A great anti-pull harness, or better known as a no pull harness, can be the difference between your dog walking you and you walking your dog!
Here at Mountain Dog, we stock a range of harnesses that feature a front-clip for leash attachment, alongside the standard attachment on the top.
We get a lot of queries asking if and how our "Anti-Pull" range of harnesses work.
On the whole, we get great responses from our customers on these harnesses, and how they're helping to train their dog out of pulling. However, it must be said that an "Anti-Pull" harness is not a magical cure.
While the feeling of the harness can dissuade pulling, solving your dog's pulling problem falls to you!
What Should I Look For In An "Anti-Pull" Harness?
The harness you choose for your dog should meet a certain criteria:
- Back and chest leash attachment - you need both to train your dog out of pulling!
- High-quality and secure - you need to ensure your dog's safety, and a poor quality harness can jeopardise this. As this is for a dog who pulls, the harness must be secure enough to withstand the strength of the dog.
- Y-Shape - a Y-shaped harness is the preferred style here at Mountain Dog. When fitted correctly, the pressure from pulling is evenly distributed on your dog's chest, as opposed to the throat.
Our selection of "Anti-Pull" harnesses can be viewed here.
How Do They Work?
You will need either two leads, or a double lead to begin.
Clip your main lead/one end of the double lead to the d-ring attachment on the back. With the training lead/other end of the double lead, clip to the harnesses front attachment.
If your dog is walking beside you without pulling, reward with a treat. If you start to feel tension from the leash attached to the front clip, give a verbal warning and turn to walk in the opposite direction. This will encourage your dog to turn around. If necessary, you can also give the lead attached to the front clip a gentle tug.
Your dog will now be behind you. Reward with a treat when they walk alongside you, coupled with verbal encouragement. Keep doing so as they stay alongside you.
Do not follow your dog is they are pulling, as this will encourage your dog to continue.
Keep the same commands and verbal cues.
Consistency and patience is key with this, but very rewarding!
Remember
Every dog is different. What works for some dogs, may not work for others, and dogs take varying amounts of time to learn.
As much as we've trained our own dogs, we aren't dog trainers here. If you need any further assistance, or are having trouble with the above steps, a great dog trainer can help you