Was the Chest Strap Used Wrongly? Let’s Talk About the Timing of Selection and Usage
Hi dog lovers,
I’ve seen a lot of posts discussing traction equipment, especially about harnesses. As someone who has spent a lot of time studying the effects of different equipment on dog behavior and comfort (and has seen many cases), I want to share some observations on when to use a harness and when it may be counterproductive. I hope it can help new parents who are struggling!
First of all, a harness is definitely a “magic weapon” in certain situations:
Small dogs/short-nosed dogs with fragile trachea: The risk of a collar strangling their neck is too great, so a harness that disperses the force points is a safer choice. The Y-shaped front chest design is especially important to avoid compressing the trachea.
Dogs with neck or spinal problems: Need to avoid neck stress, and a well-designed harness can provide better support.
Specific working dogs: Pulling sleds, dragging heavy objects? Professional weight-bearing harnesses are designed for this purpose, allowing dogs to exert force safely and comfortably. This is their “work clothes”!
Dogs that are extremely sensitive to collars: Some dogs just hate collars, and a harness may be a more acceptable alternative (of course, they must also be trained to follow).
But! Here comes the point: For dogs that have not been well trained to follow, especially medium and large dogs, directly wearing a harness may bring a big problem you didn’t expect: encouraging or even reinforcing pulling behavior!
Why? The design principle of the harness is to disperse the traction to the dog’s strongest chest and shoulders. This is a plus, but it also means that the dog can use all of its body strength to “pull”! Think about the structure of a sled dog.
Result: If your dog hasn’t learned to pay attention to you and not rush when walking, a harness will make it easier and more powerful for them to pull. You’ll feel like you’re playing tug-of-war with a calf, your wrists and shoulders will get tired, and you’ll easily lose control. Just like controlling the head (bridle/head cage) is key when training a horse, controlling the dog’s direction and attention, head guidance is usually more effective (of course, this requires training, and it also requires the right tools such as head leashes/collars for training).
Reality: When we first raise dogs, out of “love” and “fear of strangulation”, we put harnesses directly on energetic puppies or adolescent dogs, only to find that the dogs pull harder and harder, and walking is unbearable, and in the end we can only complain “my dog just loves to pull”. This is really not all the dog’s fault, the choice of equipment is out of touch with training.
Attached: My little baby Friday
