Are harnesses good??

[nicedolphin]

@elwhit1 I have a little shiranian she walks loose so very well, I have a puppy chi. Teaching her was like herding kittens, she is getting it now took about 6weeks

 

[cowboys73]

@musha Anyone who advocates for putting a prong collar on ANY dog let alone a tiny shitzu puppy is 1000% not someone I would take any dog advice from.
Aversives like prong collars are not necessary to train any dog and cause long term problems.

 

[letthelittlechildrencome]

@musha Don't listen to them. Shih Tzus are prone to tracheal collapse, and a collar just increases the risk of that. Harnesses don't cause dogs to pull, but even if they did, a dog that pulls is better than one that can't breathe

 

[kvasas]

@musha You have a Shih Tzu, you don't need a prong collar. Get a front clip harness and you'll be fine. Don't use a retractable leash... those will encourage pulling.

If your dog is doing fine, there's no reason to immediately jump to aversive training methods.

 

[eront]

@kvasas There's no reason to use aversive training methods anyways. Instead of using the prong, hire a trainer to help if you're failing. A common reason that dogs don't pick up loose leash walking is reactivity, "failing" and jumping to aversive tools due to that will just make matters worse.

 

[onceawaretwiceempowered]

@musha I don’t listen to people that advice prong collars. If you’re raising a puppy from scratch and need a prong collar to do so, I’d argue you’re an absolutely garbage dog trainer. (And the people I’ve seem recommending it call themselves dog trainers. Ludicrous…)

 

[ladybug26]

@musha Beyond this specific issue, do not listen to anyone who tells you to use aversive dog training methods. They are cruel and unnecessary - often causing as many problems as they solve. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that they are always a bad idea.

Here is the RSPCA's advice on prong collars as an example. https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/training/prongcollars

 

[christiannewbie]

@musha Please please please don’t use a prong collar!

 

[essence9115]

@musha Stop listening to anyone who suggests a prong collar. Immediately.

 

[riobraziltour]

@musha Also a dog on a collar in my personal experience won’t pull any less. If the dog wants to pull it will pull, the harness is just healthier. My last dog would pull and put pressure on her trachea to a degree she would hack and cough and had to stop walking to catch her breath. Switched to the harness, she didn’t pull any more than normal, she just also stopped hurting herself. Will never use anything but a harness again with my dogs. Get one that attaches to the chest to teach no pull or try one of the muzzle leads to teach no pulling but switch to a harness when the dog is trained if it’s really a concern. There’s also muzzle leads that can simultaneously connect to the harness I think which is a happy medium.

 

[ivlyn]

@musha Harness don't teach dogs to pull. That is a myth. I personally only use harnesses with all my dogs and I've only had 1 out of my past 9 dogs that pulls. If you are concerned about pulling, you should check out Kikopup's leash pressure game on YouTube. I've been doing it with my senior dog who is my puller and after 2 months he will finally look back at me sometimes on walks when he feels pressure on the leash. Most of the time, he doesn't notice since he is so focused on smelling everything, but he has made some good progress for being almost 14 years old.

 

[fenfuro]

@musha Harnesses were the only thing that allowed me to teach my husky not to pull and I continued using them with my Australian Shepherd and now my puppy. My Aussie was absolutely terrible about walking using his collar and he once choked himself so badly I had to bring him to the vet. Dogs learn not to pull by being trained not to pull