Harnesses for walking are bad news regardless of the kind. Dogs can slip them (and end up in traffic). More importantly, harnesses afford NO CONTROL. When you resort to equipment for a long term fix to a training issue, then you need to do:
Training. Training. Training.
This takes large patience from you (you need to outlast the dog). Reward a loose leash and attention. You have to walk each dog separately to do this. It may mean your walks go no further than the end of your sidewalk. When the dog pulls, you turn 180 degrees and walk the other way. Dog turns and leash is loose you reward with a bit of food. Train focus. Make being with you and paying attention to you the best thing ever.
Pulling is oppositional reflex. Dog pulls, you pull back, dog pulls harder, you pull back harder.. it is a vicious cycle.
An interesting aside. I have a dog that hauls me along when she is tracking (whether I am at the end of a 33 foot tracking line or 3 feet behind her on a training line). She has learned to do this because I taught her this by trying to use leash pressure to slow her down so she pulled BACK and tried to speed up.. we will forever get dinged in points for speed early in the track and it is my fault because the result of pulling to slow her down has been a dog who tracks too fast and hauls me around. It is ingrained and it works, but for the next dog it is not what I want.
So enter dog number two. I do not pull on him (he is going to be large). In fact, I drop the line because my bad habits are hard to break (putting line pressure on the dog causing the dog to pull). When I drop the line he moves methodically down the track and slows down AND is not hectic.. he is focused.
I know you are not tracking. You are just taking the dog(s) for a walk. The principal is the same either way.
Ditch the harness idea. Walk each dog separately. Do not pull back when the pull.. simply switch direction forcing the dog to loosen the line and reward when the dog switches focus to you (because he wants to see where you are going). Rinse. Repeat. over and over and over (outlast the dog).
Your walks will be very short for awhile.
Good luck. I like JRT's. Good dogs.
Training. Training. Training.
This takes large patience from you (you need to outlast the dog). Reward a loose leash and attention. You have to walk each dog separately to do this. It may mean your walks go no further than the end of your sidewalk. When the dog pulls, you turn 180 degrees and walk the other way. Dog turns and leash is loose you reward with a bit of food. Train focus. Make being with you and paying attention to you the best thing ever.
Pulling is oppositional reflex. Dog pulls, you pull back, dog pulls harder, you pull back harder.. it is a vicious cycle.
An interesting aside. I have a dog that hauls me along when she is tracking (whether I am at the end of a 33 foot tracking line or 3 feet behind her on a training line). She has learned to do this because I taught her this by trying to use leash pressure to slow her down so she pulled BACK and tried to speed up.. we will forever get dinged in points for speed early in the track and it is my fault because the result of pulling to slow her down has been a dog who tracks too fast and hauls me around. It is ingrained and it works, but for the next dog it is not what I want.
So enter dog number two. I do not pull on him (he is going to be large). In fact, I drop the line because my bad habits are hard to break (putting line pressure on the dog causing the dog to pull). When I drop the line he moves methodically down the track and slows down AND is not hectic.. he is focused.
I know you are not tracking. You are just taking the dog(s) for a walk. The principal is the same either way.
Ditch the harness idea. Walk each dog separately. Do not pull back when the pull.. simply switch direction forcing the dog to loosen the line and reward when the dog switches focus to you (because he wants to see where you are going). Rinse. Repeat. over and over and over (outlast the dog).
Your walks will be very short for awhile.
Good luck. I like JRT's. Good dogs.
