harness or normal lead

Hi All again

Im really excited about taking Bella out on wednesday............ but i have a lead and a collar, the collar she wears all the time......... but I dont know wether to go and buy her a harness

hellllllllllpppppppppppppp
ps Bella is 12 weeks on Monday

This might help you decide

http://clicktreat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/is-it-harmful-to-attach-aleash-to-your.html?m=0

we walk both of ours on harnesses , they seem to walk better in comparison to a collar and lead

ok guys thank you I love this site you have all been so helpfull
Also when I take Bella out for the first time, do I take her out on her own, or do I take Kai as well, saying that I dont know wether I will be able to take them both

I did walk Bailey on a harness, but recently changed to a normal collar. I found it harder to train him to walk on the harness as he could pull much more than on the collar!

always a harness for me, and if they are a puller i use a head collar and harness together

Just use a collar but when I first got Moo mum walked her on a harness as she felt more in control.

We use both at the same time and switch depending on the situation. You could take her out alone and let her discover the world at her own pace. She may be a bit shy and sniff everything at first. You could also take her out with your other dog so she may follow and walk better but you will have to turn around and drop her off to finish the walk. Either is okay really.

You may also want to take her collar off at home when she is unsupervised as it could get caught on something.

hiya, I found with milo (14weeks) he kept biting the lead when it was on his collar as it was right in front of his face. We found with a harness its behind him so it was less trouble.. enjoy your first walkies

bella3712 wrote:ok guys thank you I love this site you have all been so helpfull
Also when I take Bella out for the first time, do I take her out on her own, or do I take Kai as well, saying that I dont know wether I will be able to take them both

I walk both dogs together , yours will be good for 15 mins at a time at the moment (5 mins for every month is the guideline) so just take your other dog as normal then come back and pick her up for the last 15 mins. We found Tilly hard work to get going initially as she was on her own and scared of the big bad world,. Tommy was apiece of cake as he just trots around following Tilly , but when they are both excited there is a bit of twisting , knotting and a few choice words going on

I use a collar at the mo, but I prefer the whole idea of a harness, so going to invest soon.

I always walk the boys together and always have done, Harvey has helped teach chance how to act and walk better aswell

I use collars with my 2, I prefer to have control over the head end.

I tried a harness with Diesel but she pulled like crazy.


I usually walk mine separate if I'm on my own, but if my eldest daughter or hubby is with us then we take both x

For pullers, a front clipping harness like the below are really good:

http://www.xtradog.com/shop/harnesses/fleece-dog-harnesses/xtra-dog-walking-harness-size-medium-deep.html

http://www.dog-and-bone.co.uk/shop/leads-and-harnesses/products/haqihana-harness.html#content

Perfect fit now do a front clipping front piece - http://dog-games-shop.co.uk/perfect-fit-fleece-dog-harness

Another vote for harness, not only is it better for their throats and tracheas, I find it much easier to control the dog with a harness. I believe that there is training either way, dogs can pull in both a harness and a lead so one mustn't assume that a harness/collar will answer a pulling problem.

As mentioned above, a front attaching harness or one where the clip is on top of the harness and not behind it helps a lot:

Clip behind the harness:
http://www.dogsupplies.com/product_images/h/313/camoharness__76806_zoom.jpg

Clip on top of the harness:
http://s.petco.com/assets/product_images/7/723503158046C.jpg

For excersise walks i use a harness, especially as I walk Marley on a flexi in woods. if he see's a deer or squirrel he launches at it and I wouldnt want him doing that in a collar as he nearly pulls me over. wouldnt be good to have that force on his neck. for street walking or when I want him under complete control i use a halti head harness which is fantastic and he walks to heal perfectly.
if you buy a harness make sure it fits well, once adjusted to fit note were any plastic adjusters, buckles and clips are and make sure they wont rub anywhere on the dog.
Also be aware that some harnesses suit and fit different breeds better than others. most pet shops will allow you to try them on your dog before buying it so always a good thing to do.

harness...harness....well, that's just our experience, maybe someday Callie the sled dog will be like Janey's Moo and walk on just a collar, but that day is not anywhere close. I took her out on just a collar this morning (too lazy to go get harness) and I will not be doing that again soon. She walks great on the harness and awful on the collar.

If you do get a harness, make sure you get one with a front ring as Galadriel has said, it really helps with pulling. And I actually find that if I clip the leash thru the D-rings of the collar AND harness, the harness stays up and in better position (but I don't know if anyone else does that).