Because of the straps at the front, over the chest, there should actually be little or no pressure on the neck area at all, as the chest straps take the pressure. Then, because there are two of those, the weight is more evenly distributed.

thanks for that GSDLover. but i now have another problem. the harness has rubbed him raw! all under his arms and where the d-rings are. i feel so awful for subjecting my little man to what must have been painful walks . so i am back to square one. i cannot use his normal harness as the rub-marks are still too raw. so i am just using his normal flat collar at the mo. maybe i should just persevere with that instead of trying quick-fix solutions! dogs eh...who have 'em!

Hi Springergirl I have found there are no quick fix solutions to training dogs, endless patience and perseverance are the tools to use .

I would use a collar and lead for pulling, it always works fine for me when combined with 'stop and stand still/ignore the dog when it pulls', this gives the message you aren't going anywhere (I have used it with many boisterous dogs including large breeds) . As soon as the lead goes slack walk on and praise Sam. It may take you an hour to walk a short distance and a few weeks to work it is a slow process but you will get there eventually.

thanks mini!

the only thing is i wanted to use a harness when i'm out walking him on the fields because i have to have him on a long line because i cant let him off his lead yet. i'm just a bit concerned that using a normal collar will damage his neck if he pulls while on the long line! i'm at my wits end at the mo!!!

had a good walk last night though....had the long line trailing for quite a while while he had a good nosey in the braken and long grass and he came back to me as soon as i called him!! bless him

..as I said in an earlier post I would tackle one problem at a time and get control of Sam before using the line and attempting to teaching recall.

I would do this by getting him to walk without pulling as I have described above .You will see I did not mention teaching 'to heel' or using the word heel because I think Sam may have become confused with previous training/words used and keeping it simple/one step at a time may be the way forward

hi mini,

thanks for your advice again. just a bit concerned that he wont be getting enough exercise esp if he's just on a short lead all the time. i've also got my other dog to consider and if sam sees bronte running around having fun and freedom isnt that going to make sam worse? i dont have the time to take them out separately as they get about 2-3 hours exercise per day anyway. i just feel that he wont be getting the freedom and exercise that a springer needs. does that make sense?? not really sure where to go from here with him! what if maybe i short-lead walk him, and if he does that well.....let him have a bit of freedom on the long lead? then bring him back in again? what do you think? he's no good with treats either while he's on the lead...he's just too interested in all the smells around!

Eep! Not a desired result at all. Just a couple of questions:

1. Was it the Mikki brand you purchased? I ask as that's the only one I'm familiar with. (And I don't see any D-Rings in the Mikki harness.) See link below:

Mikki Harness
(6134-301 MIKKI REFLECTIVE WALKRITE TRAINING HARNESS SMALL)

2. You did just put it on at walk time and then take it off immediately after walking?

What's odd is that I walk our GSD on it all the time, even when we had that particularly hot and humid spell and to no ill-effect at all.

Assuming you got the Mikki brand harness, and assuming it went on and off at walk times only, I wonder if your dog has an allergy to the rubber 'pipes' that go over the two front straps?

hi there,

yes its definately the mikki walkrite reflective harness. the d-rings are on the back of the collar where the stop lines go through.

yes, i only put it on while i was walking him. i think he's just got super-sensitive skin cos the lupi harness ripped him to shreds too! he has no fur under his arms, so the rubber is against his skin. i've spoken to the peeps who make them and they're going to send me something else! i felt so awful using it....knowing that it was painful for him

Ah, I get you now.

Ouch, that would explain that too then.

I'm pleased to hear they are sending you something new to try. I really do understand your predicament as stated before, and the different thoughts no-doubt going through your head: Can't walk the dog because he's just too unruly, but you can't not walk him either as that's just, well, just unfair for the dog. So it's finding the right solution for you, your dog, and your particular walking environment.

I truly hope you find the right balance. If the next harness device doesn't work, I think I'd have to say to myself "Right, I'm not stopping the dog from walking, he can walk whenever he wants. All he has to do is live by the rules." and train it in small steps outside of the house. When he/she pulls, return to the starting point, start again... Most dogs (not all) get the idea eventually.

hi GSDLover,

thanks for all your advice anyway! think i'll just have to start from scratch with him. do the stop/start thingy...walking backwards etc! he has inproved a hell of a lot though. sometimes we do get loose lead walking (mainly at obedience classes...so i know he can do it).