Owning a reactive pup can be quite a journey, filled with several challenges, but also many rewarding moments. If you are anything like me, I was researching for countless hours about what products and tools would help us on our reactive dog training journey, particularly when it came to walks. Our reactive dog is about the same weight as a small adult, so having a good harness was critical in controlling our dog, and keeping her safe during those unexpected (or even expected) reactive moments.
In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best harnesses available in the UK, perfect for your reactive pup, and how to pair them with positive training techniques.
Why Choose a Harness for Your Reactive Dog?
Before diving into our favourite options, it's so important to understand why a harness is often a better choice than a traditional collar for your reactive dog. Here are a few of those reasons:
- Better Control
Harnesses help distribute the force of a dog pulling across their chest and shoulders, which will give you better control without causing any injuries relating to neck strain. A front clip harness in particular is ideal for dealing with a larger breed reactive dog, as their pulling power is limited. For smaller dogs, there is nothing wrong with using a harness with a back clip. The most important aspect of this is that we want to ensure you remain in control of your dog.
- Reduced Risk of an Injury
As we all know, reactive dogs can sometimes lunge or pull very suddenly. Using a harness helps minimise the risk of a neck injury that can occur with a traditional collar. It's actually speculated that dog breeds that pull on their leashes a lot tend to have thyroid issues due to the consistent trauma on their neck leading to inflammation and bruising.
- Overall Comfort
Harnesses are generally designed with padding and ergonomic shapes that make them far more comfortable for your pup to wear, which can reduce the chance of irritation or discomfort. However, an ill-fitting harness can be the opposite, so it's important that you shop around and find a harness that fits your dog properly.
Our Favourite Harnesses for Reactive Dogs in the UK
So now, let's get into the best harnesses available in the UK, designed to keep your reactive pooch safe and secure.
For Small and Medium Dogs: Ruffwear Front Range Harness
The Front Range Harness is a padded everyday dog harness that fits over your dog's head, is easy to put on and is comfortable for your pooch to wear. The harness clips up behind your dog's legs on both sides and features two leash attachment points. The first attachment point is on the back, which incorporates an aluminium ring, and then has a reinforced webbing loop on the front. We love this harness for its functionality and comfort.
However, we don't recommend it for large dogs who pull quite hard. We experienced the front webbing loop tear on a family member's Weimaraner, who at the time, wasn't a super strong puller.
Overall, however, for small and medium dogs this is a great harness with a tonne of features. The price point is reasonable for the quality, and we prefer it over many of the styles available from other retailers.
For Large and Giant Dogs: Perfect Fit Modular Harness
The Perfect Fit Modular Harness is a great option for those who want a super customisable fit for their dog. The harness does not go over their head, but instead clips around your dog's neck. The harness has a metal D-ring attachment on the top piece and front piece, and the harness' material is a comfortable, high-quality fleece. Importantly, the shape of the harness avoids the soft tissues of the throat and neck, which is important for strong pullers or dogs who tend to lunge.
Our favourite thing about this harness is its ability to be customised - you can replace each piece if it needs to be replaced or upsized, which is much more cost-effective over the years.
Pairing Harnesses with Positive Training Techniques
While it's important to have a great harness, it's also critical that you pair it with positive training techniques for managing your reactive dog. You can't expect your dog to be "cured" from its reactivity, purely from using a better training tool. So, here are some of our tips and tricks for pairing your harness with positive training:
1. Desensitisation and Counter-Conditioning
Desensitisation involves gradually exposing your pup to the trigger of their reactivity at a distance where they feel safe. Pairing this with counter-conditioning, where you provide treats or positive reinforcement when they notice the trigger without reacting, can help change their emotional response over time. We have another blog about Positive Reinforcement that you can read here. When using counter-conditioning and desensitisation, you can also train alternative behaviours for when a trigger is in sight. For example, you can work on teaching your dog to sit when they see a trigger, or a "through" so that they can redirect their energy into a different, more positive action.
2. Using the Harness for Control and Safety
Whenever you're out in public, it's important to maintain control over your dog. As we discussed in our Understanding the UK Dog Laws post, an out-of-control dog can place you at risk in the eyes of the court. Make sure to use the harness to maintain control during training sessions. For example, when we're in public where there are tighter spaces, we use the front leash attachment on our harnesses to reduce pulling and give us better control of our pup’s direction. We pair this with a head collar to ensure complete control for those moments when it's necessary.
3. Keeping Cool, Calm and Collected
Unfortunately for most of us, our stress levels and overall demeanour matter a lot during public outings with our reactive dogs. While it's particularly difficult to keep ourselves calm when we're expecting the worst behaviours from our dog, it's important that we stay consistent in our handling as our pups can pick up on our anxiety or frustration. Consistent use of trained commands and positive reinforcement will help your dog understand what is expected of them. Be confident, and direct and ensure that you're using prompts before your dog has reached its threshold.
Alternative Harness Options for Smaller Budgets
We understand that the cost of living crisis is a huge issue for a lot of us at the moment. Dogs cost a lot to own, so we wanted to list out some budget-friendly harnesses that can also work well in place of the options we have above. All of these harnesses are products that we have used. However, we want to emphasise that in the long run, it's better to invest in a harness that is higher quality and tends to last longer, and is ultimately, far more comfortable for your dog.
All of these harnesses feature both back and front clips that are constructed with metal, rather than plastic. Each harness incorporates a back handle for an additional point of control where necessary and distributes any points of pressure over a larger space, which is far better for your pooch. Each of these designs also has deep cut-outs around your dog's legs, which means less of a chance of the harness rubbing and irritating the skin around the armpits.
Conclusion
It's important to do your research so that you can choose the correct harness for your dog. Choosing the right harness will make a significant difference in managing a reactive pooch and the options that we have discussed are some of the best available in the UK. Pairing an appropriate harness with positive training techniques is by far one of the best training combinations for helping your reactive pup. With a lot of patience, consistency, and the right tools, we can all enjoy far more relaxed and enjoyable walks together.
Feel free to share your experiences with us via our contact, or let us know about any other harnesses that have worked well for your reactive pooch. We love trying new products to review!
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