# Harnesses and changing gait



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

I have been told for years to avoid the no pull style harnesses because they can alter how a dog walks and lead to injury, but never thought about it any further, just made sure to get a different style for longline work with Annie.

(Here's an article: The No-Pull Harness Debate - Whole Dog Journal and here's a study https://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/lafuente_effects_of_harnesses.pdf)

Somewhere else on the internet I ran into this video. It shows two styles of 'regular' harnesses (not no pull types), and the dogs gait harness free, in a harness that goes between the legs, and a harness that wraps around the chest and belly. The latter type noticeably affects the dogs gait- the dog can no longer keep up with the treadmill! I see that style of harness being used on service dogs, which is concerning. 






Further reading is suggesting it's the harnesses with a prominent chest strap (called restrictive harnesses) that are the most problematic.

Anyway, thought it was interesting and a very visual way of seeing the issue.

Hope that helps someone else!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Yes, I looked into this a while ago. I think the harnesses that impair leg movement cannot be good for the dog. Currently I am using a Haqihana harness with Misha and he walks really well in it. It is not restrictive and very adjustable. I do think that a dog walking with a loose leash is probably fine in a harness with a chest strap. It is when they are pulling that it will impair movement of the shoulders.


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

Here's another article on how to chose a harness, with pictures


https://www.caninesports.com/uploads/1/5/3/1/15319800/harnesses_for_agility_dogs.pdf



What I found interesting was you could see the dogs gait change even when the leash was not attached to the harness, though less obviously than when pulling.

Annie has a very adjustable harness from RC pets and luckily it meets all the criteria in that article. But that's just luck, as I just tried harnesses on to find one that fit well, rather than looking at if it was restricting her motion. Which is good, because she mostly wears her harness on hikes which would be long, repetitive motion at speed over rough ground.


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## Brownie_mom (Dec 1, 2020)

Raindrops said:


> Currently I am using a Haqihana harness with Misha


Raindrops, can you please share where did you purchase the Haqihana harness? Are there retailers on the web?


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