Since Tesla is almost full grown now, I wanted to get a harness that would be low enough in the front to where it wouldn't choke her when she pulls – which is almost every walk -- and that would be pretty durable for when she is at the dog park playing around. Any suggestions?
I picked up one of these just recently, because my guy has the same issues…...he wants to pull and coughs if I do a leash correction. He will walk properly and quietly if there is no stimulation, but when he sees something he reverts to being a Basenji. 
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/holt-no-tug-dog-harness
I haven't used it much, since most of the time I take him off leash in the fields and woods, but pretty soon I will have to do more walking on the road…....he has a ragweed allergy, and in August he develops a rash if he is running in the field. I picked up the harness in anticipation. I also bike him, but I haven't tried that with the harness yet.
Some reviews here:
I find this harness easy to put on, but think if I was going to let him loose at a dog park I would put a collar on him and remove the harness while he played…..
http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=202
clean run has a wide assortment of good quality harnesses. I know a lot of agility people use the confort harness. if you don't want her to pull, the sense-ible harnesses work well.
What I liked about the Holt harness was that I could easily adjust it to fit well back of the elbows. You can run into chafing if a harness fits snugly in this area, especially with a dog that moves out the way a Basenji does. I am sensitive to this issue, since I have had problems in the past with girth rubs on horses behind the elbows. Here is a picture to show what I mean about being able to adjust it back from the elbow area. (Perry does not look very happy being a model. It is raining, and he does not want to go out. He was quite relieved when I took it off! 
)
For Kipawa, we use an Easy Walk harness for structured/controlled walks. Initially, I had Kipawa wear the harness so that his leash attached on the back of the harness. Eventually he began pulling with the harness/leash set up this way. When I set up the harness/leash to have the leash attach in the front on his chest, he is pretty well perfect, unless we see a squirrel or bunny on our walk.
Kipawa and I are starting a new obedience on August 23rd. The trainers there do not want you to use any form of a pinching style collar, such as the martingale system, which the Easy Walk is. I guess I see their point - that the human should have the control over the dog without the 'pinch' making that control happen. They have told me that I can bring the current harness I am using, and they will check the pinch level. Both Kipawa and I are looking forward to the classes. The trainers are www.dogsmart.ca, and the trainer we are getting is the owner of the business, who is extremely well thought of in the dog community here.
I recommend the Sensation (same as the Sensible but softer webbing so more comfortable for the dog), http://www.softouchconcepts.com/, or the Freedom Harness, http://www.wiggleswagswhiskers.com/
I have had good results with both of them.
The trainers are www.dogsmart.ca, and the trainer we are getting is the owner of the business, who is extremely well thought of in the dog community here.
From what I can see on their site, they are clicker trainers. I would expect good results, but since they use a high rate of reinforcement, your dog might gain a bit of weight!
Seriously, the nice thing about having an alternative, such as a harness, is that you still need to exercise your dog while you are working on the loose leash training, and using a different piece of equipment is likely a good way to separate that from walking with a collar…..you aren't being inconsistent and messing up your training.
I like the idea of having something I can use for our occasional walks on the road that isn't going to choke my dog, and gives me an alternative to time consuming training for something we won't be practicing all that often. (yeah, colour me lazy!)
A properly fitted martingale collar is not a pinch collar. Now, some people fit them incorrectly so that they can tighten too much and become a limited choke but even then they are not a pinch collar.
I wonder what this trainer would say about a Sensation harness, it works using similar principles, minus the martingale front.
A properly fitted martingale collar is not a pinch collar. Now, some people fit them incorrectly so that they can tighten too much and become a limited choke but even then they are not a pinch collar.
I wonder what this trainer would say about a Sensation harness, it works using similar principles, minus the martingale front.
Ivoss, I think the trainer we are getting was suggesting something like the Sensation harness, as she said she prefers people use a harness without a martingale type of system. From what I saw at the class I was a guest at, their training methods do not involve any sort of force in them, in any way. I prefer this approach. The first place we went to for puppy classes pushed on Kipawa's back legs to get him into the 'down' position. I was really uncomfortable doing that, so I didn't. And they only spent about 5 minutes on the 'down'. 
I've been looking for the harness my sister received from a friend for her golden retriever. It looks like two parallel ropes that can come undone when you take the harness off. It has a ring (metal) and then a rope loop that you use to attach it to the collar. This harness it almost like a choke collar in that it adjusts depending on the dogs movements… if the dog pulls then it tightens around the dogs body, if the dog gives a loose leash then the harness becomes loose. This harness worked really well for her dog and I really like the idea of it. I'll try to get a picture as I'm sure you're all confused by what I'm talking about. I haven't been able to find it online anywhere... does anyone know what I'm talking about?
Basil boy..I am trying to understand what type of harness you are talking about. I have or maybe had (lost two leashes at the dogpark a few weeks ago, when son thought it fitting to fish with one and loose it, fish the first one out with the second one and loose it too..! )..any way..I have/had a leash that had a big metal loop by the collar that you threaded the leash after wrapping it around the body of the dog, so in essence it was a leash that could be used as a harness..is that what you are talking about?
Basil boy..I am trying to understand what type of harness you are talking about. I have or maybe had (lost two leashes at the dogpark a few weeks ago, when son thought it fitting to fish with one and loose it, fish the first one out with the second one and loose it too..! )..any way..I have/had a leash that had a big metal loop by the collar that you threaded the leash after wrapping it around the body of the dog, so in essence it was a leash that could be used as a harness..is that what you are talking about?
I think so… but my sister has never used it as a leash and it's not one straight long rope it's two long parallel ropes when it's all undone... But maybe this would serve as the same thing?
