Whatever you get, use it while training him to heel at your side. Some dogs do not care if there is something pinching, choking, etc. when they really want to chase. The smaller you are the more you should focus control of the head and neck. I have always stuck with the old school correction collar and the dogs are pretty good within 3-5 days from constant reinforcement.
Help me choose no pull harness for american staffy
Hi, I have recently adopted a 3yo male American staffy. I have never had a dog this big or this strong (i have 3 other dogs, all small under 10kg) so naturally I don't have much experience with hard pulling dogs.
My staffy will stop and sit whenever i command him to do so, but still constantly pulls me over towards trees and bushes on walks, and time to time gets extremely excited to see a cat and pulls VERY HARD to chase after it (playfully!! not to attack).
I am currently using a normal collar as the previous owner left me only with a broken harness :/ so am in desperate need to find a good no pull harness as I am only 5.3ft tall and cannot have him pulling me all over the place.
I've done some research and so far found these to look kind of promising;
1. Original Sporn Halter Harness
2. Sporn Mesh harness
3. Halti Harness with double buckles(not the head collar thing)
4. Easy walk Harness with buckles at the front
Which one should I go with? They are pretty pricey so really want to make the right decision :S HELPPPP
My staffy will stop and sit whenever i command him to do so, but still constantly pulls me over towards trees and bushes on walks, and time to time gets extremely excited to see a cat and pulls VERY HARD to chase after it (playfully!! not to attack).
I am currently using a normal collar as the previous owner left me only with a broken harness :/ so am in desperate need to find a good no pull harness as I am only 5.3ft tall and cannot have him pulling me all over the place.
I've done some research and so far found these to look kind of promising;
1. Original Sporn Halter Harness
2. Sporn Mesh harness
3. Halti Harness with double buckles(not the head collar thing)
4. Easy walk Harness with buckles at the front
Which one should I go with? They are pretty pricey so really want to make the right decision :S HELPPPP
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
A determined puller will pull you along even in a no-pull harness.
I know not everyone likes them, but I'd probably use a prong training collar (not a choke chain) and spend a few days working on loose leash walking (I like the turn the other direction randomly method) and then begin to transition to either a sturdy regular harness or a martingale collar. One of my dislikes of a lot of the no-pull harnesses is that they can be slipped out of more easily than a good regular harness. One method is to put a prong collar and a regular harness on the dog, with a leash attached to each. If the dog doesn't listen to the leash on the harness, a quick tug on the leash attached to the prong collar is the "hey, listen up!" message. Then back to the harness's leash.
The prong is an adversive, but I also think used properly and minimally, it can be a great and safe tool when someone has a large and strong dog that already has a bad habit of pulling. If a dog can physically drag you down the street, you have to be able to control them safely while teaching loose leash walking. Teaching loose leash is easier and more productive if the dog is tired out, so try a good game of fetch or flirt pole first before setting out for a walk.
I have taught several pit bull types to walk on a plain harness at a loose leash within about 1-2 weeks by doing this, for locations that are super high excitement (lots of animals to chase like deer for example) I will sometimes use a prong again but rarely have to do more than a couple reminder tugs (not yanks!)
Whatever tool you use, remember that is is only a tool and you still have to teach loose leash walking and there will be a teaching/transition time to a flat collar or plain harness- even if a dog has learned to walk loose leash on a no-pull or training collar, he won't automatically generalize it to another type of harness/collar without being taught to.
Also, prong collars and no-pull harnesses should both have a back-up on them in case of a dog slipping them or breaking them. A carabiner attached to both the training tool and to a martingale collar is a good option
I know not everyone likes them, but I'd probably use a prong training collar (not a choke chain) and spend a few days working on loose leash walking (I like the turn the other direction randomly method) and then begin to transition to either a sturdy regular harness or a martingale collar. One of my dislikes of a lot of the no-pull harnesses is that they can be slipped out of more easily than a good regular harness. One method is to put a prong collar and a regular harness on the dog, with a leash attached to each. If the dog doesn't listen to the leash on the harness, a quick tug on the leash attached to the prong collar is the "hey, listen up!" message. Then back to the harness's leash.
The prong is an adversive, but I also think used properly and minimally, it can be a great and safe tool when someone has a large and strong dog that already has a bad habit of pulling. If a dog can physically drag you down the street, you have to be able to control them safely while teaching loose leash walking. Teaching loose leash is easier and more productive if the dog is tired out, so try a good game of fetch or flirt pole first before setting out for a walk.
I have taught several pit bull types to walk on a plain harness at a loose leash within about 1-2 weeks by doing this, for locations that are super high excitement (lots of animals to chase like deer for example) I will sometimes use a prong again but rarely have to do more than a couple reminder tugs (not yanks!)
Whatever tool you use, remember that is is only a tool and you still have to teach loose leash walking and there will be a teaching/transition time to a flat collar or plain harness- even if a dog has learned to walk loose leash on a no-pull or training collar, he won't automatically generalize it to another type of harness/collar without being taught to.
Also, prong collars and no-pull harnesses should both have a back-up on them in case of a dog slipping them or breaking them. A carabiner attached to both the training tool and to a martingale collar is a good option
i would definitely go with the head control harness I had an alsation who pulled really badly and had great success with the head control over a matter of weeks, so would advise you go with that.
all the best
all the best
I've had a lot of success with the Sporn harness.
If we are talking about this harness, I have 2 of them. They are NOT no-pull, but they fit very very well on my JRT. I had trouble finding a harness to fit my male, because of his big chest. Not once, has it ever stopped him from even thinking about pulling. I've worked rescue dogs in them as well, and It didn't work on the bigger dogs either.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...s,+Tags+&+Leashes&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No
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http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...s,+Tags+&+Leashes&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No
i think there is a bit of a difference between a jrt and an american staffy strength being one, not being nasty just stating a fact.
IF you read my comment, you would notice that I said it doen't work. If a JRT can pull on it, so can a staffy. I also said I've used it on the rescue dogs, it didn't work on them either. Most of the rescue dogs are much larger than a Jack.i think there is a bit of a difference between a jrt and an american staffy strength being one, not being nasty just stating a fact.
I really hate head harnesses for dogs with high prey drives, especially APBTs and ASTs.i would definitely go with the head control harness I had an alsation who pulled really badly and had great success with the head control over a matter of weeks, so would advise you go with that.
all the best
Here's my reasoning-
One and this is the biggest reason- they are unsafe if a dog should quickly lunge or dart at a squirrel or cat. There is a serious risk of neck injury and they can also rub the face and eyes (even properly fitted ones if the dog is pulling and moving around enough)
Two- they have a bad tendency to fail and/or for the dog to slip out of. Bully breeds especially HAVE to be securely harnessed or collared when out and about.
Three- they look like muzzles and while this has nothing to do with the physical act of walking the dog, it can be quite annoying and sometimes problematic for the general public to assume your "pit bull" is muzzled (when the dog has no need to be). Expect plenty of nasty comments about walking a "dangerous" dog from people thinking a head halter is a muzzle.
I agree with Shells comments about damage from head harnesses. I have used Wonder Walkers with several Pit Bulls and Mixes. A Wonder Walker is similar to the Easy Walk by Premier. I have found these dogs to take to Loose Leash training once their fears and anxieties are managed. I have worked with dogs that had real problems in the outside world and could not be trained while outside, inside was where it was at.
I agree with getting a prong. I use or used a prong on all of my dogs once they were old enough to help control them physically until I could train loose leash walking. They are much safer and easier to use than most harnesses, flat collars, head halters or chains.
Youtube silky leash training for actual training advice.
Youtube silky leash training for actual training advice.
I just wanted to warn against the Easy Walk harness. In my experience, it works OK, but if your dog is anything of an escape artist, it's pretty easy to get out of. I had that experience twice with my dog, even with the harness properly fitted by a trainer, and it was pretty scary. If you do decide to get one anyway, you can also get a martingale collar and clip both that and the front clip to the leash to prevent the dog from escaping.
I also use a prong collar after trying several no-pull harnesses but I don't necessarily recommend it without talking to a trainer first.
And I see that Shell already mentioned how easy some of the harnesses are to get out of, but I think it's worth repeating. I found the Sporn harness to be the most secure, though that didn't work for us for other reasons.
I also use a prong collar after trying several no-pull harnesses but I don't necessarily recommend it without talking to a trainer first.
And I see that Shell already mentioned how easy some of the harnesses are to get out of, but I think it's worth repeating. I found the Sporn harness to be the most secure, though that didn't work for us for other reasons.
My personal favorite is the Freedom harness. However, I'd mention that the really important thing is to TEACH the dog to stay with you, and be attentive. Even good equipment can fail. I want the equipment to be my backup. And training to be my primary tool
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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