No Pulling! Dogs Walk Easy With the Easy Walk Harness

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A couple of days before we picked up our dog Doughty, my wife and I visited the pet store to check off the items on the list given us by the breeder: crate, food and water bowls, collar and leash, etc.

Everything on the list was a cinch to find and choose until we got to collar and leash. There were so many to choose from — regular old clasp collars in cloth or nylon webbing or leather; silvery choker collars; vicious toothy prong collars. Our little terrier didn't need one of those!

We did what most people do when faced with too many choices — we went with what we knew, which was the regular old clasp collar and a purple nylon leash. So cute! Also way too big. It was several weeks before we fitted Doughty into both, set out for our first walk, and discovered our mistake.

How I Discovered the Easy Walk

Doughty pulled at every new smell and shape and color, choking and hacking all the way up the sidewalk. We tried all the tricks we could remember from previous puppies and a few more we found on the Internet and in the books we'd bought.

Nothing worked. A walk is supposed to be enjoyable for dog and walker alike! We called a local obedience school for help.

Halfway through the first session the trainer suggested we give up our goal of having a dog that heels impressively on a regular leash and collar.

"But what about the pulling?" I said."One day she's going to choke herself!"

"Oh, we'll stop that. We'll just use a different leash and collar."

They sold them in the kennel store, she told us. We were skeptical. If we didn't like it, we could return it.

Five years later, Doughty wears that same Easy Walk Harness every morning on our stroll. Whenever another dog walker stops me on the sidewalk and comments on how well my dog heels and never seems to pull, I smile and point at the harness. "I wish I could say it was me, but it's all in the harness. Night and day. You really should try it."

What's Great About It

The Easy Walk looks like all those other dog harnesses you've seen that loop over the back, under the chest, and across the breastbone. With those, the leash attaches to a ring on the dog's back, the whole setup sort of like a draft horse's harness. In fact, while those harnesses prevent the dog from choking itself, they make pulling easier, while also encouraging the dog's instinct to pull.

It Prevents Pulling

Instead, on the Easy Walk, the leash attaches to the harness with a ring on the breastbone strap. The dog is still secure in the harness and still protected from choking. However, attaching at the breastbone makes pulling more difficult because there's much less to pull against. Plus, whenever the dog pulls, the effect is to turn the dog in toward the handler's legs and feet, no place a dog wants to go.

Put those two effects together and suddenly you're the neighborhood's model dog-walker.

What else is great?

It's Durable

Doughty has seen almost five years of daily walks featuring plenty of fetch in the park and occasional romps in the surf at Dog Beach.

It's Easy to Clean

Just toss in the washer with the rest of your dog's toys and bedding.

What the Easy Walk Compares To

Some of my neighbors with bigger dogs use the Easy Walk Gentle Leader. It's a regular collar with a loop around the dog's snout that's supposed to heighten the "turn-in" effect. Looks awkward to me, but I've never used one.

I've seen prong collars — the vicious toothy things I mentioned above — in use, too, and I understand they have their adherents. I'm not one of them.

Most of my neighbors use the standard harness, and I have as well while dog-sitting my sister-in-law's puggle. It prevents choking, but it does not discourage pulling.

Who the Easy Walk Is Best For

Any dog walker who has struggled with a pulling dog will appreciate the Easy Walk, maybe especially those with small dogs who seem to thrive on pulling (and yapping) and have smaller, less muscular necks.

How It Could Be Better

The harness doesn't cure pulling with 100% effectiveness. My dog has figured out a "crab-walk" in which she angles her body such that the leash and snap rise over her shoulder, like a hobo's stick or a messenger bag strap. Yeah, clever.

Also, the adjustment doo-hickeys on the breastbone strap don't stay put for very long and adjusting them is fussy. It's important to keep that part snug because otherwise the snap and the leash dangle, which makes crab-walking easier and allows the dog to step over the leash. To fix the step over problem, another Easy Walk user I know attaches the leash to the harness and to the dog's regular collar.

What They Don't Mention in the Manual

Nobody else knows how to put it on. Seriously. Your sister-in-law who dog watches for you will put it on like a regular harness and so will the groomers at the grooming place and the techs at the vet.

My trick is to remember that the Easy Walk label is on the top strap and I leave that strap buckled all the time. I unbuckle the bottom strap to put it on and take it off. When we're "getting ready" (don't say that around Doughty unless you mean it), Doughty sits, I slip the loop made by the top strap and breastbone strap over her head, then pull the bottom strap behind her forelegs and buckle it.

Bottom Line Recommendation

I am a firm believer in the Easy Walk Harness and recommend it to dog owners every chance I get. I've even given a few as gifts. At $15 or so, it's a low risk purchase that will pay off many times over in less pulling, more enjoyable walks, and a better handler-dog relationship, overall.

Where to Get Yours

Doughty got hers at obedience school, but I've seen them all over.

  • Big box pet retailers
  • Local pet supply shops
  • Amazon.com

Priced from $12 to $35 depending on size and retailer.

Click here to buy one today

Note: The PetSafe Easy Walk Harness used to be called the Premier Easy Walk Harness, but Premier was recently purchased by PetSafe. You may see one or the other brand name on the packaging while they work through old Premier branded inventory.

What's your favorite dog walk harness or collar?

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Guest's picture
Thomas

I could certainly use one of these for our dog. The walks would be so much more pleasurable and it would make walking her a lot easier for my wifey. Well probably just pick one up from Amazon or eBay.

Guest's picture
Lisa Under the Redwoods

I have this harness and it has made life SOOOOO much easier. We have Humphrey, a 47 lb German shepherd/Lab mix, who is 8 months old.

Walking Humphrey used to really hurt my neck, shoulders and hand because he would pull so much. Plus, he would often get choked from pulling so hard, and I was afraid I would damage his throat. We worked on training him not to pull, but it was only helping a bit. I refused to take him out where there would be a lot of people simply because he was too hard to handle. Don't get me wrong, he is incredibly sweet and not a bit aggressive, but he was so darn happy to see everyone that he always wanted to run over and greet them. Not everyone wants a 47 lb slobbering puppy jumping on them.

The first time we put the harness on him it was like we had a different dog. Now I can take him out among people and as long as he stays on the leash I feel like I can control the situation.

One tip I have is to adjust the harness to the proper size and then sew a few stitches to keep the rings from slipping. The stitches are easy enough to rip out if you need to adjust the harness for growth.

One other tip I have is to make sure you put it out of puppy's reach when not in use. We left Humphrey's on the coffee table only to find it chewed through a half an hour later. We were at the store the next day buying the replacement.

Another bonus using this is that Humphrey has learned to heel. When we are walking I say "Next to me." and he moves right next to me and gets a treat. If he is off leash all I have to say is "Next to me." and he runs right over and stands next to me waiting for a treat. Now if he can just figure out "Stay".

Lars Peterson's picture

Oh, great tip on the the strap adjustment. I'll give that a try. I suppose a less elegant solution might be a couple of pieces electrical tape.

My experience with off-leash heeling and walking matches yours. Once the Easy Walk fixed the pulling -- and the stress connected with it -- it was a lot easier to work on the other stuff.

As for Humphrey and Stay -- Do you mind if I share what worked with Doughty? I trained her on Stay two ways. The first was recommended by the trainer -- I asked Doughty to 'Sit' and 'Stay', moved a couple of steps away, counted silently to five, then called her over and rewarded with a treat. Over time I gradually increased the distance between me and Doughty and the duration of the Stay. It wasn't long before I could move to another room and call her to my side.

The second way is a lot more fun. We play a "Hide and Go Seek" game in which she sits and stays while I hide one of her toys. I make a big production of it, ducking in and out of rooms to throw her off. I return to where she is and send her off with a "Take It!" command. You'll need to work up to this one, too, and reward Humphrey when he Stays until you give him the "Take It" command rather than bolt as soon as you reappear.

Thanks for the comment and the tip!

Guest's picture

The easy walk harness saved my life. My last dog pulled so severely that I'd come home with bleeding hands. And several times I slipped on the ice and felt lucky I didn't get a concussion.

There are other front fastening harnesses on the market now that also work well. Although the Easy Walk is wearing out, I don't feel comfortable supporting Pet Safe which also makes shock collars and electric fences. I was a big fan of Premier.

Guest's picture
Ahriman

Make sure that the harness system is properly installed as per the standards. Always buy a quality harness and the right information could be taken from the user manual that comes along with the product.