easy leader head collar or mekuti harness?

hi all .. need some advice

Buddy is 7 months and weighs almost 15kg - he is wearing a soft harness from pets at home at the moment as the Ezydog one rubbed under his front legs , some days he walks as good as gold and others he is like a steam train pulling ahead gasping and panting no fun to walk at all .

I am taking him puppy classes and they ask I train using just his collar , so I have been looking into at what options I have and I have found the Easy leader head collar range and the Mekuti harness range that I quite like - in your experiences head collar or harness ? what works best with a boisterous staffy pup

I want to start to take him on longer walks to burn off some of his energy in the hope he clams down a bit at home but after 20 mins on a bad day we both need to go home he is panting and gasping and my hands are blistered .. no fun for either of us

Have a look at the Sport non pull harness, available at pets at home, and/or a half check collar. If you use both, use a double ended lead too.
Pete

hi
I use a half check at the puppy classes and he is doing well on it but I don't use it when out as he does pull so much I don't want to damage his throat .. I looked at the non pull harness in pets at home but I am in two minds to get that one or the mekuti one - the mekuti uses two leads front and back and the pets at home tightens around the chest when he pulls not sure if that's good or not ? any one else have a preference please ?

We use Mekuti and love them. The objective, though, is not that he'll not be able to pull but that they are part of a training programme. Have you watched the video? You use the two leads so that you don't have a consistent point for the dog to learn to use, and I also find that the line round the front blocks and, if necessary, puts lateral movement into the pull to unbalance.

Nola was a nightmare when we first got her, 16 months old and totally incapable of walking with more than her hind legs on the ground. She was hyper and it was very hard to get her concentration, so training was incredibly difficult. We tried so many things, and in the end it was the Mekuti that did it. Even now, if you don't have it clipped on round the front she knows she can try and take off if she sees a bunny. With it round the chest she's a good as gold.

I personally don't like headcollar things for dogs. The often twist in front of the eyes, dogs generally don't like them and there is huge potential for neck damage. Yes, I know that many dogs respond well but that still doesn't make them my tool of choice. And I'd be especially careful with a young dog whose bones are still forming.

ps - Nola and Chaos are modelling their Mekutis in my avatar. Millie has a collar as she ate her Mekuti. She'll chew anything at that level in front of her

hi liz - thanks I think I am swaying to the Mekuti one - have watched the video - might take a bit of practice to get it right , but I think it will be better in the long run - I like the idea of how it works and the way the leads help you control them rather than something that forces them not to pull by tightening ..or restricting their natural movement
Buddy is like a steam train especially if we are somewhere new - I think that combined with his puppy classes and heel work this may solve the issue- I just need to buy a tape measure now to get his size , because you can guess what happened to the last one I had

They adjust quite a lot, so you don't have to be too precise, and they will also exchange if you don't get it quite right. If in doubt, go for bigger rather than smaller as he'll grow into it, and also note that the webbing width is greater on the larger sizes.

Do you do 'watch me' at all? I just wonder if it might help getting some concentration on you. Having said that, puppies are highly distractable things!

hey Liz just a quick question, does it rub behind the front legs as its webbing? I bought a front line harness a while ago for Katy, it certainly helped with her pulling but was also webbing & badly scraped behind her armpits so I wont use it >=P

No, Jen, no rubbing. It doesn't go close behind the front legs as the design's a bit different to many harnesses. Here it is modelled by Ms Nola Finola Pitman...

IMG_3674 by Liz Pitman, on Flickr

So you can see there's a bar that comes from between the shoulders that then has the side straps that clip round the chest. That takes it back away from the armpits.

And that's linked to something else I like about them. They're easy to get on! They pop over the head, then you clip those straps that come from the bar under the chest and off you go, none of this trying to get legs through holes business.

hi liz- yes I do the watch me he doe sit well at the training class not so well when we are out too many distractions I think - did well today until we were walking home and he saw my OH going to work and wanted to chase the car! - loves a pigeon as well! - I think I will definitely invest in a mekuti harness I like the way they sit on the dog - because Buddy is quite small but bulky most harnesses that go under his front legs rub him .. this one seems to hit the spot on most things .

What a lovely model Thanks Liz I will certainly look into it

LizP wrote:No, Jen, no rubbing. It doesn't go close behind the front legs as the design's a bit different to many harnesses. Here it is modelled by Ms Nola Finola Pitman...

IMG_3674 by Liz Pitman, on Flickr

So you can see there's a bar that comes from between the shoulders that then has the side straps that clip round the chest. That takes it back away from the armpits.

And that's linked to something else I like about them. They're easy to get on! They pop over the head, then you clip those straps that come from the bar under the chest and off you go, none of this trying to get legs through holes business.

Have you got a link from where you bought it please, and what size should i get for Maya, who is 18 weeks now

To be honest, Terry, at that age I wouldn't be looking at controlling her as much as teaching her to walk to heel with lots of treats, watch me, and going backwards to draw her towards you. I like to practise heel off lead so that the concept is understood without there being any lead at all. It's really good for the human as well as the dog as you can't rely on the lead to do your work.

Having said that, I personally always prefer a harness to a collar if possible and you'll need one or t'other. This is where you get them from:

http://www.mekuti.co.uk/

The measurements and everything are on there. They're also very helpful if you want to call them.

LizP wrote:To be honest, Terry, at that age I wouldn't be looking at controlling her as much as teaching her to walk to heel with lots of treats, watch me, and going backwards to draw her towards you. I like to practise heel off lead so that the concept is understood without there being any lead at all. It's really good for the human as well as the dog as you can't rely on the lead to do your work.

Having said that, I personally always prefer a harness to a collar if possible and you'll need one or t'other. This is where you get them from:

http://www.mekuti.co.uk/

The measurements and everything are on there. They're also very helpful if you want to call them.

Thanks Liz, Maya started off brilliant with her lead and collar, but now the pulling has started in earnest I do have one of them clicker thingies to help with training, but no real clue how they work ?



I just wanted a none pull harness, so she isn`t choking herself with her collar, and it`s best to get her used to one early i think

EDIT: Does that harness use 2 leads Liz ??

Be a double ended lead id imagine terry

Mia05 wrote:Be a double ended lead id imagine terry

In the pic it looks like 2 leads Crystal, i just had another look and it comes as a set ( Lead and Harness ) so not sure about it. Ideally i would like to just use one lead though

Its a  double ended lead terry

It is a double ended lead. You can, though, just use it clipped on one one place - I usually do now - but the two points can be really useful in training because the dog doesn't get set pulling from one point.

Clicker training - I love it and it's not terribly difficult to get started, but again it's a training aid rather than a solution in itself. In effect, you teach the dog that the click means something good, so it is a strong 'yes' to reinforce when they've got something right.

I can feel a clicker post coming on, but not this weekend as I've got a heap of stuff I have to do, including shooting off now to get eye ointment into the eyes of 2 semi feral ponies. Fun!

LizP wrote:It is a double ended lead. You can, though, just use it clipped on one one place - I usually do now - but the two points can be really useful in training because the dog doesn't get set pulling from one point.

Clicker training - I love it and it's not terribly difficult to get started, but again it's a training aid rather than a solution in itself. In effect, you teach the dog that the click means something good, so it is a strong 'yes' to reinforce when they've got something right.

I can feel a clicker post coming on, but not this weekend as I've got a heap of stuff I have to do, including shooting off now to get eye ointment into the eyes of 2 semi feral ponies. Fun!

Thanks again Liz, i think i will order one later Thinking about it though, i will probably have to call them first as i`m not sure what size to get, and obviously i want something i can adjust as Maya grows.

Really looking forward to your clicker post, and good luck with the gee gee`s

Get a belly band thingy for huskies so if he pulls you are using your whole body not your arm to hold him back. Will completely tire him out and you won't have sore arms haha

lexii wrote:Get a belly band thingy for huskies so if he pulls you are using your whole body not your arm to hold him back. Will completely tire him out and you won't have sore arms haha

Have you got a link for them belly band thingy ma jigs Hayley

Tezzers wrote:

lexii wrote:Get a belly band thingy for huskies so if he pulls you are using your whole body not your arm to hold him back. Will completely tire him out and you won't have sore arms haha

Have you got a link for them belly band thingy ma jigs Hayley

i can't find the one i want, but it exists. There are ones on the net called buddy system etc. I would just worry about the pull load on the clips.

But personally i would just cheat and use a belt and a normal lead.

lexii wrote:

Tezzers wrote:

lexii wrote:Get a belly band thingy for huskies so if he pulls you are using your whole body not your arm to hold him back. Will completely tire him out and you won't have sore arms haha

Have you got a link for them belly band thingy ma jigs Hayley

i can't find the one i want, but it exists. There are ones on the net called buddy system etc. I would just worry about the pull load on the clips.

But personally i would just cheat and use a belt and a normal lead.

Think i`ll pass

Its totally secure i promise, trust me im a doctor! My psychiatrist told me so!

lexii wrote:Its totally secure i promise, trust me im a doctor! My psychiatrist told me so!

Hmmm, just as i thought, a total fragment of your imagination Hayley

Tezzers wrote:

lexii wrote:Its totally secure i promise, trust me im a doctor! My psychiatrist told me so!

Hmmm, just as i thought, a total fragment of your imagination Hayley

Ok im not a doctor, but i do have a belt, a lead and a dog that i still possess 

lexii wrote:
Ok im not a doctor, but i do have a belt, a lead and a dog that i still possess 

Okay, i believe you, Honestly i do

I'm not sure how that could teach a dog not to pull, though? Surely the opposite?

I think it's a more effective way to exercise lol but no it's not for stopping them pulling.

lexii wrote:Get a belly band thingy for huskies so if he pulls you are using your whole body not your arm to hold him back. Will completely tire him out and you won't have sore arms haha

Is This what you are dreaming Sorry, thinking about Hayley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKqLhPbjuZA