Three Dog Training Harnesses - a Review

Walking your dog is a wonderful way for both of you to have fun and become more attached to each other. It's also a fantastic way for both you and your dog to stay fit and healthy.

Unfortunately, many people try repeatedly to take their dogs for a walk, but find it's just not any fun. The dog pulls and drags his owner down the street, while the owner jerks and pulls back on the leash in an unsuccessful attempt to get the dog's attention and slow him down. The dog's neck gets sore and may even be damaged, while the owner's shoulder feels like its being pulled out of its socket.

Often, this leads to a pattern of taking very short walks that just last long enough for the dog to relieve itself, and then it's back in the house. Or, the dog is sent out to the back yard to do its business, and it never gets to go on a walk at all. Meanwhile, the dog's owner tries one more time to get excited about exercising at the local gym, or buys another piece of exercise equipment that never gets used. Both the dog and the human miss out on one of the best reasons for their partnership, and their bond (and their health) suffers because of it.

If this has been a problem for you, there's a better way. By using a training harness, you get the opportunity to start fresh, with a whole new set of rules for your dog, and a new attitude for yourself. I'll talk about the different types of harnesses that are available, and how to choose one, a bit later in the book.

Training harnesses do give you a chance to start over, but dogs learn really fast - especially when they're learning things on their own. That means that your dog will start pulling again just a few days after you start using his training harness if you don't immediately begin to use a good leash training method.

The harness makes it easier for you to explain the new rules to your dog, but the harness itself won't produce any miracles. You still need to use good training techniques if you want permanent results. The following paragraphs give you my impressions of several different brands of dog training harness, which I tried out on my dog Banjo.
Softouch SENSE-ible harness and Premier EasyWalk harness: