A New way of Walking CISC Newsletter Spring Issue 2006

Train Your Dog – A NEW WAY of WALKING
By Laura Ford

I’m cheating in this column – instead of writing about training your dog, I’m going to address a common problem, pulling on leash, and one way to manage it. The ideal solution is to teach your dog not to pull, and there are various methods to do this, which are addressed in training books and most classes. The key is to NEVER reinforce pulling by moving forward while there is tension on the leash. However, in real life we sometimes need faster solutions, so that our pups can get out of the driveway for socializing, or we can walk two or more dogs at once without being pulled in different directions.

There are several anti-pulling harnesses, collars and head-collars on the market. Since my husband and I walk dogs and board them in our home, we have tried many of these devices. In our experience, the Halti or Gentle-Leader head-collars do work well for some dogs, but others will never settle or will just shut down and be depressed with the head-collar on. They are generally humane but some people feel they cause problems with the dog’s neck. Head-collars must never be used with extendable leashes. We have walked other dogs, especially large, strong ones, whose owners use Sporn or Lupi harnesses which are designed to put pressure under the dog’s armpits to stop pulling. However, less sensitive dogs will still pull into these harnesses when they are stimulated, and we don’t like the idea of causing discomfort to the dog in order to control it.


When I brought our puppy home, her breeder, Sharon Schaefer, recommended the chest-attachment harness. I wanted to train her to walk nicely on a leash and flat collar, but I soon found that Soley has a rather soft trachea and just a few lunges against the collar would result in gagging and hacking. By strictly using the recommended techniques for leash-walking, I could barely get as far as the sidewalk. I soon got her one of the Sense-ation chest-attachment harnesses at a local dog store. The size Small probably could be adjusted to fit most Icelandic Sheepdogs up to 35 pounds. At first I didn’t see how these harnesses could work, but I quickly found out that they do! When she tries to pull, she is guided back towards me, and pulling quickly looses its incentive. I went back to buy one for my seven-year old committed puller, and on the walk home from the store, he felt like a different dog. I had to look down a few times to check that he was still there. The transition to using the harness was seamless, he didn’t fight it or stop walking as he did with a Gentle Leader head-collar. I now enjoy walking both dogs, without being yanked around, or teaching the puppy the bad habit of pulling.


Since the leash clips onto a ring at the chest, when you are out walking you can still pull your dog toward you when she is lagging or getting into something she shouldn’t. I like the fact that this exerts pressure from the chest to guide her towards me, rather than pulling her around by the neck or head. So far we have used this harness in all our training classes, but we will have to practice heeling using just a collar and leash, which is the only equipment allowed in the CKC obedience ring. This type of harness is not a substitute for teaching your dog to walk nicely or to heel. It only prevents the dog from getting into the habit of pulling and it cures the dog-walker’s disorder of having one arm longer than the other.


There is a similar harness made by Gentle Leader, which works on the same principle and it is worth looking at both brands in case one fits your dog better.