A Little Help for Leash Walks
The right tools for the job can make it much easier.
For the majority of dogs I’ve lived with and worked with, loose leash walking skills require ongoing development. Although people often think of loose leash walking as a basic skill, being able to enjoy a leash walk together with your dog requires a number of skills from both the dog and human handler. Besides the overwhelming canine instincts to chase and sniff, our dogs often walk at a different pace than we do, and most dogs approach getting where they want to go with gusto and stamina. There is very little about being on the end of a 6-foot leash that comes naturally to most dogs, and it can become a frustrating endeavor for all involved.
A leash walk with minimal pulling is an excellent goal since it means more comfortable, safe and enjoyable enrichment, but a leash walk is not necessarily a sufficient form of exercise for a young or unskilled dog. Dogs have a real, daily need to move freely, sniff and explore and rarely do our own expectations around the pacing, direction and goals for a leash walk match the needs of our dogs. This doesn’t mean that you have to be pulled around willy-nilly. It means that a realistic and effective approach to developing loose leash walking will balance short periods of skill-training in appropriate environments with safe and creative types of un-leashed exercise and enrichment. This can mean changing equipment, elimination schedules, destinations and routes. It can also involve seeking out safely fenced areas for running and playing, an developing at-home options to provide varied enrichment.
Equipment that helps you counter your dog’s strength can be helpful in managing your dog’s pulling inclinations during the learning process, although any walking equipment should be used in a way that is helpful, with as little frustration and unpleasantness as possible. Unfortunately, any equipment can become negative, frustrating, painful and unsafe (at both ends of the leash)if used poorly. For many dogs and handlers, a non-restrictive “no-pull” harness is a reasonable tool tolerated by many dogs and helpful for handlers. A good, no-pull harness has a ring that connects the leash high on the front of the dog’s chest pulls or turn the dog slightly off center when s/he pulls forward. It is often used most effectively with a multi-use leash to minimize the harness shifting on the body.
It’s very important to use a harness with a “Y” shaped front that allows for normal shoulder and leg movement. Some no-pull harnesses (especially the popular Easy Walker) restrict normal shoulder movement, which can cause injuries with repetitive use. Harnesses that droop too low on the chest can hobble and may even allow some dogs to slip their front legs out of the harness. Harnesses that fit too closely behind the front legs or shoulder blades may causing chafing and limit shoulder range of motion.
I’m always on the look-out for new harness brands, and below, are some of my current favorites.
The Balance Harness is a tried and true choice. It is well structured, but may take some getting used to when putting it on your dog.
The PerfectFit modular harness allows for a lot of size customization and padding, which is helpful for hard-to-fit dogs. It more expensive and more complicated to put together.
The Comfort Control No-Pull Harness is a favorite for larger or stronger dogs since it is so well made. However, it does need to be slipped over a dog’s head, which is harder for some dogs to accept.
The In.Line No Pull Dog Harness looks interesting, although I’ve not yet seen it in action. The harness looks sturdy and nicely padded and if you’ve used it on your dog, I’d love to hear about it!
No equipment is perfect, and you aren’t alone if you are initially confused by the no-pull harness. Many of the harness websites have worthwhile instructional videos that demonstrate proper fit and placement. I also suggest that you practice putting it on a stuffed dog several times before trying to wrangle your actual dog. In fact, “dressing” your pooch is a routine that is worth delving into with some guidance and training to make sure that it remains positive. Walking with a no-pull harness also requires getting used to managing the leash well, although this is an often-overlooked handler skill required with any equipment you might choose to use.
A smooth dog walk is like a well-choreographed dance. Getting there involves building your own handling and observation skills, creating a clear loop of communication and responsiveness between dog and person, and progressively helping your dog cope with real life distractions. Every dog should have a regular, flat buckle or snap collar for holding id tags, or a martingale collar that limits a collar from slipping off a dog with a narrower head. Less equipment is a good goal to have, and the appropriate use of non-restrictive no-pull harness may be a useful tool in the meantime.
