How to Train your Dog to Participate in Harnessing, Happily! (Part 2)

fearful dogs Aug 25, 2020
Doodle Harness Outdoors

Last week we brought you Part 1 of an example harness training plan. In that first part of the plan, you trained your dog to put their head into the harness on their own. 

 

 This week, we show you the rest of the training plan.  We start with lowering the weight of the harness onto the dog’s neck, and then work up to clipping the harness clips.  The harness used on the small dog in these videos is a Freedom harness, and the large dog harness is a Transpaw harness (you can find a link to it and other harnesses we like on our recommended products page.). If you have a harness with more than 2 clips, this phase of the training plan will require a few more steps than what is shown in the video. 

**Important note: While you are doing this training, avoid putting the harness on your dog for walks.  Your careful step-by-step work will be ruined if you are forcing the harness onto your dog outside of training sessions.  If it’s safe to do so, walk your dog on a collar, or forgo walks until harness training is complete. 

Remember to take your time with this training. It’s better to go more slowly than you think you need to, than to push your dog too quickly.  “Slow and steady wins the race” is so applicable to this kind of training. 

 

We’d love to hear what you think! If you tried the steps shown in the video, how did it go with your dog? Join us in our Fearful and Reactive Dog Facebook community and share your thoughts. If you're looking for more guidance with your fearful dog, check out our monthly training membership.