Appropriate equipment

Got another blog topic from going to the park yesterday.  It wasn't at the park where I saw my subject for a blog but on the way.  As I sat at the lights waiting; a woman and her dog caught my eye.  She was walking a very large reverse brindle boxer.  He was stunning but being yanked and yanked and yanked. Lucky for him he was wearing a harness but the woman's yanking action was futile.  Boxers are buff dogs; pulling on a harness is not going to do a whole lot in terms of restraining them.

The woman could have had a handful of treats; working on teaching her dog not to pull.  But instead she allowed him to pull until she couldn't take it any longer and gave him an almighty yank.  All this did was to start the process over and over again.  You have to have the right equipment at hand.  Having just tried and tested the amazing Omnijore joring system harness on Elsa; the difference in harnesses was made very clear.

Elsa and Luke are walked on the Easy Walk harness which is made to curb their desire to pull.  A harness that is hooked up on the back of the dog encourages pulling.  This dog had a regular, lean into it pulling harness on.  Without any training for the boxer the woman stood no chance of winning against her very buff boy.  Sad because she was obviously not enjoying the walk; although it looked like he was.

Regular harnesses are great if you have a dog that does not pull.  Tilley wore a regular one for years until I decided that it was easier for the two to be hooked up at the same spot.  There are times now when I want more control so I switched to a collar.  When I do switch to a collar it is a 2" wide one so as not to do any damage.  Collars have become such a common thing that people just don't think about their dog's necks.  I talked to a guy at the beach a while ago who had actually switched to an Easy Walk harness because he had damaged his dogs spine by constantly yanking on his neck.  This was no little fluff dog, it was a very large and buff Bulldog.

I see people with choke collars on yanking away; rolled leather collars which is one of the worst I think.  Just imagine the pinpoint pressure when you yank or pull on that type of collar?   When you head out or head in, think about your dog's neck as an extremely sensitive section of their body.  The trachea, spine and esophagus are all in that one spot.   A great deal of damage can be done with one yank.  Best to use a harness for most of the walking but it has to be the right harness to be of assistance.  The right equipment.