20/11/2024
PSA - if the leash stretches or the harness looks like this, I don’t care what the ad on Instagram says. It will make your training journey harder and I will tell you to put it in the bin.
Stretchy leashes build drive in pulling into the leash, give you less control and generally make teaching leash walking a pain in the butt.
Running with a trained dog or using designed for purpose bungees in building drive (ie making dogs pull harder and be more intense)? Yes.
Walking down the street with any control or training a pet dog? No.
The popular harnesses promoted all over Instagram that look like this might look easy to put on, but are actually terrible for your dog. Cutting across the chest horizontally means it restricts natural movement, which with repeated use can cause long term gait issues. Cutting so close to behind the shoulders is also a problem in this department. Not only this, but a back clip harness will mean you have no control of the front end of your dog and will find it much more challenging to control your dog when needed - especially when training.
As a dog owner you’ll likely be seeing ads from a few different companies selling these very similar harnesses and leashes among other junk. Don’t buy into it.
Stick to a standard fixed length leash and a well fitted collar, made with proper metal fixings and high quality materials. If a harness is your preference, look for a “Y” shape which doesn’t impede the shoulders and gives lots of room behind the elbows. It’ll last you much longer, be better for your dog and be much more helpful on your training and dog owning journey. 🙏🏻
