05/29/2026
I am a believer that every training tool has its place, and harnesses can be a good fit for dogs with health concerns, or for working dogs. It is my firm opinion that there is absolutely no reason to have a healthy Labrador on a harness for daily walks. It is so important to teach your dog what leash pressure means and how safely walk on a leash and collar. In the end a dog with these skills and knowledge will need little pressure and you will have better control. There are so many good tools for dogs available and it is important to not look for a training shortcut but a tool that helps your dog to learn.
Sometimes other professionals have a great way of wording things so the following text is not mine.
Credit for below text at the end ⬇️
Why aren’t harness good when a dog can not walk properly on leash and people complain”they choke themselves” on a flat collar. Why are they bad?
Good question, and one that many owners are confused about—because those promoting harnesses WANT them to be confused.
quick rundown why they shouldn’t be used on a dog that pulls.
Here ya go
“Harnesses were literally designed to distribute pressure and increase pulling efficiency:
* sled dogs
* tracking dogs
* cart dogs
* opposition work
So when owners say:
“My dog pulls like crazy on walks”
…and then attach the dog to equipment specifically designed to make forward pressure more comfortable and mechanically efficient, there’s an obvious conflict.
Harnesses also commonly amplify drive, intensity, and momentum. Many dogs become:
* more forward
* more impulsive
* more environmentally locked in
* more aroused
* more mentally/emotionally overwhelmed
because they can throw their full body weight into the equipment without meaningful interruption. The entire chest and shoulder assembly can brace into pressure, creating stronger opposition reflex and rehearsed pulling patterns.
Another major issue is that harnesses often allow owners to physically contain dogs without meaningfully influencing behavior. A dog can still:
* scan
* fixate
* load
* lunge
* rehearse reactivity
* ignore the handler
* drag the owner around
…while remaining safely attached.
That distinction matters enormously:
physical control vs behavioral control.
Many “training” harnesses that are promoted as being “positive”, “pain free”, and “kind”, reduce pulling mechanically by adding unpleasant pressure in various locations, but do not address the underlying arousal, fixation, opposition, or mindset driving the behavior in the first place.
In general, standard harnesses tend to create dogs who become increasingly dull to leash pressure, more physically pushy, more environmentally fixated, and harder to meaningfully influence — especially large, powerful dogs. The very equipment meant to create more control often ends up creating less.
-From Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation
