As a shelter volunteer for SAVE, a Friend to Homeless Animals in Skillman, NJ, I sometimes am their “dog handler” at adoption events. Today, I was with a pup at a local PetSmart. Since the weather cleared up, I stayed outside with him for a couple of hours.
As a dog trainer, I notice a lot of things about people and their dogs. Some things I wish I didn’t see! It’s very hard for me not to say something to people while I’m at the event representing the shelter.
What I saw today:
People doing what I call the “yank and crank” – people yanking on their dog’s leash, pulling their dogs away from something or to get their dog to stay by their side. This isn’t good with a flat buckle collar, but even worse when they’re using a choke chain; and there were a few people with very large dogs on a choke chain. Can you imagine how that must hurt the dog’s throat? Not to mention the damage that can be done to the dog’s trachea.
Ill fitting harnesses – one person had their dog in a front clip harness, which is good. What wasn’t good was that it was not fitted properly and the clip was pulled to the side of the dog’s shoulder instead of being in the middle of his chest. Not very effective or comfortable for the dog.
Strong pullers on a back clip harness. One dog almost dragged his owner across the parking lot wearing one.
If you have a dog, please use the correct equipment to walk your dog safely and comfortably. If you have a large dog that pulls, use a head collar such as the Gentle Leader or the Halti. Keep in mind that you just can’t put a head collar on your dog and expect him (or her) to accept it right away. There are techniques to get your dog used to wearing a head collar before you attempt to take him out on walks with one on. If you have an aversion to head collars, get a good, well fitting harness that has a ring on the front chest strap as well as on the back, along with a leash that clips to both. This gives you greater control of your dog (think reigns on a horse). You will need to measure your dog’s girth behind his front legs for the proper fit. Two harnesses come to mind – the Balance Harness and the Freedom Harness. The Balance Harness was voted #1 by Whole Dog Journal. Both are recommended by trainers.
If you are not sure which would work best for you – a harness or head collar, contact me. But please – stop yanking, dragging and yelling at your dog. It accomplishes nothing.