Picking the best harness for your dog

"Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell."—Emily Dickinson

Understanding which type of harness to purchase for your dog can be a bit overwhelming.  There are many different colors, fabrics, ones with padding, different fits, and so on.  There are two types of harnesses that I am going to talk about. One that is great for dogs that do not pull, and one that is great for those of us, such as myself, that have strong dogs that like to play tug-of-war with me and the leash.  

The first harness that I’m going to discuss is the type that latches onto a leash from the back, such as the picture below-  

These types of harnesses are very commonly seen on dogs. However, they are not the best option for walking your dog.  The reason for this is because if your dog tends to pull on the leash, they will continue to do so with this harness. Having the clasp on the back only encourages the dog to continue to pull, causing your dog to struggle and pull harder on the leash;not the best option if you want to keep your arm in it’s socket.  

 The harness that I would recommend is one that fastens in the front center of their chest, such as the one below-

This is called the front-hook harness.  I use this type on my dog since she is very strong and loves to pull me along while trying to chase anything that moves. This was recommended to me by a dog trainer, and it has worked wonders.  The reason this type of harness is so effective is because this puts pressure on the dog’s chest causing them to react by slowing down.