12/05/2025
Like a snake with two heads these people always turn on themselves. Im confused, I thought harnesses were supposed to not be aversive?
These people are like chickens with their heads cut off all living in the same coop. R+ folks are simply crazy people portraying as dog experts because they just "love dogs soooo much". No pragmatism towards dog training or behavior whatsoever.
EQUIPMENT WHICH WILL TIGHTEN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FRIGHTEN
Something I come across regularly in harness discussions is recommendations for the 2 Hounds Freedom harness, and I have never understood why they are so popular. Its main function is to reduce pulling, and is designed with a martingale loop across the shoulders in order to achieve this. There is plenty of evidence that the harness successfully stops pulling, therefore we have to concede that it is aversive, surely?
You can read more on this topic here:
https://www.trailiepawsforthought.com/post/equipment-which-will-tighten-has-the-potential-to-frighten
Besides the physical discomfort that this type of harness causes, we also need to consider the emotional impact on our sensitive dogs and what else they might associate with the discomfort, because learning happens all of the time, whether or not we intend it. For example, an anxious dog who pulls on the lead when faced with a trigger is not going to be able to learn to feel any better about that trigger when his harness simultaneously tightens and squeezes his body.
Some argue that this particular harness is suited to flight-risk dogs and those that will back out of a harness, and while safety is, of course, so important, it is rare that any real consideration is given to how placing them in situations where they are going to struggle to this degree can be minimised.
Please carefully consider the equipment recommendations you make to others, including how it functions and its purpose. Please also be prepared to acknowledge that there might be better options available that you may not yet have explored. If we feel the need to defer to the old arguments, “the dog decides what is aversive,” “it isn’t as aversive as ******” etc, reaching the point of splitting hairs and arguing degrees of aversion in order to justify our actions and choices, we are failing as advocates of R+, and therefore also failing our dogs.
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"Equipment that will tighten has the potential to frighten. This type of harness is designed to tighten around the body and cause physical discomfort when the dog pulls. In order to reduce the pulling, it must, therefore, be aversive."
