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Road Testing the Halti Harness

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The Halti Harness

I'd been threatening to get Jamie a Halti harness for some time.   Not that he pulls all the time, but when we go out for a walk he does have a tendency to pull me down the hill when we first start off.  He never pulls uphill.  Well he wouldn't would he?  Anyway, I ordered the harness from Pet Planet as I couldn't buy one locally.  I've used their shop illustration to show you what it's like as you wouldn't be able to see the harness against Jamie's black coat.  They despatched it very quickly but it took three days to get here by Royal Mail packet post.
 

When I opened the package it was a bit like trying to work out how to put up a deck chair.  There are several ways in which to adjust the harness so that it fits properly.   I could have looked at the enclosed booklet but I was too impatient for that. 

The harness works on the same principle as my quick method where you just put the lead round the dog's chest and use gentle pressure to stop the pulling.  (see Pulling on the lead) It does work very well but I think it's really important to make sure that your dog doesn't just have a walk on the harness every day.  They need to be able to let off steam with a good run or at least have a good wander and a sniff without any restrictions.  In my experience dogs can get frustrated if they're kept under too much control all the time and then you get unwanted behaviour such as chewing or barking. 

Jamie actually barked in frustration the first time he went out with the harness.  I think he felt a bit restricted, but when he'd had a run and he'd walked home with the lead attached to his ordinary collar he was fine.  The next time we used the harness there was no problem as he knew he was only going to wear it for the first part of the walk.  All in all we're very pleased with the harness. 
 

Does it work on a really strong dog?
When we met someone with a young boxer we asked them about the Easy Walk harness they were using. (This illustration is also from Pet Planet)  I asked them if it helped and they were brimming over with praise.  They told me that their dog had been a real puller and they were struggling to hold him on an ordinary lead, but the harness had calmed him right down.  I must say I didn't see the boxer pulling although of course he had to come over and say hello to Jamie and to have a good sniff.  See the bottom of the page for related articles on this site
 

How about the lead?

I bought a large size Halti training lead to go with the harness. This has got a clip at either end.  You attach one end to the front of the harness and the other end to the dog's collar.  The lead is very comfortable to hold as it's made of padded webbing.  It also has various rings attached to it which make it a multi-functional lead.  I haven't tried all the options yet but no doubt I will.  Here's some piccies that show how you can use the lead.
 

A long lead attached to a halti

An easy "parking" solution

Doubled up to make a short lead.

Hands free option

Walking two dogs on the same lead.

All of these items are available from Pet Planet.  You can find the links in the Doggie Shop.

For further articles on pulling dogs see
Pulling on the lead
Road testing the Easy Walk harness