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How to train my dog to walk on a harness?

1070 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  stanwatt, 
haileyandbandit
I just bought my new rescue dog a harness, she doesn't regularly pull but when she see's another animal she hits the end of her leash and it always makes me wince. I didn't get the harness to stop her occasional pulling, but because she is a smaller dog and I don't want to damage her neck when the accidental tug does happen.

When I put the harness on her today, she didn't mind at all and wasn't scared of it but she didn't want to move! The harness fits correctly, and does not rub under her legs. She just had it on in the house, with no lead, and only with lots of encouaragement she cam towards me.

Any tips to help make her feel more comfortable?
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Avery
Try giving treats whenever you put the harness on, so she'll associate it with good things. Generally, I think, dogs quickly realize that harness=walks and they come around.

My old Westie was 9 before he ever saw a harness. At first he wasn't so sure, but soon he put 2 and 2 together and after that he'd get excited whenever the harness came out, because he knew he was about to do something fun.

Make sure that everything fits properly, of course. You should be able to fit 2 fingers under the straps, just like a collar. And check for any raw spots after walks, just in case.
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