23-02-2018, 03:57 PM
21
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
I have always used a harness on my dog like the one in Meg's picture. Just this Sunday gone I was in the park and a small yappy dog slipped it's collar to have a go at my dog. I had a word with the owner and advised her to get a harness instead of the pretty pink collar and lead. Imagine if that had happened on the main road with traffic.
23-02-2018, 04:45 PM
22
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Originally Posted by BoxerBoy
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And then of course there is The Extending Lead, another invention of the devil that should be consigned to the doggie dungeon for eternity.You have control, but you haven't, a totally useless piece of kit designed to undermine dog/owner relationships.
Absolute poppycock, used correctly it's a great invention.
23-02-2018, 04:48 PM
23
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Originally Posted by Aerolor
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I know many huskies and malamutes wear a harness and I can appreciate they need to pull into a harness when working. I think a harness encourages pulling, but maybe people believe it is kinder to use harness. There are certainly a lot of the smaller dogs who have them but I know they can easily cause matts and tangles on the longer coated dogs. If not carefully fitted a harness can easily chaff and cause soreness. Minimum use of a collar and lead is what I tend to favour - a cotton, braided gundog slip lead is ideal for my dogs - a golden retriever and a cockapoo. Both have been taught to walk properly on lead from being pups, which makes my life easy.
My dog is long haired, always has a harness, who'd want to be led around by the neck alone? No problem with matting hair, and I use an extendable lead, great invention.
I certainly don't think leaving a harness on in the house is a good idea. I take Charlie's collar and harness off indoors.
23-02-2018, 05:08 PM
24
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
My littlies have harnesses because they have delicate necks, recommended initially by a vet after we took on a rescue with a crushed trachea, I've never found they pull more than on a collar.The bigger ones I put onto harnesses to stop pulling, I find it much easier to teach no pulling with a harness than a collar.
I also use their harnesses in the car to fix them to the seat belt points, Betty has her box but other two sit on the back seat.
Tbh I think each dog and owner has choices no one size fits all. I use an extending lead on tiny Betty chi and Jenny Tib terrier but Elsie Labrador doesn't do well on one so she has a short lead.
I wouldn't just use the same on each dog I tend to look at what works best for each one.
I don't like to be so fixed in my ways I couldn't change things up if a dog preferred something else.
All the harnesses are well padded, easy to put on and off, machine washable and well fitted.
We all do what's best for our own dogs I believe even the lady o wrote about isn't being deliberately cruel, when I saw her a few minutes ago we had a chat and she hadn't realised you could open both sides of the harness to put it over her dogs heads, so she was struggling to get a leg in and a head all at same time. Nathan showed her how to do it and her dogs were fine no struggling at all.
Looks like all going to be well in that flat now.
23-02-2018, 06:09 PM
26
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Originally Posted by Aerolor
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But doesn't that make it uncomfortable for the person on the other end of the lead when they pull Mups? With two (one large and one smaller) mine have to know how to walk together without one or both pulling and at my speed. They go off lead as soon as practical but I like to keep them close and aware of me and what I want of them when they are on lead. This way they don't bother anyone else on the pavements. We are all different, I suppose, and do what we think is best for our dogs.
Course it must, Aerolor.
My apologies, I was being a bit facetious before and I think may have given the impression I agreed with pulling dogs on harnesses - well I don't.
What I meant was in my opinion, a pulling dog is likely to pull more with a harness - which is exactly why I have never used them.
I do the same as BoxerBoy said, and if they start getting ahead, I stop and tell them 'Back' and they jump back to where they should be.
Sorry for being flippant before.
23-02-2018, 06:27 PM
27
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Originally Posted by BoxerBoy
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And then of course there is The Extending Lead, another invention of the devil that should be consigned to the doggie dungeon for eternity.You have control, but you haven't, a totally useless piece of kit designed to undermine dog/owner relationships.
I hate those things because most of the time they are used inappropriately IMO.
I see a lot of dogs walking past my house every day, and most of them are on extending leads. The dog appears around corners about 15ft before the owner, the owner has not the foggiest what is ahead. It could be a toddler on tricycle, a Mum with a pram, a blind man with his dog etc etc.
Another bloke with an extending lead, always lets his dog go up the bottom of people's drives to toilet on the front lawn!!
Then there are the ones who have a 20ft lead on a narrow 3ft pavement, with nothing to stop it running in to road after a cat or another dog whatsoever.
In town, they get under the feet of other shoppers. I saw a bloke and his happy little Spaniel doing this just last week. It was way ahead of him, weaving in and out of everybody's legs and the man didn't reel him in at all.
Having had me moan, I do have an extending lead, and always keep one at home.
The reason for this is, I have found them useful for gentle post surgery walks, to give them a little freedom to sniff about but not tear about with the others at that particular time.
Julie Fair comment you made about choosing what suits best, and no one thing suits all. Each to their own.
23-02-2018, 07:11 PM
28
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
I have two leads for my dog, a leather lightweight one for when I take her out, because I let her off once on the fields. I also have an extending lead, for when someone else takes her because they cant let her off - she just runs straight home (across a busy road). I have a flat extending lead not one of the thin stringy type as I know soneone who used one of those and had her finger almost amputated when her dog lurched. I also have two harnesses, but they are only used when my dog is in the car. Only one at a time of course.
23-02-2018, 07:21 PM
29
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Originally Posted by CeeCee
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I have two leads for my dog, a leather lightweight one for when I take her out, because I let her off once on the fields. I also have an extending lead, for when someone else takes her because they cant let her off - she just runs straight home (across a busy road). I have a flat extending lead not one of the thin stringy type as I know soneone who used one of those and had her finger almost amputated when her dog lurched. I also have two harnesses, but they are only used when my dog is in the car. Only one at a time of course.
23-02-2018, 07:53 PM
30
Re: Keeping harnesses on all day
Whoever walks my dog on the extending lead keeps it locked until they reach the fields than she is able to run on it extended. She is only a small dog and walks beautifully to heel once on either lead.She also rides on my mobility scooter (between my feet) with her leather lead wrapped around the controller, plus I also hold it, so it is kept very short, she cant go anywhere.
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