Academy For Dog Trainers #HarnessTheLove Campaign
This week the Academy For Dog Trainers (ADT) launched Harness The Love, an educational campaign promoting the benefits of no-pull harnesses for our dogs. Most dogs don't instinctually walk easily by your side without some sort of instruction. Teaching a dog to walk with you rather than pull you down the street takes practice, commitment, and training. Having the proper tools can make all the difference and save you both frustration.
Many dogs need little to no training for a no-pull harness to work.
An immediate benefit from choosing a no-pull harness for any dog is that pulling decreases when they find themselves turned around toward their person away from whatever their destination was. I wish we'd discovered no-pull harnesses when we first had our big Shepherd Husky. You can see below that she wore only a regular harness.
I know that if we had started her with a no-pull harness, we could have avoided many frustrating moments on our walks.
Healthy Choice
I have seen people yank their dog by the collar sharply enough to cause them to cough and gag. No-pull harnesses do not put pressure on dogs' necks and throats. That's an important benefit because our best buddies can be harmed (their windpipe) from improper use of collars.
Watch Loose Leash Walking with Hazel and Lori!
ADT are big fans of the Freedom Harness, the Easy Walk Harness and the Sense-ation Harness but there are many options to choose from. See a full list of front-clip harnesses on the Harness The Love page on their website.