If your dog pulls, a high-quality no-pull harness is a must-have. In addition to preventing neck and back injuries, it also makes walks more enjoyable when your arm isn’t being yanked out of its socket (trust me, I’m speaking from personal experience here).
What is a no-pull dog harness?
A no-pull dog harness is typically one with a front clip for the leash rather than one that clips in the back, as suggested by the name. This reduces your dog’s ability to pull vigorously while out for a walk because they are unable to use their chest muscles as much as they normally would.
In general, using a harness is preferable to simply attaching a lead to your dog’s collar because if they pull too hard, their neck and throat could be hurt. Harnesses ease pressure on your dog’s neck and help you more easily manage their pulling. Pulling is discouraged by a no-pull harness’ front clip, which shifts your dog’s shoulder and core to the side.
Why using a no-pull harness is NOT a magic solution?
It would be wonderful if there were magic tools that we could purchase that would instantly fix all of our dog training issues. Unfortunately, “No-pull” has become the new catchphrase that is frequently used to describe products even when they don’t actually work to stop dogs from pulling. Even so, people purchase it because they are compelled to believe it is true.
Let’s start by discussing what a no-pull harness is. A no-pull harness is one that has a front ring on the chest, to give you the quick answer. There are harnesses marketed as no-pull options that have rings on the back, sides, and shoulder. They are not, or at least they are not until your dog becomes accustomed to wearing the new equipment. A no-pull harness is designed to direct the dog toward you. It turns them using their pulling force to make them see that this is not the simplest course of action.
There are a few other no-pull designs available that tighten the harness around the dog’s tummy or back legs when they pull, but since they are typically not advised for any dog, we will skip them for the purposes of this article.
With a front ring, you want it on or just above the breastbone with little room for it to slide around for the best steering power. The spiky bone that is easily felt on their chest is the chest bone.
Many no-pull harness designs have a front piece that hangs low, which causes the harness to cross the dog’s legs and trip them rather than steer them.
Many people turn the dog by pulling their leg out to the side while attempting to use a genuinely well-fitted Y-harness with a front-ring. The issue is that if you have a strong dog that lunges, you run the risk of hurting their shoulder if you jerk it to the side while wearing a harness that isn’t designed properly or doesn’t fit them properly for a no-pull position (more on this below). Another issue is that a dog may be able to slip out of a Y-harness that is too loose when the front ring pulls the chest piece to one side.
A no-pull harness is often thought to have an instantaneous effect: just put it on the dog, and you’ll never have a pulling issue again. But, regrettably, things are a little more complicated than that.
The use of a no-pull harness as a sole remedy has two drawbacks. Firstly, most dogs are great at adapting. Without training, the majority of them will immediately resume pulling once they realize they can still do it in this new situation.
Using a front ring appears to stop some dogs from pulling These are typically the more delicate dogs who don’t like the way a harness rubs against their armpits or when the pulling direction changes. The second issue is that, having avoided the behavior, they frequently resume pulling as soon as you put them back in their original harness or collar. They didn’t learn to walk on a loose leash.
For the latter, it seems like we have a simple solution: If the no-pull harness is the only piece of equipment the dog walks well with, can we just use it indefinitely?
In order to discuss this, we must first discuss the ideal harness design for a non-pulling dog. In our other article, we went into great detail about how a well-fitting Y-harness should appear, but to quickly review the key points: a comfortable harness should sit high enough to not bind the legs and low enough to not strain the lower neck. A proper fit also prevents the chest straps from rubbing against the wearer’s skin and allows the legs to move backwards when they take a step.
As we discussed, you will have good steering power with the leash attachment staying as close to the chest bone as possible when the dog is wearing an efficient no-pull harness. When using the front ring with a comfortably adjusted harness that leaves room behind the legs (as discussed above), the harness would simply slide up to the armpits rather than causing the dog to turn.
To sum up, the primary distinction is that a comfortable harness, such as a no-pull harness, sits in the armpits. g. would leave plenty of space behind the front legs for hiking This holds true for all effective no-pull harness designs, whether they are Y- or H-shaped or Norwegian-style (going across the shoulders); the effect is the same: they do restrict the shoulder’s range of motion by restricting the legs’ ability to move backward.
In the short term, using a harness directly behind the front legs as a training aid won’t cause any issues, but over time, it can lead to shoulder pain and rubbing under the armpits. Some dogs are more sensitive to this than others, and those that are more sensitive would immediately alter their stride to prevent chafing.
Most often, the dogs who take to walking nicely right away after being fitted with a no-pull harness are also the ones who will continue to take smaller steps with their front legs once the harness is on because they dislike the design’s feeling of restriction. It is important to keep in mind that altering the dog’s stride and body posture on every walk over the course of months or even years will wear down the shoulders and spine.
Below are two instances where the front legs move backward and one harness rubs against the shoulder while the other does not.
Just to be clear, we don’t claim that all cross-shoulder harnesses are bad for your joints. The restriction is primarily related to the fitting of the harness, which can be altered, as was covered in a lengthy and detailed article earlier. Unfortunately, it must sit directly in the armpits when being used as a no-pull harness, making it constrictive.
To sum up, a no-pull harness can be an excellent tool if the dog pulls strongly or the owner has trouble restraining them, but they are not a permanent fix. On lengthy hikes or off-leash runs, they are not intended to be worn comfortably. Instead, they are meant to be used in conjunction with training to encourage positive behavior while assisting you in maintaining control and refocusing the dog.
You won’t find a comfortable hiking harness that also happens to have a front ring to serve as a no-pull harness because these two use cases require entirely different designs. Sadly, there aren’t many good “2 in 1” harness options either.
No matter the equipment, learning more about leash etiquette will make it simpler for you and your dog to enjoy your walks.
Back Clip V Front Clip Harness
What kind of dog harness is better, a front clip or a back clip harness?
You could always try a head collar if, for whatever reason, you discover that your back and/or front-clip harnesses aren’t functioning as intended.
Although head collars have been effective at stopping dogs from pulling on leads, they do have some drawbacks.
Regrettably, prong collars and choke chains are still frequently employed in place of specialized harnesses. If you abuse prong collar fittings, they can seriously hurt your dog. Consequently, we advise you to try something a little simpler on your pet.
FAQ
How do you use a no pull dog harness?
Non-pull harnesses reduce your dog’s tendency to pull forcefully on the lead while out for a walk. In contrast to a more traditional harness, which typically clips on at the back and makes it easier for dogs to pull vigorously on the lead via their chest, this one has the clip at the front.
What is the difference between a harness and a no pull harness?
Harnesses don’t put undue strain on a dog’s trachea and neck. Even if a dog pulls while wearing a harness, it won’t hurt them or harm them in any way for the rest of their lives. If your dog pulls a lot, spend money on the right training aids to help him learn how to walk correctly.
Does pulling harness hurt dog?
If the no-pull harness fits your dog properly, it shouldn’t hurt them, but if it limits their ability to move freely while walking or running, they may eventually experience muscle or tendon problems. Additionally, if it’s too tight, the skin under their front legs might chafe and become irritated.