How your dog behaves in public or at home depends entirely on the type of training you are giving them. Like a human child, a puppy also picks up habits and practices from a young age, and that is when you should nurture good practices in them.
Using a dog harness is an excellent way of making a dog learn to walk or run by its side. The harness also provides a lot of support to the dog’s body and provides comfort. This feeling stops dogs from trying to run away or tug the leash unnecessarily while they are in public.
In this article, we will be looking at the benefits of using a dog harness and how it can make your dog stop pulling.
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Benefits of Using a Dog Harness
A dog harness will help you control your pet dog in public and ensure that your dog is not getting hurt in the process. There are various benefits of using a body harness that fits comfortably on a dog and gives you enough control while walking your dog. Some of the notable benefits are as follows,
- Takes pressure off the neck – A regular belt around the neck puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the neck, affecting the dog’s health. Also, they lose balance easily when the owner tugs on the belt. A body harness solves this as it distributes the force evenly throughout the body.
- Allows better control with two points of connection – A harness makes sure that the front and hind limbs both get enough support for the dog to walk. Using only one point of the harness encourages the dog to pull. Also, when a dog is learning to walk, the harness plays a significant role in taking off some load from the legs and helps in maintaining balance.
- Positions dog naturally by your side – To train your dog so that he walks obediently even on a loose leash, the dog should be trained to walk beside you all the time. The harness helps it in matching your pace and direction from an early age.
- Comfort for the dog – When a dog pulls on the leash, its body also receives some sort of shock, leading to long-lasting pain in the dog’s body. A harness avoids this by distributing the jerk and reducing its impact to a large extent. Also, a tight belt on the neck is very unpleasant for the dog and can often be the reason for their anger.
- Dogs learn to walk faster – Teaching a dog how to walk is as hard as teaching a toddler to do the same. A body harness provides the much-needed support that gets puppies used to the process of walking.
What to Look For While Choosing a Dog’s Harness?
Well, choosing the correct harness according to your dog is essential. Leashes and collars put unwanted strain on your dog’s neck, which might result in pissing it off. Also, it may result in major injuries like choking or hacking. So, do you want to know what exactly to consider while choosing a dog harness?
Here are few points to take into consideration –
Dog’s size and nature
One solution for all problems doesn’t fit here. As the dogs differ in their personality, so is their temperament and behavior. Consider what your dog’s weight is, what its breed is, and then choose a type of harness that fits its personality. Ensure you don’t select a harness that might be painful to your dog’s body or too loose to get your dog to slip out of it. You should test the harness by taking a walk around with your doggo so that you can be sure you are getting the right one for it.
If you find your dog getting irritated by the harness or rubbing miserably against their skin, it’s a sign that the saddle is not suitable for it.
Type of Harness –
Before choosing a harness, it is vital to know how much and how hard your dog pulls so that you know what type of harness will make him under control and it doesn’t pull you around. Let’s see the most common types –
- Flat-buckle collar –
It constitutes a plain design with a normal snap or buckle closure. It is suitable for dogs that walk calmly with you without trying to pull or escape.
- Head Halter –
It is apt for the dogs that are large and strong dogs that pull. A Head halter is designed so that it fits around your dog’s head just behind the ears, whereas another strap fits around the dog’s muzzle. It is intended to signal your dog has guidance about the direction you want to go rather than aggressively pull him or give him a jerk.
- Body Harness –
If you have a small dog, a harness with a back attachment is the best option. It enables more control than a leash and prevents throat damage when your dog pulls. It is advisable to attach a body harness to your dog if you use a long-line training leash for your dog while hiking or running.
- Front-hook harness –
In this, the harness has a clip on the front of the dog’s chest. It is helpful while walking with your dog as it is attached to the front of its body.
- Martingale collar –
This type of collar is suitable for dogs with narrow heads. This collar is made with a length of material with rings on all the ends and aids to prevent scared or anxious dogs from slipping out. The best attribute is the leash attaches to one of the rings & tightens when the dog tries to pull out without choking them.
How to Put on a Dog Harness
The dog harness is one of the most important tools for any dog owner. It helps to keep your pup safe, comfortable, and happy when they are on walks or running around outside. Here’s how to put on a harness!
1) Slip the harness over your pup’s head so that it rests comfortably behind their front legs.
2) Pull the straps through both loops at the back of your pet’s body until you find the right fit. Make sure it doesn’t feel too tight or loose by pulling gently on each strap – you should be able to pinch about 1 inch (2 cm) of fabric between your fingers without much effort.
Conclusion
Owning a dog harness reduces a lot of hassle involved in training a puppy or taking one out for a walk. Now that you know the significance of having a harness, we hope you buy one for your dog!
