The Truth about Harnesses

Dog harnesses have become increasing common amongst pet dog owners in the last 5 years, largely due to the rise in Purely-Positive Dog Training ideologies which often provide misleading, and sometimes completely untrue, information about other types of leads & collars that control at the neck and head. This has been very advantageous for companies that produce dog harnesses, for obvious reasons, which has led to some great marketing strategies to promote the use of harnesses over other walking tools.

However, the facts about the problems associated with using harnesses to walk dogs are rarely published, which is why it is important to look at accurate information when deciding what type of lead you want to use with your dog.

1.Physical Dangers.

Firstly, three main scientific studies have been done on the biomechanical effects of harnesses (how they affect the dogs physically) when used regularly for walking dogs. These studies are well-respected and show clearly that harnesses do restrict the natural gait when used for walking dogs, and that this restriction can create significant physical problems.

At the bottom of this page I have added an extract from an article published by three biologists at Whrittle University College (Essex,UK). These studies looked at how harnesses restrict the gait of dogs, and how that restriction affects them physically both short and long term. Obviously there is a lot of scientific and biological language to contend with but, in laymans terms, the conclusion is that harnesses frequently create and/or contribute to physical damage in dogs. For this reason we would generally avoid the use of harnesses in our training methods but obviously there can be exceptions, for example if the dog has a neck injury or long term condition which excludes any other type of lead.

If you would like to read to full article this can be viewed at https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/759258v1.full but I have included the most relevant aspects in the extract.

2.Psychological & Behavioural Problems.

The second reason we prefer not to use harnesses has, unfortunately, not yet been studied scientifically. However, in my own 30 years of working with dogs, and from the experience of many other trainers with similar vast experience, it is clear to us that harnesses can exacerbate or even create nervous and reactive behaviours when lead-walking.

This is due mainly to the level of power and control the dog has when walked on a harness compared to the level of power and control the dog has when on a lead attached at the neck (or head, in the case of figure-of-8 leads). Harnesses allow for the strong chest muscles to work hard on pulling forward and also give the dog excellent control in terms of the direction they want to walk in. This is great for working scent-dogs or sled-pulling but it’s not helpful at all for training good Heelwork, advocating for your dog, and showing good leadership skills. Being in control of the walk is essential in making your dog feel safe and secure - that way they will look to you if they feel a situation is stressful or scary, rather than feeling the need to attempt to control the situation themselves.

This has obvious implications for behavioural issues such as reactivity or aggression. If the dog feels like they are controlling the walk, they will then also feel the need to take control of any situations they find worrying - which usually means barking and lunging to make the “trigger” go away. Very often we find that removing the harness and using a lead which controls at the neck or head will instantly produce a calmer, less anxious, less reactive dog.

In addition to this, when using a harness it is impossible to give physical corrections that a dog will naturally understand. This is because when dogs correct each other, they typically give a gentle nip at the neck or around the muzzle of the other dog. We therefore need to be able to mimic this which is clearly not an option when walking with a harness.

With all this in mind, however, it is also essential that any lead or collar you choose to use with your dog is first properly conditioned and then always used in the right way. Even a simple slip lead needs to be conditioned to the dog so that they understand the concept of pressure and release, and owners should always ensure that any lead used is never pulled tight all the time - this will not achieve anything and could hurt the dog’s neck. This is why it is always advisable to have professional help in both choosing the right lead for your dog and learning how to use it correctly. The idea should always be to have your dog walking calmly to Heel on a slack lead without any pressure, regardless of the type of lead used. This is what we train for all our customers to ensure good lead walking skills in any situation.

Extract from “The Biomechanical Effect of Harnesses”:

“It is relatively well known that if a dog’s gait is dysfunctional or impaired compensatory mechanisms will ensue. In the longer term this can lead to hypertrophy/atrophy of various muscle groups, as well as a myriad of musculoskeletal pathologies. Research by King found that incorrect biomechanics will lead to loss of joint confirmation and function, in turn leading to abnormal wear, which can cause inflammation and arthritic conditions. DJD and arthritis are the two most common musculoskeletal issues seen in dogs, and whilst conditions such as elbow and hip dysplasia have strong conformational links, they may be exacerbated by additional restrictions in gait. Tendinopathy of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, biceps and infraspinatus myopathy are some of the most frequent conditions diagnosed in performance dogs, all caused by varying degrees of micro and macro trauma and repetitive strain. Forelimb gait-related issues and lameness in active dogs is commonly as a result of medial shoulder syndrome (MSS) caused by repetitive micro trauma to multiple elements of the shoulder joint, leading to partial tears, dystrophic mineralization, chronic tenosynovitis, peritendinous adhesions and contractures of the affected muscle. Cruciate ligament disease has its genesis within conformation, as well as strong causal links to obesity and immune mediated diseases so as such may not be seen as a condition directly created by compensatory gait mechanisms, however as previously noted if forelimb stride is compromised in some way, this will lead to a change in the biomechanics of the whole animal once again potentially creating adverse pressures in the caudal anatomy which may exacerbate or hasten any conditions that the dog may be predisposed to.

The only clinically relevant data that can be taken from this review is that shoulder extension is limited by two of the most common types of harness.

Lafuente et al. (2018) found that both a Y-shaped (non-restrictive) and chest harness restricted shoulder extension at both walk and trot, however the non-restrictive (Y-shaped) harness actually decreased shoulder extension more than the chest harness, by an additional 2.56° reduction in extension at walk and an additional 4.82° in trot.

The second study by Peham et al.,(2013b) only reported data via an abstract which states that one harness restricted “latero-lateral motion of the spine, causing a significant restricted minimum and maximum lateral movement and ROM” whilst the same harness plus one other caused “significant changes in the dorso-ventral movement of the spine”. ”

King, M. Etiopathogenesis of Canine Hip Dysplasia, Prevalence, and Genetics. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2017

Peham C, Limbeck S, Galla K, Bockstahler B. Pressure distribution under three different types of harnesses used for guide dogs. The Veterinary Journal. 2013

Peham C, Limbeck S, Galla K, Bockstahler B. Kinematic analysis of the influence of three different guide dog harnesses on the movement of the spine. Wiener Tierarztliche Monatsschrift. 2013

Lafuente M, Provis L, Schmalz E. Effects of restrictive and non-restrictive harnesses on shoulder extension in dogs at walk and trot. Veterinary Record.2018