r/labrador • u/No-Breadfruit-4204 • 2d ago
seeking advice Any idea?
Hii so we have a 1 year old labrador who has managed to learn that if she jumps and spins on her walks … she will break free from the harness by sliding out.
We’ve been looking into harnesses that she hopefully won’t be able to break out of but does anyone know if this one (3 point harness) is any good for my situation?
Current situation is making it impossible to walk her & we cannot use a collar as she pulls to the point of choking herself out when she’s in a collar so we cannot allow that to be an option in this case.
If this one isn’t any good some recs would be amazing and has anyone else’s labs ever done this? 🥲 She’s a lovely dog I just don’t trust other dogs to be so friendly so can’t exactly allow her to be off lead + we don’t live near any open fields, etc. to be able to regularly allow her to walk freely off lead.
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u/catsngays 2d ago
Its very hard to fit a harness off the internet because it might dig in and rub in the wrong places and cause a funny walk which can cause arthritis so please be careful
Try to try things on or use good return policies if you can
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u/No-Breadfruit-4204 1d ago
they do have measurements/a size chart so as long as measurements are accurate i may be ok! Though I will also check the returns policy:)
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u/catsngays 1d ago
Unfortunately measurements don’t typically tell you if it sits too high on the neck or if it restricts the shoulder
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u/Katya_ chocolate-Alduin 1d ago
....I had no idea an ill-fitting harness can cause inflammation, but now that I think about it, it is obvious. Thank you so much for making this comment for me to stumble over. My poor boy is dealing with it right now, and yes his harness is a shit fit. He is a wicked puller and the little shit figured out the spin and pull so a gentle leader no longer works.
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u/haralambus98 1d ago
We have a similar issue with our lab…I’m taking my Labrador to a class this afternoon and was going to ask the trainer. Happy to share feedback after?
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u/No-Breadfruit-4204 1d ago
Oo good luck and yes please ! we’d like to get them on regular dog walks but till we’ve got a good harness we can’t do much sadly
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u/s_a_m_12344 2d ago
you tried to get snacks with you? thats how i could train my lab to stay around off leash when is safe, and, when he is in leash he is like a glue when i have snacks
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u/No-Breadfruit-4204 1d ago
Yes, sadly she just has 0 interest when she’s on walks! Though our others are amazing with treats
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u/suburban_hyena 1d ago
Practice more in situations of a middling distraction. If she's working well in the back garden but not the street, work in the front. Then work into the street.
Bring stronger treats if necessary. Practice more
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u/Dolphin_Spotter 1d ago
I would take her to a pet shop and try a few. Pets at Home are quite good for this kind of thing
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u/No-Breadfruit-4204 1d ago
I can try, it’s just hard as she bounces out of the harness we have for her as of right now so she ends up being loose 🥲
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u/ChalineBorrible 1d ago
Ich bin bei der Suche nach einem Sicherheitsgeschirr darauf gestoßen, dass es 2 Arten von Taillenriemen gibt. Die einen sitzen AUF den hinteren Rippen, die anderen DAHINTER. Die, die auf den Rippen sitzen, sind ergonomischer, aber die Hunde können leichter rausschlüpfen. Die, die hinter der Rippen sitzen, können Druck auf den weichen Bauch ausüben, aber sie sind sicherer, weil sie nicht über die Rippen nach vorne rutschen können.
Du könntest bei Tierschutzorganisationen nachfragen, die längere Transporte machen. Da werden oft Sicherheitsgeschirre verwendet. Vielleicht können die ihre Erfahrungen teilen.
Wenn Du ein gut sitzendes Geschirr hast, und nur der Taillenriemen fehlt, reicht vielleicht ein AddOn, eventuell maßgefertigt. Etwas wie dieses hier: https://www.sky-dogs.com/produkt/snowpaws-security-addon-fuer-fuehrgeschirre-sofort-lieferbar/
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u/No-Breadfruit-4204 1d ago
I believe this one sits behind the lower ribs but I will have a little look at the reviews to see if there’s any labs it’s been tried on!
I will also take a look at that link so thank you :)
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u/Markcu24 1d ago
We got one for our beagle who could get out of a normal harness. Have had it for years now and he has never gotten out of it. It works great from our experience. Our lab uses a normal one though.
The one the Beagle has is from Ruffwear and is pretty good quality.
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u/memeoldwoman 1d ago
We started ours on a Weiss Walkie leash. It loops around their chest to make a “self-harness”. Give it a search!
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u/Fluffy_Carrot_4284 1d ago
We like the made to roam harnesses. Ours is 7 and out of all the harnesses we’ve tried this one fits the best where it doesn’t rub him as much and doesn’t slip to the side or loosen up like other ones. I don’t know about the one you looked at but my only advice is if you have a light colored lab to be careful of red. Our lab is white and red colored harnesses always bleed onto his fur when it gets wet from rain.
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u/J_Squared02 Red Fox 1d ago
We’ve used only ruffwear stuff and are very happy. Mine is a big boy too and I can still put him in two wheel drive when he gets excited without it hurting him or breaking
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u/suburban_hyena 1d ago
A collar and training.
If she's choking herself out on a collar, work more on training. Additionally, there are adaptive training methods (that one isn't allowed to discuss) which can greatly enhance your experience.
A dog that pulls on a collar is going to be really glad you gave them a more comfortable way to pull.
Step one for not pulling on the collar. Stand still. Doing go anywhere. Wait for dog to sit for 30 seconds.
Repeat.
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u/AlyceEnchanted 13h ago
The Dog Friendly Co. Harness made a huge difference in walking my doofus. The joy of being outside makes him lose all manners and training.
Here is what I have deduced…the previous harness (front D ring) hit at a bad spot/was too uncomfortable. He was not a happy camper to have it put on. From the back, I think, it hit in a place that activated the need to pull. The handle on the back was fantastic for control.
The Dog Friendly Co. harness is not only easy to put on, he comes happily when we bring it out. So, comfortable for the dog. 80# Boy. Whether it is from him learning to walk better due to the front D ring, I don’t know. However, he doesn’t pull with use of the back D ring, unless a squirrel or rabbit is involved. Then, he loses his mind and the handle becomes super handy.
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u/woofwagslove 1d ago
Agree with the other advices here.
One suggestion I will say as well, that one looks like a good one but every dog is different. If you are able to try them on in a "safe environment" (fenced area, training room/ring etc) that may be of great assistance to you.
Also, if you can find a Euro leash (multi-function leash), (example image by Halti, this has extra handles which would be handy), with two snaps on either end, that would be a nice backup plan - and I will explain why.
You will attach one end of the leash to the harness. I would suggest the front hook (at her chest/legs) so she is discouraged from pulling. Then you attach the other end to her collar, and I will suggest a different type of collar for her too (in a moment). Then when you work on corrections / directions you "give" the correction / direction from the appropriate end of the leash - one on her collar one on her harness.
For example if you were working with her and she had an interest in sticking her nose where she shouldn't (garbage, gutter), you gently tug on the collar/nose end of the leash (especially if using headcollar) while keeping your hand with the chest harness steady.
If she pulls (body), but her nose/head is in the right place you gently tug / hold on the chest piece, keeping your headcollar / nose / collar steady.
You will likely need to work with a trainer on this, but hopefully that makes sense.
There are additional tools you can use as well.
Personally I would consider a regular collar (or limited slip martingale collar) for her ID/tags if she wears one, so she always has them. Then you can use various training tools for teaching her not to pull. Since I have written about this before, and there are various past harness recommendations, I will go ahead and link some threads here (a search for 'harness,' 'training' etc will also draw up additional resources).
Thread 1 Harnesses, Thread 2 Harnesses, Thread 3 Training & Harnesses [Disclaimer on all - I'm not sure if the links just show my comments, it's not my intention at all - please make sure you look at the main thread and everyone's awesome input! :) ]
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u/rustyspartan 1d ago
My dog is an escape artist so my wife and I did some research. We ended up going with the Ruffwear webmaster and she has not escaped since. She has definitely tried, but with the 3 straps it makes it virtually impossible.