Y’all, don’t use easywalk harnesses!

[cathya]

I was walking my puppy to work with my girlfriend in the morning (thankfully we left our adult dog at home) when we see a walker with a dog in a cheap cloth muzzle come out of a treed walkway then quickly backtrack up it and disappear into the trees.

We stopped and waited to give her and her dog a bit of a head start and the dog came running out naked at our dog with only a fraying cloth muzzle.

Luckily we have had a reactive dog in the past so I picked the puppy up straight away and my girlfriend was able to body block the dog and calm it down until the owner could get ahold of it.

I know front clip harnesses are often recommended by trainers so don’t make this mistake, make sure your harness is secure!

 

[jamesdb]

@cathya I'm not a fan of EasyWalk harnesses, but this seems like it's more an improperly fitted harness problem, not a problem with the design of the harness itself. Any harness is escapade if you don't have it adjusted correctly.

 

[failte]

@jamesdb exactly. even poorly fitted, folks should double clip the leash to the front clip of the harness to the clip on the collar (same clip with both points); impossible to slip out of.

 

[mparks]

@failte This is what I do with the easy walk + gentle leader

 

[tonygleim]

@failte i’ve been trying to figure out how to make my harness more secure for my pup, and it sounds like this is a good idea!! for some reason I’m really struggling to visualize how to do it. do you know of any pictures showing what you just described??

 

[failte]

@tonygleim i’ll try to take a photo shortly when i get home! additionally, using a well-fitted martingale collar instead of a flat buckle collar WITH the double clip is as close to foolproof as it comes, in my opinion.

 

[tonygleim]

@failte that would be amazing, thank you so much!!

 

[failte]

@tonygleim A photo of the double clip.

The loop of the front-clip harness (like on an easy walk) is clipped to the collar loop at the same time; this is under the chin of my lab.

edited to add: the “balance” harness is my favorite because it adjusts at six different points. they’re spendy but last forever and fit the dog very well without impeding natural movement. that’s what she has on here.

 

[tonygleim]

@failte thank you so much! ive had the easy walk one but dont use it much because ive felt nervous that she’d be able to wiggle out of it! i’ll look into to the balance harness and do the combo clip (the photo is super helpful). i was starting to think i just wouldn’t feel comfortable using a harness with her, so i really appreciate you sharing this info

 

[failte]

@tonygleim i’ve worked with hundreds of flight risk dogs who have failed to get out of the double clip setup in “whoops” moments, if that makes you feel any better! wishing you and your pup the best of luck on your training journey!

 

[cathya]

@jamesdb The standard rule with fitting equipment on an animal is the two finger rule.

Get a dog that is unusually narrow in the shoulders, round in the chest (like this Doberman mix) or obese and the top strap just slides right over the withers then your dog is across the road.

 

[cataline]

@cathya I go a teeny bit tighter than the 2 finger rule for harnesses with my dogs even though I have very small hands. Mine both have slipped most other harness styles I've used and the easy walk, when well fitted, is the only thing they haven't gotten out of.

I do make sure to check tightness as they're breathing heavily too though to make sure it's not too tight on their rib cage in a full pant.

I have a golden/husky (we think) mix that has a very weird chest/stomach/neck and he's incredibly hard to fit because in most styles of harness one half of him is a whole size larger than the other. This is the only harness that has felt secure on him so far.

That said, if my dog starts pulling backwards like they're going to slip the harness, I've also learned that it's better to go backwards with them and use that momentum to turn around somehow. That has also minimized escape attempts too.

 

[niaa]

@cathya IMO harnesses and head collars should always be attached to the dog’s collar with a safety tie. I’m not a fan of easy walk harnesses because, in my experience, many people don’t fit them correctly, but a dog can slip out of almost any harness if they’re determined enough. I understand why some folks don’t want to use a regular flat collar if their dog pulls hard, but it needs to be a backup if the harness fails.

 

[hogynllan]

@cathya I personally will never use an easy walk, but I'm not completely against them. They do have a time and place but I also see them misused more often than not.

This sounds more like someone failing to use equipment properly over the equipment itself failing. It's also worth noting, cloth muzzles should never be used for walks as they don't allow the dog to pant comfortably. This person has no idea what they are doing. So sorry you got caught in that.

 

[shunree]

@cathya With this logic no one should walk their dog on a leather leash, because I've seen one snap when the dog lunged.

Gear fails happens. Improper use or ill fitted gear is more likely to fail, but freak accidents also happen, even to people and dogs it's never happened to before.That's why doubling up can be important with dogs that are heavily reactive or a flight risk.

 

[mrnarthex]

@cathya Yeah, I’ve walked my reactive dog (and our family dog before my dog) for over 16 years with the same easywalk harness. It’s never failed once. There’s literally NO way my dog could escape it unless I buckled it incorrectly!

 

[bushido8000]

@cathya I think this is a really unfair conclusion. One instance of a dog getting out of it's harness does not mean the brand/style of harness is no good. I walk both my reactive dog and my well-balanced dog in an Easy Walk harness, and have had no issues. Without question, they require very careful adjustment - and periodic re-adjustment as the straps do stretch out a bit over time - but when properly sized, adjusted, and fitted to the dog, they are a good option and can work well.

My guess is that in this situation, the harness was not well sized and/or adjusted/fitted, or perhaps was worn and past its prime (if the muzzle was fraying, it seems there is a good chance that the harness wasn't in good condition either).

I'm really glad everything ended well for your pup, but please don't make sweeping statements/recommendations that no one should ever use a particular type of harness based on a single instance of an issue with that harness.

 

[donica]

@bushido8000 Cloth muzzles in good condition shouldn’t be used for most walking conditions anyway. They don’t allow panting and a dog can overheat and die. Generally cloth muzzles are only recommended for short situations like 2 or 3 minutes or grooming/the vet. If they don’t even have a properly fitted muzzle, it’s highly likely they don’t have a properly fitted harness.

I don’t know anything about the brand/harness, but a solid conclusion is this owner has no idea what they’re doing as far as using the appropriate dog gear.

 

[hobster777]

@cathya 2 hounds designs makes the double clipped front and back harness. I do love our easy walk and my dogs been using it for 5 years. He is horrible on a harness. Does better with a martingale but easy walk is what we all prefer when we walk him.

 

[cathya]

@hobster777 Yeah the 2 hounds ones are my go-to harnesses. Great design. The martingale on the back and the 2 point leash give way better control than any other front clip harness.