need to practice in the house with them and get them used to them as they don't like them and will try to shake them off.  They fasten underneath to the normal collar and have a hitching ring you fasten the lead to. With my setter I managed to get him to heel consistently on the Halti, then got him onto a normal slip lead. There are lots of copies about, but the genuine Halti head collars are around £8-12 depending on size. They don't work well on a flat faced dog as they can slip the nose band off too easily.

One type of harness that does stop pulling is the Lupi harness. This tightens under the forelegs if the dog pulls and this is uncomfortable for the dog and it loosens as they stop pulling. These take longer possibly to retrain a dog than the Halti head collar, but will work for most breeds and the dog rarely tries to get them off like the head collar type. They are normally about £12 or under. They are purely a control harness so you still need a collar for your dog disc to attach.

Neither should be used as an alternative to training, but work well to retrain a dog that has got into a bad habit of pulling. Hopefully once you have got the dog out of the habit of pulling and got him to heel you should be able to get back onto a normal lead and collar.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by loriusgarrulus

[bruno22rf]

Makes me smile everytime I talk to fellow Dog owners who use harnesses and they justify it by saying "because he pulls"!! Well, matey, you've given him the best apparatus you could to make pulling as easy as possible for him!! DON'T LET YOUR DOG PULL - it's one of the easiest lessons to teach a Dog. Your Dog should walk by your side at all times and not even need a leed unless the situation demands i.e. A public place - the Dog should only leave your side if sent off or given a release command.