We switched our Jack Russell from a collar to a harness for going outside, which is great because she stopped choking herself. Now the problem we are having is that she gets red and chafed in her "armpits". The harness we have is nylon, and she only wears it outside. Are there any types of harness that don't cause chafing? Any other suggestions?
Answers:
Harnesses are made to help dogs pull. Your better bet is either to change back to a neck leash (like a choker collar) or a head collar (halti, or gentle leader). Take her to puppy/dog classes to learn how to walk properly on a leash. Collar = chafing/choking the neck, Halter = chafing armpits, more pulling!
Actually, harnesses tug at a muscle that all dogs have in their chest that gives them more of a urge to pull.
The kind I use on my dogs has a fake sheep skin type padding under the armpits that prevents chafing.
Look for a brand that has padding where it would chafe.
You can buy her a dog vest harness, they're usually more gentle on a dog's skin since they're made out of softer material and the pressure isn't concentrated into a small area. If you can't find one at a pet store then try typing it in to a search engine and order it online. good luck!
There are two harnesses that I know of out there that really reduce the pulling and they are unlikely to cause chafing. With these harnesses, the ring where you attach the leash is at the front of the dog's chest.
The harnesses are the Gentle Leader Easy Walk and the Sense-ation harness.
Here are the web sites for more information:
http://www.premier.com/pages.cfm?id=74...
http://www.softouchconcepts.com/...
I found when using a harness to walk that our dog pulled even more and i didnt have the control over him that I liked, we have recently converted to the halti (head collar)
This has been an absolute god send, we have much more control with minimal resistance from the dog.
I double the head collar to the choker chain as a secondry control tool (we have very big strong dog and I like to have it there as a back up just incase) i slip the lead thru the D ring of the head collar and the choker, the head collar is the first to action, but if there is resistence the choker also sets in to do its job.
I only use the harness now for transportation in the car because it has the seatbelt clip on the back of it.
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