To choose an easy-to-walk harness for your dog, you need to consider your dog’s current training needs, age, level of traction and size, and your budget. The PetSafe Easy Walk Harness is one of the most popular that ranges in price from $20 to $30. It is available at most pet supply stores, physical and online, as well as on the Petsafe website.
What is an Easy Walk harness?
The most important feature of an Easy Walk harness is that the dog’s leash is attached to the front of it. The advertisement of being a “no-pull dog harness”, which an Easy Walk harness is, is often the main reason a dog owner is drawn to this style. Trainers who use positive reinforcement techniques will often choose them over prong, shock or slip collars because of the ability to easily and safely refocus and control the dog without risking physical injury. or mentally.
Although people tend to think of any no-pull harness as an easy walking harness, this is not the case. Easy Walk Harness is a brand name, just like Kleenex is a brand name for fabrics. The Petsafe Easy Walk Harness was developed by a veterinary behaviorist in 2004. It is a simple harness with one strap that fits around the circumference of your dog’s chest behind his front legs and a second strap that wraps from the original around the front of your dog’s chest in front of his front legs sitting near the top of his sternum. The area to attach the leash is on this front strap and is attached to a loop that mirrors that found in a martingale collar. If the leash pulls, the buckle pulls back bringing the two sides of the strap together, tightening it.
The PetSafe Easy Walk Harness isn’t the only no-pull harness in its category with martingale functionality. Erin Mahoney, Animal Behavior College certified dog trainer, identifies this as a safety feature that, when sized correctly, can prevent your dog from slipping out of the harness.
What size Easy Walk harness should you use?
These harnesses are usually sized based on the girth or “chest width” of your dog. Using a tape measure, measure across the fullest part of your dog’s chest where the harness strap will fall. It will wrap around the rib cage from your dog’s shoulders to about 1 inch behind his front legs. Some brands, like PetSafe, include a second strap measurement guide that runs over the sternum from the two points it would connect to the first strap. Sizes range from small or very small to very large. Petsafe includes approximate weight in their sizes while other brands, like Kurgo, offer breed size comparisons. Refer to the harness brand’s website for specific measuring and sizing instructions.
Once you receive the harness, read the instructions or watch the videos made available by the brand to get the right fit. It is important that the front strap is snug and does not fall off. If this happens, the harness could put pressure on the wrong part of your dog’s body, which could injure him.
What is the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Style Harness?
The Gentle Leader is another Petsmart product. It is an easy-to-walk collar-style tool. It looks like a collar with an extra loop that goes around your dog’s nose. It sits high on the muzzle so it doesn’t act like a muzzle. Your dog has the ability to drink, pant, bark, play ball, etc. The halter style makes it very easy to redirect your dog’s attention when needed because you can control the direction of his nose.
The halter can outperform the harness in several ways. Redirection is easier and you have the option to stop a dog from rushing or jumping. This style cannot be used for all breeds. Those with a flat or short muzzle will not be able to achieve an effective fit. It also often requires additional training to get a dog used to it and comfortable with the style.
There are other brands of halters or halters. Sizing is usually done by measuring your dog’s neck or by weight.
Who should use an easy walk style harness or halter?
Erin uses the Easy Walk Harness when training puppies that are still physically developing, so there is no worry of harming the trachea as can be the case with a lanky, energetic pup on a necklace. She will also choose this type of harness when working with aggressive and strong pullers. Erin believes that all dogs using these harnesses should understand the commands for focus/eye contact, leash pressure, “wait”/”sit” and “leave”.
This style of harness will work for almost any dog, although if snug or incorrectly sized, a dog could injure themselves. These harnesses work by giving the owner control of the dog, but are designed to do so with minimal restriction of movement. In 2013, Dr. Christine Zink remarked to Dogster’s sister publication, the Whole Dog Journal, that she, at the time, did not believe that there were no-pull harnesses that weren’t restrictive. Since this article, there are front clip harnesses whose design takes Christine’s concern into account.
The Best Easy Walking Harness Type Brands
Looking for a harness that’s easy to walk on because your dog pulls on the leash? Check out these 7 harnesses.
-
PetSafe Easy Walk Harness
This is the original and branded Easy Walk Harness. It is readily available at most in-store and online pet stores. The cost is around $23. Petsafe has other styles of easy walking harnesses, which range from $26 to $38. The Petsafe Easy Walk Harness is the brand that Erin is most likely to use in her training.
-
Blue-9 Balance Neck Loop Harness
The Balance Harness Buckle Neck was one of the best front clasp harnesses when compared by Whole Dog Journal in 2017. One of its key features is how its design differs from other easy walk on harnesses. This harness has a strap that sits low around the dog’s neck, a strap around the dog’s rib cage sitting farther back than other styles, and a connecting strap that runs down the dog’s back and along their chest. With no strap across the chest, this style allows complete freedom of movement for the dog’s shoulders, limiting the issue Dr. Zink has about these types of no-pull harnesses. All straps are adjustable making the harness easy to fit any dog and they encourage a double leash that locks on both the top and front of the harness for better control. The Balance Harness Buckle Neck is around $40 and can be purchased on Sitstay.com and Amazon.
-
Kurgo Walk About Harness
This brand looks more substantial compared to other strap styles. You can see that it includes extra padding on the straps focusing the extra padding on the dog’s back and front chest. The model also has a handle on the back for extra control and the option of a rear D-ring leash hook. The Walk About Harness is available on Kurgo’s website for around $34. It is also available online at Chewy.com and Amazon.
-
Ruffwear Front Range Dog Harness.
Ruffwear is known for its active gear for dogs. Its front clasp harnesses are a fully padded style of harness and because of this they lack the martingale safety feature found in webbing style harnesses. It has more padding, which means more comfort, as well as front and rear leash connection options that can be useful for dogs in active situations like hiking. In addition to an ID pocket to keep dog tags quiet, the harness also has a light loop for a dog safety light like The Beacon. The cost of the harness is around $50 and is available on the Ruffwear website as well as online at REI.com and Amazon.
-
PetSafe Gentle Leader Halter
The Gentle Leader discussed earlier is nylon with a padded nose loop. It costs around $20 and can be purchased from the PetSafe website, most in-person and online pet stores, as well as Walmart.com and Amazon.
-
Spur head support
Like the Gentle Leader, this halter is designed to control a dog by a strap over the nose. It has a slightly different design which resembles a collar with a strap around it which then wraps over the nose. It allows the halter to be easily transformed into a collar and makes it more difficult for the dog to escape from the restraint. The Sporn Head Halter retails for around $30 on the brand’s website as well as Chewy.com and Amazon.
A Front Closure Easy-Walk Harness is an effective training tool that, when used correctly, can help you and your dog enjoy stress-free walks.