BrazilBoxer
Super Boxer
I am interested in hearing about this too...please post an update as soon as you have one. Thanks, Mariah.
New Harness
- Thread starter Claudia807
- Start date
- Status
Claudia807
Completely Boxer Crazy
Well, crud, I could've sworn I posted an update on the harness but I don't see it here so I guess I didn't! With my luck I posted it to the wrong thread and everyone is wondering what I am talking about.
Anywho, I did receive the SENSE-ation harness (made by Soft Touch Concepts) last week. I took Lucy for a nice long walk on Saturday morning. The fitting took some effort because the harness does need to fit snugly. My girl has gained a couple of pounds over the years, I guess.
She did not pull AT ALL. I wondered who this strange brindle dog was and what she had done with my Lucy Annabel. And it was nice because she didn't really have to get used to it - she has worn harnesses before.
If I can think of one drawback about the SENSE-ation harness, it is this: the leash connects to the ring that fits right over the dog's breastbone, which means that the leash is much lower on the dog than it would be on a regular harness. At times there was so much slack in the leash that Lucy managed to step over it and get it caught under her right foreleg. This may have also been because we were new at it and perhaps we weren't doing everything just right.
Basically I'm giving the harness a thumbs up!
Claudia
Green Acres Boxer Rescue of WI
Anywho, I did receive the SENSE-ation harness (made by Soft Touch Concepts) last week. I took Lucy for a nice long walk on Saturday morning. The fitting took some effort because the harness does need to fit snugly. My girl has gained a couple of pounds over the years, I guess.
She did not pull AT ALL. I wondered who this strange brindle dog was and what she had done with my Lucy Annabel. And it was nice because she didn't really have to get used to it - she has worn harnesses before.
If I can think of one drawback about the SENSE-ation harness, it is this: the leash connects to the ring that fits right over the dog's breastbone, which means that the leash is much lower on the dog than it would be on a regular harness. At times there was so much slack in the leash that Lucy managed to step over it and get it caught under her right foreleg. This may have also been because we were new at it and perhaps we weren't doing everything just right.
Basically I'm giving the harness a thumbs up!
Claudia
Green Acres Boxer Rescue of WI
Renee&Jake
Super Boxer
Cool...I've been waiting for you to get the thing...
How does it use an opposition reflex? Does is come with a book? When does pressure on the sides come into play and what was Lucy's reaction to pressure? Did she lean into/move against it? How does side pressure keep Lucy from moving out in front? Do you have any special training that goes with it or does the design of the harness itself create a conditioned stimulus-response just by having the dog in the proper place? If the attachment ring is in front, do you ever pull back on the leash and does it steer the dog right or back? Does it steer the dog at all? How do you use it to teach sit/down/stand/stay and come?
:confused:
-Renee
Jakob CD NA
Josie
How does it use an opposition reflex? Does is come with a book? When does pressure on the sides come into play and what was Lucy's reaction to pressure? Did she lean into/move against it? How does side pressure keep Lucy from moving out in front? Do you have any special training that goes with it or does the design of the harness itself create a conditioned stimulus-response just by having the dog in the proper place? If the attachment ring is in front, do you ever pull back on the leash and does it steer the dog right or back? Does it steer the dog at all? How do you use it to teach sit/down/stand/stay and come?
:confused:
-Renee
Jakob CD NA
Josie
Claudia807
Completely Boxer Crazy
Geez, I knew someone would ask me some tough questions. The companion champions what it calls "Soft Touch Training." The harness did come with a couple of brochures but no in-depth instructions. To be honest, I think the harness is really intended to be used for a younger dog that probably needs a lot of training (but now that I've used it, I think anyone can use it). There probably aren't a lot of people like me, who have middle-aged dogs that really shouldn't be pulling, buying the harness. In theory, yes, I *KNOW* I should focus on teaching my dog not to pull, not just purchasing a product that prevents her from pulling. But what can I say - I guess it's my eternal shame. My CD, CGC, certified therapy dog pulls like a sled dog. So now I'm at the point where I'm thinkin', to heck with it - I just want to take a nice walk with my arms still in the sockets.
So I guess I would say if someone has a younger dog they would benefit a lot more from the training aspects of the harness. The brochure shows you how to lift up on the leash to encourage a sit, etc. You're supposed to be able to "steer" the dog via the ring in the front.
The harness fits snugly around the dog behind the shoulders and then the strap comes across the front and the ring sits over the dog's breast bone. So there is a bit of pressure across the front as well. If it's appropriately snug around the chest, it won't slide forward at all. I guess I'm not really sure how the overall pressure from the harness makes Lucy feel like she doesn't want to surge ahead. I didn't have to tighten the leash at all or try to reign her in. We had a loose lead the whole time, which was like a dream come true. Actually I did have to tug her forward a couple of times when she stopped to smell leaves for too long.
Sorry I'm not very good at explaining how it works!
Claudia
Green Acres Boxer Rescue of WI
So I guess I would say if someone has a younger dog they would benefit a lot more from the training aspects of the harness. The brochure shows you how to lift up on the leash to encourage a sit, etc. You're supposed to be able to "steer" the dog via the ring in the front.
The harness fits snugly around the dog behind the shoulders and then the strap comes across the front and the ring sits over the dog's breast bone. So there is a bit of pressure across the front as well. If it's appropriately snug around the chest, it won't slide forward at all. I guess I'm not really sure how the overall pressure from the harness makes Lucy feel like she doesn't want to surge ahead. I didn't have to tighten the leash at all or try to reign her in. We had a loose lead the whole time, which was like a dream come true. Actually I did have to tug her forward a couple of times when she stopped to smell leaves for too long.
Sorry I'm not very good at explaining how it works!
Claudia
Green Acres Boxer Rescue of WI
- Status