# 8 pounds total nightmare on a leash !



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

This post is to vent, I’m not looking for solutions. These days I try to walk the dogs anytime I can while the weather is still nice.

I walk both dogs on the same side. Closest to me, I have Merlin, the perfect dog to walk anyone could ever dream of : no pulling, no barking, not too much sniffing or peeing, stops when you stop, walks at knee level or a little ahead.

Then, next to him, but far ahead (on a flexi leash), is the devil... Beckie looks like a scenthound on a track : nose down the whole walk, running back and forth and in circles and pulling so hard she even comes out of her harness. The icing on the cake : the bloody screaming, like she is in atrocious pain and about to die, every time she sees a dog, cat or squirrel. She gets so wound up and overexcited her jumping turns into unintentional back flips. 

This nightmare will last as long as the culprit is in sight. It is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever had to go through with a dog. She screams so loud I’m sure people who don’t see us think I’m hitting my dog. Those who look see a miserable looking woman and a nice little dog next to a black demon.

This morning was particularly horrible. Sigh. Thanks for reading.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Sorry, Dechi, but your description is vivid and hilarious.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

At some point, you and Merlin deserve a good quiet calming walk together.


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## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

Oh, can I sympathize. Fluffy has always walked fairly naturally on the leash. He loves being beside people and gazing adoringly at them.

Aaannndd then you have Misty. She’s gotten much better, but whenever we go on family walks, I think she becomes possessed. It’s a similar sight to yours—we have a nice little black poodle walking calmly beside us, and then a terror terrier going AAHHHHHH! SQUIRREL! BIRD! RANDOM LEAF! PEOPLE!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Dianaleez said:


> At some point, you and Merlin deserve a good quiet calming walk together.


I wouldn’t have the heart to leave her home. She’s an energetic dog who needs tons of exercise, which she doesn’t get, so she has to let off the steam somewhere. In exchange, she’s very, very quiet in the house. She’s the poster child of a calm dog. Until you see her on a leash, lol !


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

FloofyPoodle said:


> It’s a similar sight to yours—we have a nice little black poodle walking calmly beside us, and then a terror terrier going AAHHHHHH! SQUIRREL! BIRD! RANDOM LEAF! PEOPLE!


What kind of terrier is your dog ?


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I can relate so well to the embarrassment!! I never knew which dog would set Gracie off, but ohhhhhh the hysterics. 

Good for you for persevering.


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## SMSP (Apr 5, 2018)

Dechi said:


> Then, next to him, but far ahead (on a flexi leash), is the devil... Beckie looks like a scenthound on a track : nose down the whole walk, running back and forth and in circles and pulling so hard she even comes out of her harness. The icing on the cake : the bloody screaming, like she is in atrocious pain and about to die, every time she sees a dog, cat or squirrel. She gets so wound up and overexcited her jumping turns into unintentional back flips.


Are you sure you have the right dog? It sounds like you are walking my dog 😂😂😂

The only difference is my dog doesn't scream at the sight of stimulus...he just gains super dog strength.... and his 9.5 lb body pulls me in tow


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## Luluspoo (Jul 27, 2020)

@Dechi do we own the same dog? Lol, my chihuahua is a nightmare to walk sometimes! I don’t even think she’s a chihuahua for the same reason—head down, tail up as she sniffs god knows what. I’m think about giving her to the police force  maybe she’ll be of more use! Although her peeing pattern is weird...she looks up to my bf’s dog and wherever he goes, she’s just gotta go there too.


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## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

Dechi said:


> What kind of terrier is your dog ?


She’s a Jack Russell mix. Her dad was full Jack Russell, and her mom was half of the same.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Luluspoo said:


> Although her peeing pattern is weird...she looks up to my bf’s dog and wherever he goes, she’s just gotta go there too.


Oh, I forgot about the peeing... She marks a lot ! She drops down, makes a complete 360, pushes Merlin out of the way with her bum if need be (poor guy barely can take a turn peeing) and pees !


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

And I was pledged to foster one of those narcissistic monsters?!! AAAAACK!!
Shed those demons and get real Poodles, ladies.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Countryboy said:


> And I was pledged to foster one of those narcissistic monsters?!! AAAAACK!!
> Shed those demons and get real Poodles, ladies.


Ha Ha Ha ! You’re still the first name on the list, you can’t escape it !


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## Luluspoo (Jul 27, 2020)

Dechi said:


> Oh, I forgot about the peeing... She marks a lot ! She drops down, makes a complete 360, pushes Merlin out of the way with her bum if need be (poor guy barely can take a turn peeing) and pees !


 Mine does that too! She’s such a brat.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Dechi said:


> This post is to vent, I’m not looking for solutions. These days I try to walk the dogs anytime I can while the weather is still nice.
> 
> I walk both dogs on the same side. Closest to me, I have Merlin, the perfect dog to walk anyone could ever dream of : no pulling, no barking, not too much sniffing or peeing, stops when you stop, walks at knee level or a little ahead.
> 
> ...


Sorry Dechi...Beckie is a rascal for sure. One of my neighbors dogs is a chocolate lab, she will shriek with high pitched yelps when he walks her but really only when she sees someone. He tried even walking her early morning but if she catches a glance of you it starts and its pretty non stop. He has had several trainers come to help too. His other dogs are fine. He finally figured out she wants and is insisting to say hello. So a few months ago he asked if I would help test his theory as she was yelping when I was outside, I told him to let her come over to me. I let her sniff me and then talked to her and gave her a pet, she quieted and went back to him to continue her walk. Strangest thing I ever saw..


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

It’s interesting that some dogs are naturally good leash walkers.

I feel for you, glad you came to vent since it sounds like a lot of us have similar issues. I also feel for Beckie and Merlin. 
The shrieking would be hard to deal with.

Lacey is a head down sniffer and a puller. I’ve been working with her leash walking for almost a year. Walks are still a constant loop of her pulling, me stopping and waiting for her to look at me and give slack on the leash, walking a fairly short distance until she pulls and repeat. Some days are better than others. Progress has been slow. She rarely pulled on a 1.5” wide flat collar after using a short while. but I stopped using it since I was worried about trachea damage. I’ve tried a few different harness but they all have shortcomings. I wish they made a front clip harness in a vest style. 

I constantly see people walking dogs of all breeds and sizes on a loose leash I dream of Lacey getting to that point.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Dechi said:


> This post is to vent, I’m not looking for solutions. These days I try to walk the dogs anytime I can while the weather is still nice.
> 
> I walk both dogs on the same side. Closest to me, I have Merlin, the perfect dog to walk anyone could ever dream of : no pulling, no barking, not too much sniffing or peeing, stops when you stop, walks at knee level or a little ahead.
> 
> ...


You have my complete sympathy. Today I was walking past a friend's house, and I saw his son was visiting. Suddenly I heard a screech like a dog being skinned. Girlfriend emerged from the car clutching an adorable little terrier, which was shrieking at Galen at the top of its adorable little lungs. Apparently the little guy is a wee bit excitable, lol.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Porkchop said:


> I constantly see people walking dogs of all breeds and sizes on a loose leash I dream of Lacey getting to that point.


Maybe we’ll both get there someday. Who knows ! 




cowpony said:


> Suddenly I heard a screech like a dog being skinned.


Oh my, the visual of that is unbearable but yeah, that’s kind of what it sounds like...


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Porkchop said:


> of Lacey getting to that point.





Dechi said:


> Maybe we’ll both get there someday. Who knows !


@Dechi I'm so sorry that Beckie is a nightmare to walk. I'd like to get there with you guys! Sisko was doing so well with loose leash walking, but......😢he keeps going back to pulling.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Fenris-wolf said:


> @Dechi I'm so sorry that Beckie is a nightmare to walk. I'd like to get there with you guys! Sisko was doing so well with loose leash walking, but......😢he keeps going back to pulling.


Have you tried those head leader or whatever they call it ? I’m thinking of getting one for Beckie but I don’t know if they make them so small. A dog really can’t pull with this on.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

I looked at the Petsafe gentle leader awhile back. I decided against it because that was when I kept a fuzzy muzzle and knew the head halter would just push hair into her eyeballs. I completely forgot about it. I think I am going to try one. According to the petsafe website the smallest size, petite, is for dogs up to 5lb. Chewy sells it too and they include the neck sizes in their size chart. Petite is for 6-8.5” necks. So they definitely make a size small enough for Becky!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Porkchop said:


> I looked at the Petsafe gentle leader awhile back. I decided against it because that was when I kept a fuzzy muzzle and knew the head halter would just push hair into her eyeballs. I completely forgot about it. I think I am going to try one. According to the petsafe website the smallest size, petite, is for dogs up to 5lb. Chewy sells it too and they include the neck sizes in their size chart. Petite is for 6-8.5” necks. So they definitely make a size small enough for Becky!


Thanks ! Let us know if you try it !


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I know from our 11 lb dog how strong a small dog can be when they get something in their head!

Annie was like Beckie. I used to worry about other people when I walked her because she screamed SO LOUD. People have even come out of their house to see what is happening ! So embarrassing. Almost a year of working on it in, she is far better.

Is it possible for you to walk Beckie alone and work on things?

I have had the most success with practicing loose leash walking at the end of walks. After a walk, I play a game - I walk right past our house. Moment she pulls. "Too bad!" Aand we go indoors. If she is doing a nice loose leash walk back to our door, I sometimes continue walking past, if I am not too tired. Sometimes we will bounce back and forth 2-3 times before I call an end and go inside (always after she pulls). When she got good of that, I started practicing that game on mid day pee breaks, then on walks. If she pulls, I go the other direction on walks.

Annie has now learned that she can manipulate me into things by loose leash walking, which I find hilarious. If she REALLY wants something ahead of us, in that moment before she loses her mind, she will do a gorgeous loose leash heel at my side.

(I admit sometimes I cheat on our game and deliberately slow a bit so she hits the end of her leash, when I want to go in and she seems determined to do a whole block. But... if she was paying attention, i wouldnt be able to do that, would i?


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

Dechi said:


> Have you tried those head leader or whatever they call it ? I’m thinking of getting one for Beckie but I don’t know if they make them so small. A dog really can’t pull with this on.


I tried the Gentle Leader, but Sisko kept breaking his. @For Want of Poodle suggested this for me when I start walking dogs The Perfect Pace™ no-pull Halter Leash - Bold Lead Designs I don't know if small dogs can use it too, but maybe their website has other options.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Is it possible for you to walk Beckie alone and work on thing


Unfortunately I can’t because I’m limited in how much I can walk for health reasons. Since the dogs don’t get walked that much as it is, I wouldn’t want to make Merlin miss a walk.

I’m sure I could make her better if I had more physical stamina but I have to make the best of what I have, which isn’t very much.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

At least she’s moving forward, albeit zig zagging with a hysterical, easily misjudged soundtrack. I had a long, painful burn of shame, when my last Scottie repeated a ridiculous habit of a neighbor’s extremely spoiled Havanese. If he saw a dog approaching from the opposite direction, he would plop down on the pavement. I could cajole or yank and pull and look like a complete dog abuser, or I could wait until they passed. “Your poor dog must be so tired” was the usual comment and I would have to say, “He’s just waiting for you to pass.” Thankfully, he was quiet, looking quite adorable. Me, not so much


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Even when Lacey was only about 5 lb she had the ability to pull so hard it felt like my shoulder was coming out of its socket. It blows my mind that people are able to control a 30+ lb pulling dog that’s determined. 
(wait, don’t you use kg in Canada?) 

@Mfmst it’s hard to imagine my dog plopping down and refusing to move! Here I’m thinking I wish I had that problem instead. But it’s probably harder to train out of than pulling. At least your dog looked like a quiet angel to others. 

I tried to make my own harness solution. 
After a front clip harness shifted too much with pulling, I decided to rig up my own on a vest style harness I already had. I put a screw lock carabiner around the narrow part of the fabric between the leg holes. And a key ring hooked onto the carabiner to attach the leash. It worked just like a front clip harness should, but couldn’t slide sideways or rub because of the vest style. It worked beautifully to change Lacey’s direction to face me when she tried to pull too much. She walked so much nicer that day. I was proud of myself for finding a solution. Until I took the carabiner off the harness afterward and found little bits of hair that got ripped out by the hinge. I felt soooooo bad. 

I actually went to petsmart earlier today and bought the petite gentle leader for Lacey (price match on chewy.com since it’s owned by the same company). 
I only checked that the neck size would fit her. 
I haven’t put the nose loop around her muzzle yet.
I’m going to watch the dvd that came with it and follow the desensitization protocol before going on a walk. That will be the hardest part because instead of luring her with a treat to stick her nose through on her own, she’s just going to want to bite it like a toy. I’ll let you know how it goes after I’ve gotten to walk her with it several times.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

P.s. I currently use the sporn mesh harness (not halter) for walks.









It slightly decreases ability to pull and does give pressure feedback to the sensitive area under the armpits. but it doesn’t have the necessary ability to self correct a dog to face you with pulling. I use the “toy” size but the part that goes over her head and ears just barely big enough to fit over her head and ears when adjusted to the max size. A size small would’ve meant there would be too much extra length hanging down where the leash attaches to the ring. At least it’s lightweight and breathable.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Mfmst said:


> Thankfully, he was quiet, looking quite adorable. Me, not so much


Ha Ha Ha ! I can just imagine the scene !


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Porkchop said:


> It blows my mind that people are able to control a 30+ lb pulling dog that’s determined.
> (wait, don’t you use kg in Canada?)


We’re taught the decimal system in school, but since we do a lot of business with the United States, many industries haven’t converted fully to decimals. 

So we use both systems, depending on what we are doing. I understand weight a lot better with the imperial system, except for small weights, where grams are more precise than onces.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Ooh, ok! I usually put kg in an effort to give international users an idea when I’m talking about Lacey’s weight. Maybe it’s not so helpful since she weighs slightly more than air.

I also noticed I spelled Beckie’s name wrong earlier. Oops, sorry!


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Porkchop said:


> Ooh, ok! I usually put kg in an effort to give international users an idea when I’m talking about Lacey’s weight. Maybe it’s not so helpful since she weighs slightly more than air.
> 
> I also noticed I spelled Beckie’s name wrong earlier. Oops, sorry!


Canada is a weird mix. If you say degrees in F I havent the foggiest clue. If you say distance in miles ... I do mental math to convert. Feet, inches, pounds I use all the time. A yard is a bit shorter than a meter, right??? But I also use mm, cm, m and kg/g all the time. But no idea what I or my dog weigh in kg, that's just how I measure things for work and how food is measured. An ounce? What's that? A pint? A gallon? No clue. But I bake with cups and tablespoons and tea spoons - though I often mentally double, triple, or quadruple recipes by first converting to mL. 

It would really help if you guys would convert to metric. Unlike Europe, where ththe nominal sizes for boards and pipes and stuff are all in metric, here they are still the imperial sizes because retooling factories to do both (metric for us, imperial for you) is just silly. So construction often has a 6" pipe or joists on 18" centers or whatever.


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

When I was in the Army I was in an aviation unit that flew Chinook helicopters (the big ones with two rotors). My company flew some helicopters over to Europe once, and they stopped in Canada to refuel. They almost had a disaster, because somebody neglected to take into account that Canadian gallons (Imperial gallons) are bigger than American gallons, and they weigh more! This was back in the late '70's, don't know if they still use any kind of gallons in Canada.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

reraven123 said:


> This was back in the late '70's, don't know if they still use any kind of gallons in Canada.


We don’t use gallons too much anymore. Fueling and everything else I can think of (besides aquarium sizes most of the time, for those in this hobby) is in liters.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Wow, that is really interesting and confusing for my northern neighbors. I’d be happy to switch to the metric system/what the majority of the world uses for simplicity. Our measuring system doesn’t really make a lot of sense. It would take awhile to get the concept of what degrees Celsius and kilometers per hour really mean since it’s not an easy conversion you can do in your head.

@reraven123 that’s crazy! Whoever realized there was a difference between Canadian and US gallons should’ve gotten a steak dinner and a good bottle of liquor. Unless they were the same person who made the mistake in the first place. Yikes.


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## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

I'm going to have to learn Canada's metric system. Why is the US the only one with this metric system??


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

The really interesting ratio to transpose is gas mileage... L/100kilometers to miles per gallon. And doing it in your head as you're driving at 120km/hr. It's a bit of a brain twister. lol


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Are you a human calculator, @Countryboy? I can’t wrap my brain around that!


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Km to miles is pretty easy. It's about 1.6 km = 1 mile, which I round to 1.5 for mental math. 2.2 ish lb = 1 kg. Sometimes I round mentally to 2. 

Fahrenheit to Celsius is the hard one for me. 0 is freezing, 100 is boiling, 22 is about normal room temperature. -40 and -40, the scales converge.there is no easy mental conversion system, and i have honestly never learned beyound 32 f is freezing, 78 f is about room temperature, i habe no feelimgs beyond that for the temperature.

0 cm is about a foot, 15 cm is about 6 ", 25 mm (2.5 cm) is about an inch. If it's not mental math, I plug it into a calculator, as rounding errors add up. 

Where I get messed up at work is when we work on a US based project, and I start having to use PSI, PSF, etc. Pounds force or pounds? Often not specified, and I don't know the conventions. I typically run the calculation in SI units (international standard - what the metric system developed into), then convert to imperial. Then, because calculations are given to the client, I run the calc using imperial units. Keep trouble shooting conversion factors if it doesn't match  it's a lot easier to make mistakes in imperial, I find. Energy units like BTUS are also.... weird. 

My dad was really messed up by this. He moved from Europe to canada while we still used imperial and had to learn it, not speaking any English. Then, we switched to metric. He said he basically had to learn the measurement system... twice, going each direction. But, he is definitely the best person I know to convert things in his head!!!

Countryboy - you win. I can't do that in my head!!! Always find that one a challenge when i am car comparing.. Also - are you admitting to speeding on our lovely 100 km/hr marked freeways ?


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## specie (Feb 27, 2014)

My Maltese was the same way! Never changed. Loved her to pieces, and she was the cutest dog in the whole world. But what a big personality!


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## Maggied (Sep 6, 2018)

A trainer told me to just start walking backwards whenever the dog pulled. It worked on my granddog terrier. The funny thing is he didn't seem to tumble to the fact I was doing it. Of course, a poodle might note it immediately and correct you.


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

I wanted to update on the petite gentle leader head harness. It fits well, but if your dog doesn’t have a very long snout, it needs to be tightened more so it doesn’t slip off the end of it. I couldn’t use it when it was too warm out because she couldn’t fully open her mouth to get a good pant going.

I’ve used it probably about 15 times now and increased the distance little by little. It definitely takes ALL of the ability to pull away. When Lacey pulls to the end of the leash, I stop and she just sits down every time. If she’s able to go into the grass, she will rub her head on the ground to try and remove it, especially at the beginning of walks. So she has to stay on the street or sidewalk. Then it’s fine.

It is definitely a tool that helps her learn that pulling means no walking forward. It’s more sensitive for feedback of tension on the leash. With a harness, she doesn’t care if she reaches the end of the leash and I stop moving forward until she releases tension. She will just start pulling again right away once she gets to the end of the leash. With the gentle leader, it’s the only thing I’ve used where I’ve seen her moderate her speed on her own during the walk. 

You should have seen the look on her face the first time we went outside to use it walking on our street. She looked sooo mad and like “what the hell is this thing you put on me? I can’t pull!” Ive never seen her look at me like that before.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Porkchop said:


> You should have seen the look on her face the first time we went outside to use it walking on our street. She looked sooo mad and like “what the hell is this thing you put on me? I can’t pull!” Ive never seen her look at me like that before.


Ha Ha Ha ! That’s funny ! Would you care to link the specific size/brand you bought ?

I’ve given up trying to get Beckie to stop pulling, after 2 months of trying. The fact that I’m using a flexi leash makes it almost impossible, and since she needs to smell/run, I don’t want to stop using it. She has made progress though. Now, when she feels that I stop walking, she will come back to me.

I was getting nowhere and getting more and more frustrated. I wasn’t having fun anymore, and neither was Merlin. If I keep walking, she actually pulls less than if I try to teach her not to by stopping when she does.

Sigh. You can’t win them all...


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

I really do feel you on the pulling thing but wanting to be able to use a flexi leash to get proper exercise and sniffing for your dog. After Lacey was about 9 months old I started using the flexi leash walks about half the time. She does much better on the extra length and doesn’t reach the end of it constantly. It makes walks so much more enjoyable for both of us. Sometimes it’s hard not to get frustrated when all your dog is doing is pulling your shoulder out of the socket. I know it’s been more confusing for her to switch between a 6 foot leash and the flexi leash since I started using it. She, like Beckie, has also learned to come back to me if she reaches the end of the flexi leash and I stop walking. 

I’m going to continue to keep using the gentle leader most of the time for now. I’ve definitely seen great improvement with it so I have hope. Soon it will be too cold for walks and we’ll be starting all over in the spring. Sigh to that.

here is the exact one I got:Petsafe gentle leader
I got the petite size for 6.5-8” necks, the smallest size.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Porkchop said:


> I’m going to continue to keep using the gentle leader most of the time for now. I’ve definitely seen great improvement with it so I have hope. Soon it will be too cold for walks and we’ll be starting all over in the spring. Sigh to that.


Yeah, I know, we started walking less, it’s cold and raining and soon there will be the long winter break. No more walks.

Do you use the gentle leader with the flexi leash as well ?

(how do you measure the neck to get the right size?)


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

It’s been unseasonably cold and it also snowed 6 weeks earlier than normal so I’m bumming out about the shortened fall and the impending winter cold. 

No, I don’t use the gentle leader with a flexi, only with a 6 foot leash. I don’t think it would be safe to use with a flexi leash, since the dog can get so much more momentum with the extra length. once they hit the end of the leash it could do serious damage to their neck and muzzle. If I recall, the instruction sheet for it might have said specifically not to use a flexi leash.

As for measuring, take a look at the pic of the product below on the dog. It is worn very high up on the neck right below the ears and snugly, so measure at that spot. Lacey is 31.75 cm tall (12.5 in) and 9.2 lb. I can’t remember at the moment what her upper neck measured when I bought it, but i know it was less than the max neck size for petite 20 cm (8 in).


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

LOL I can picture this. My neighbor has a lab, well usually 3 but he walk them one at a time. One will act just like your Beckie. He walks her on a long horse lunge line, nose to the ground she is off ahead of him. The moment she sees anything person or dog she starts screaming, yapping with screeching . He has tried many things to stop it and different trainers all to no avail. A few months back when she saw me putting out the trash she started, my neighbor said would you mind letting her come up to you to say hello, I'll keep her from jumping...I said sure as this screeching barking dog came toward me. I gave her my hand to come up to and sniff she did, I gave her a few pets she turned went back toward her owner and more quietly walked though head to ground sniffing & pulling until she once again saw someone else. LOL


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Normie does well with a front harness clip, but yesterday he bounded after a squirrel. So I stopped walking until he came back and made eye contact. I took one step, he bounded again and repeat...

I think that today he's writing to a dog advice column on what to do with downright dumb humans.
Imagine passing up a good squirrel sprint?


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## specie (Feb 27, 2014)

wait - is this the muzzle version? My dogs have all hated that. When gentle leader came out with the front-clip harness, that's been a godsend.



Porkchop said:


> I wanted to update on the petite gentle leader head harness. It fits well, but if your dog doesn’t have a very long snout, it needs to be tightened more so it doesn’t slip off the end of it. I couldn’t use it when it was too warm out because she couldn’t fully open her mouth to get a good pant going.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

specie said:


> When gentle leader came out with the front-clip harness, that's been a godsend.


Can you post a link showing the product ?


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## specie (Feb 27, 2014)

I like this one best, from PetSafe. Works like a charm. Can't find the gentle leader version at the moment. Have used it on both a standard and a mini.








PETSAFE Easy Walk Dog Harness, Black/Silver, Medium/Large - Chewy.com


Buy PetSafe Easy Walk Dog Harness, Black/Silver, Medium/Large at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!




www.chewy.com


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## Porkchop (Sep 2, 2019)

Yes, the one I use is the muzzle version for my puller. Would any dog like it? No way. It requires getting use to wearing in the house with treats, then short walks outside very slowly building up the time/distance. It’s not natural to have a halter around the muzzle, of course! It completely renders them unable to pull, which isn’t fun for dogs who constantly do so. But for wee dogs with a big pulling problem I think it’s a great alternative to a harness in order to learn.

I never tried the specific petsafe easy walk harness you posted, but I tried one with a very similar design from amazon. The front strap always slid to the side too much once she pulled and wasn’t effective. The front strap would get a huge gap on the side and she’d be able to escape if she was scared or determined (thankfully she’s not a Houdini dog). Although it wasn’t as adjustable as the petsafe one. As I mentioned in an earlier reply to this thread (page 2, long as usual), if they made a front clip vest style harness that would be the perfect solution, at least for small doggies! I’m not skilled enough to properly modify my own so I can only dream. I failed with the simple modification I tired even though it was effective to deter pulling. 

Here is the petsafe style one I tried from amazon. The brand was luckovee. It came with a bungee leash, which for me was useless. I tried it once and it offered less control than any flexi leash. Some small dogs might find the spring back detering at first though. I know this originally started as a vent post for @Dechi. But wanted to share my experience for the gentle leader head halter with a dog who is very much like Becky in personality and size. ❤


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

specie said:


> I like this one best, from PetSafe. Works like a charm.


Oh, okay, I have this exact model. It doesn’t deter Beckie from pulling at all. In fact, I think she pulls even more. 



Porkchop said:


> I never tried the specific petsafe easy walk harness you posted, but I tried one with a very similar design from amazon. The front strap always slid to the side too much once she pulled and wasn’t effective. The front strap would get a huge gap on the side and she’d be able to escape if she was scared or determined


That’s exactly why I don’t use mine anymore. Beckie slipped out of hers a few times. At first I thought I didn’t have it on properly but it’s just the way it’s made. She pulls so much her front paw got pushed out of it, then the harness became loose, the other paw got out and the harness was basically being dragged on the ground... Never again !


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