Harness - worth persevering or not?

[Karen]

Cassie hates her perfect fit harness. I went through some desensitisation stuff (kikopup) and got her to let me put it on but she only let me put it on once and after that she wouldn’t come near for it to be put on again. I left it a week and then tried bribery ( lickimat with forthglade wet food). Again she let me put it on once but the lickimat didn’t work on the next day - she ran away. I then tried changing the location - she was on the sofa - and I put it on yesterday. Once it is around her neck she freezes and I can do up the belly straps but I know she is freezing because she hates it and is scared. I thought that maybe if I can get it on enough times she would begin to accept it. I tried the same approach today and she ran away.

When it is on she doesn’t attempt to bite it or roll to get it off but she does lots of shakes (wet dog style) which I assume is stress related.

What are your thoughts on my next approach? Should I try a different harness or just accept that she doesn’t like a harness? I would like her to wear one ideally, especially in busy/trafficy areas where she might get scared and slip her collar. It would also be useful for gun dog classes as we do some stuff on a long line which has to be on a harness.

I am a bit stuck as to where to go next.

 

[edzbird]

It's quite a chunky harness isn't it? (We had the 40mm strap size for Scooby, which Coco inherited to do Man Trailing - it is a BIG harnesst, but I'm guessing Cassie has the 20mm one, but it's still quite substantial ).

I wonder if Cassie would prefer a lighter one? If she's going to be using a long line then she'll deffo need a harness of some description.

Meg & Coco (though I don't really use it on Coco anymore - OH does) both have a Haqihana. It does have to go over the head, but it's nice & light and the under arm straps sit far enough back to not chafe.

It can be a costly pain searching for the right equipment can't it? If only they could tell us what's wrong with stuff.

Haqihana Harness | Performance Dog

Individually hand-made in Italy, designed to give maximum comfort in all situations.The fit ensures that pressure is properly distributed.

performancedog.co.uk

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Maybe give another one with a different design a try? There are so many out there - which I guess is good and bad. Like @edzbird said, if they could just tell us what feels icky, it would be a heck of a lot easier.

Do you have any local charity shops or humane societies/rescue groups that sell used dog equipment? That may be a way to grab a few different styles to try without a huge investment.

I agree with you that a collar-only situation freaks me out. I’ve had so many of my own and foster dogs slip collars.

 

[Atemas]

I had 2 Perfect Fit harnesses for Red as a puppy. I really liked them but she hated them. I found them to be very light and soft. I then bought a Julius K9 harness but she hated that too. I bought an eazydog harness for travelling as they are crash tested but she doesn’t like that either. We have persisted with this for safety reasons and she doesn’t run away anymore but it took a long time for her to accept it and she only wears it when actually travelling.

she does lots of shakes (wet dog style) which I assume is stress related

Yes Red did that and I think it is stress/anxiety. I do like the idea of a harness and think it is better than attaching the lead to their collar - kinder for their neck. Not sure I can offer any advice - just wanted to share my experience. Hope you can find a way forward

 

[Anne123]

I would advise to wait and try later when she is a bit older. We did that with all our dogs. Odin wears a dog copenhagen harnass. I also heard from other pup owners that their dog don't want to wear a harnass and that they freeze wearing it...

 

[Jacqui-S]

Sorry, I'm no help as Lilly didn't have an issue with a harness when we used one for safety on the back seat, and help her when doing clambering up hills (when both of us were younger).



Sully the puppy has a Puppia at present though needs a bigger one now as a bit close to his front legs.

 

[edzbird]

I would advise to wait and try later when she is a bit older. We did that with all our dogs. Odin wears a dog copenhagen harnass. I also heard from other pup owners that their dog don't want to wear a harnass and that they freeze wearing it...

Good point. I don't know if ours had a harness as a pup, but we've put harnesses on all 4 adult dogs we've had and they accepted them straight away.

 

[Karen]

I wonder if Cassie would prefer a lighter one? If she's going to be using a long line then she'll deffo need a harness of some description.

It can be a costly pain searching for the right equipment can't it? If only they could tell us what's wrong with stuff.

Haqihana Harness | Performance Dog

Individually hand-made in Italy, designed to give maximum comfort in all situations.The fit ensures that pressure is properly distributed.

performancedog.co.uk

Thanks. I will look at the haqihana. Though I suspect it is the feeling of being constrained rather than the type of harness - she isn’t that keen on having her collar put on but does accept it.

Maybe give another one with a different design a try? There are so many out there - which I guess is good and bad. Like @edzbird said, if they could just tell us what feels icky, it would be a heck of a lot easier.

it would be so much easier if she could talk - although maybe not, she might comment on my poor training skills!

Yes Red did that and I think it is stress/anxiety. I do like the idea of a harness and think it is better than attaching the lead to their collar - kinder for their neck. Not sure I can offer any advice - just wanted to share my experience. Hope you can find a way forward

It’s good to know that you also saw the “wet dog shake”. I wasn’t 100% sure it was related to the harness although it appeared to be.

I would advise to wait and try later when she is a bit older. We did that with all our dogs. Odin wears a dog copenhagen harnass. I also heard from other pup owners that their dog don't want to wear a harnass and that they freeze wearing it...

Thats a great idea. I will wait a few weeks/ month or so and see if she starts to be happier with her collar and then retry a harness at that time. In the meantime I will have to not use a long line at classes (not a big issue as she is usually engaged with the training and (so far) doesn’t run off. In addition, I am so useless at managing the long line that I just drop it on the floor). I think that this approach will be better than making her permanently shy of harnesses.

A few of her siblings have also started to run away from the harness although they are ok to have it put on when a treat is offered (unlike Cassie). I think that when a labrador refuses food, it implies that they are very stressed/anxious or unwell.

 

[Stacia]

All my dogs have never worn a harness. If it upsets so many dogs, why use it. @Karen, unless you are doing man trailing why does Cassie have to wear a harness at gundog training?

 

[Karen]

All my dogs have never worn a harness. If it upsets so many dogs, why use it. @Karen, unless you are doing man trailing why does Cassie have to wear a harness at gundog training?

The classes recommend a long line for work in the beginner classes where the dog needs to be further than a lead length away. There are three different classes across the field so they don’t want pups or young dogs running around.
Having said that, we didn’t have a harness or long line on the week before last and they didn’t make an issue out of it. I think if she started running around, it would be a problem. But so far() she is engaged and not running up to other dogs.
It is only an hour long class anyway, so we get shown what to do and then have a practise in class before doing most of the practise at home (they have online videos and a forum for questions as well for reference) so if we couldn’t use a long line we could always just watch during class.

 

[Granca]

I will wait a few weeks/ month or so and see if she starts to be happier with her collar and then retry a harness at that time.

That’s a good idea if she’s not keen on her collar either. I’ve used Perfect Fit harnesses in recent years too, mostly because they were recommended on here, but also because they have top and front D rings for leads. Wispa had the 40 and I could use a double-ended lead attachment for her - she always walked well on the lead, but I was happier being able to steady her better if she became nervous and reactive. Tuppy has the 20, although she’s only about 4kg lighter (24.8kg today when we visited the vet!) than Wispa was, but has a slighter build.

Having said that, we didn’t have a harness or long line on the week before last and they didn’t make an issue out of it. I think if she started running around, it would be a problem. But so far() she is engaged and not running up to other dogs.

You probably have a bit of breathing space to find what works for Cassie.

 

[MellowYellow]

Another one here who has never used a harness... but I can see how they could be very useful for instance in the town and around traffic. I've not known them to be required for gun dog training before.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

All my dogs have never worn a harness. If it upsets so many dogs, why use it. @Karen, unless you are doing man trailing why does Cassie have to wear a harness at gundog training?

This thread is an education for me - and also take my earlier comment to keep trying with this grain of salt: I’ve never had a dog that hated or was scared of a harness. I’ve pretty much just slapped them on either as puppies or older fosters and that was that. The most I’ve dealt with is trying to find a style that worked better with a particular dog’s shape. So I’ve been lucky (and maybe should have kept my thoughts on this one to myself)!

 

[Cath]

I have never used a harness on any of my dogs, just a collar and lead.

 

[Karen]

This thread is an education for me - and also take my earlier comment to keep trying with this grain of salt: I’ve never had a dog that hated or was scared of a harness. I’ve pretty much just slapped them on either as puppies or older fosters and that was that. The most I’ve dealt with is trying to find a style that worked better with a particular dog’s shape. So I’ve been lucky (and maybe should have kept my thoughts on this one to myself)!

Yes, our last dog never had a problem with a harness so it was a surprise to me when Cassie suddenly started hating it. It’s always worth adding your thoughts though as it is clear that all dogs are different so many different views are also welcome and useful.

 

[HAH]

I have sympathy with the ‘why bother?’ views, and if you have a pup that doesn’t ever pull, and won’t be doing any activity that uses a longer lead then that’s understandable.

We use harnesses because our dogs did pull as puppies and still do occasionally as adults; I find our ones (DOG Copenhagen) phenomenally useful to give a bit of extra help e.g. down a steep step I can use the back handle to lighten the impact on front legs. I’d only ever use a long line with a harness because of the risk of neck damage with a flat collar. Dog necks aren’t structurally much different from human necks, and pretty vulnerable to injury from being yoinked about.

Having said all of that, both our boys have been sensitive to harnesses and still are once in a while; they’re quite an unnatural feeling for a dog I think, and it can take a lot of work to get them relatively comfortable, plus reinforcement to keep them a positive experience. Kipper's going through a phase right now where he's far less keen to put on his harness, I think as a result of all the extra handling he's having at the moment while he's got an injured paw; this means I have to set aside a good bit of time before we go out to slowly get Kipper's consent, and this isn't always practical plus I have to work really hard not to get stressed about it as he picks up on this straight away.

I absolutely think consent-based training is the way to go, and gives solid foundations for the future if you have setbacks. But it takes effort, and is time consuming, and sometimes needs a simple interim solution (like using a flat collar) so you can step away and come back to it another time.

 

[M.F.]

I recall reading that pulling on a collar can lead to tracheal collapse. I guess pulling on any restraint can cause damage; just need to weigh up the riskier body part. I think the neck is the most risky to damage, which is why I prefer a harness.

At our first dog school, the dogs had to wear head harnesses. Horrible, horrible things! I’m sorry we put Snowie through that. He hated it. But the harness wasn’t an issue at all. Ours is the most basic and flimsy of harnesses, just straps. It was all that was available at the time and he still wears it 13 years on. I do like the ones that have a solid netting across the chest.

 

[Hollysdad]

Jazz also has a Perfect Fit harness. We rather liked the idea of a modular harness. Dogs don't come in standard sizes so its nice be be able to fit each part of the harness to the dog.
At first she wasn't at all sure about it and was very grumpy when we put it on. We started to offer her a treat while we put it on and she now accepts it, provided that the treat comes first.

 

[Boogie]

If Guide Dogs are harness shy they are withdrawn. It happens, but very rarely.

Two of my pups were a little inclined to it. So I had to leave the harness lying around a lot and put treats on it for weeks. Then pick it up and give treats, also for weeks.

Then just their head in the harness a few times a day. Then put it on and off. Using treats all the way. Then feed meals in it.

This was the car harness, puppy raisers didn't use a standard harness.

 

[Karen]

Two of my pups were a little inclined to it. So I had to leave the harness lying around a lot and put treats on it for weeks. Then pick it up and give treats, also for weeks.

Then just their head in the harness a few times a day. Then put it on and off. Using treats all the way. Then feed meals in it.

This was the car harness, puppy raisers didn't use a standard harness.

Thank you. That sounds like a slow and careful introduction to a harness. I can make a start on that now - it will be weeks before I get as far as the putting it on stage so it won’t stress her now.
@Boogie - since guide dog pups don’t wear a harness, do you only go on very short training walks until they can walk reasonably well on a collar? I am working out how best I can continue to take her places for socialisation but not allow her to pull and potentially damage her neck.