Benefits of No-Pull Harnesses

Walks are a highlight of the day for you and your fur baby. You can expose your dog to new sights, sounds, smells, and stimulation. You both reap the health benefits of daily exercise. But most importantly, walks are fun.

Well, until they aren't.

When your dog constantly pulls on its leash, you and your dog can develop a negative attitude toward walks.

Why Do Dogs Pull?

Dogs can pull at their leash for several reasons. Here are some of the most common:

• Learned Behaviour

The dog has learned that pulling is acceptable. For certain working dogs, this is a fantastic skill. But for most, it makes walking them on a leash difficult, and as a responsible owner, you need to train them out of this bad habit.

• Pressure from Collar

Dogs may strain forward if they feel pressure from their collars, especially if they do not always wear one or if the collar is poorly fitting. Unfortunately, pulling won’t help this feeling at all.

• Poor Impulse Control

The outside is an excellent place for dogs to explore. They may pull to reach the incredible smells and investigate this new environment.

• Avoidance

Some dogs are uncomfortable in social situations when they feel restrained by a collar and leash. Your dog may be pulling to try and remove themself from a scenario they don’t like.

• Excited

As I said, walks are a highlight of the day for both you and your dog. As soon as your dog sees the leash, they know it is time to go and have fun. They pull once the leash is clipped on to get out as quickly as possible.

As owners, we find it frustrating and upsetting when our dog pulls on its leash, but it can also cause permanent health issues for our dogs. Pulling will cause the collar to squeeze their throats and damage their tracheas, regardless of the type of collar they have.

It is better for both of you to get this behaviour under control so walks become fun again.

The Dog Accessory That Made All the Difference

A no-pull harness is an alternative tool to use to walk your dog instead of a traditional collar and lead. A harness fits over the dog’s head and clips at the centre of their chest. You then clip the lead to the harness, and lead control is through the dog’s sturdy shoulders, not their delicate neck.

A no-pull harness isn’t a magic wand that will immediately stop your dog from pulling. But these harnesses significantly reduce the amount of tugging that happens during a walk.

Harnesses can be helpful to dogs in other ways, too. Here are five more benefits of no-pull harnesses for dogs:

1. Promote Gentle Training

Correcting your dog’s behaviour should always be gentle. It hurts their throat when a dog strains on the leash. It hurts their throat if you have to pull sharply on the leash to get their attention back to you. It hurts their throat if you have to yank your dog out of a risky situation by the collar.

Even if you are trying your best to be gentle in those situations, you will have caused physical and psychological harm to your dog.

Using a no-pull harness avoids unintended discomforts and reinforces good behaviour rather than punishing undesirable actions.

2. Reduce Pulling and Lunging

One of the easiest ways to make walking together more enjoyable again is to reduce your dog’s ability to pull and lunge when walking on the leash.

A no-pull harness redirects your dog’s motion when they lunge forward. The leash attaches to the front of the harness, so when they pull, they are directed around to you rather than forward. Over time, your dog learns that pulling does not get them anywhere quicker because pulling in the harness steers them off their intended course.

3. Provide Comfort

Dog harnesses are designed with dog comfort in mind. A dog harness with premium nylon webbing will keep your dog comfortable whenever you are out and about. If the harness offers adjustable straps, you can ensure you will always have a perfect fit for your dog.

No-pull harnesses should fit snugly but not be overly tight. To check that your dog's harness fits correctly, you should be able to slide one finger between the harness straps and your dog.

4. Work for All Dogs

It is easy to think that a no-pull harness might only work for a specific size or breed of dog. But it doesn’t; no-pull harnesses are beneficial to all dogs.

Smaller breeds are actually some of the more vulnerable to injury from neck collars, and because of their smaller stature, pulling may not seem like an urgent behaviour to correct.

A larger dog might be slightly less likely to be hurt by its neck collar, but pulling on the leash will still cause it discomfort. Your dog could even hurt you if it accidentally pulls you over.

Dog harnesses come in various sizes, so that they will fit anything from a tiny chihuahua to a massive mastiff. Measure your dog’s girth and front chest to determine which size will fit best.

5. It Fosters Trust and Cooperation

While wearing a no-pull harness, your dog realises you are gently guiding them with care and respect. The time you spend together training to use it and then going on longer walks improves your relationship and makes walks a positive experience again for you both.

Using a no-pull harness removes any negative associations your dog may have had with walking on the leash with a neck collar and also reduces your stress levels about having to walk them.

Walking is Fun Again

I tried many different methods to stop my dog from pulling on the lead. The best thing I have found, in combination with behaviour training, is to get my dog used to a no-pull harness.

We did not just go straight into wearing a harness and going off on a walk. I introduced it slowly, ensured my dog was completely comfortable in the harness, and made all strap adjustments before we tested it on a short walk.

The pulling did not stop straight away, but there was an immediate reduction. Using a no-pull harness with continued lead training was the best step for us.

A quality dog harness provides gentle training and further control and removes the risk of neck injury to your dog while walking. It is a valuable investment in ensuring that all walks are a peaceful and positive experience for you and your pooch.