As an avid dog lover and volunteer with a pit bull rescue group, I must admit I have become somewhat of a product junkie when it comes to my dogs. I am always on the lookout for the perfect toy that they cannot destroy (ha!), the cutest collar (far too many to choose from), the best leash (can you have too many leashes?), etc. Despite my love for trying out new products, I must admit I was a little skeptical of the Walk Your Dog With Love walking harness before I tried it.
I had tried walking aids in the past and had not been happy with any of them; the Gentle Leader head halter worked but my dogs absolutely hated having the strap across their nose and anytime we stopped walking they would instantly drop to the ground to try and rub the nose strap off. I tried the Gentle Leader and Halti versions of harnesses, but could never get them to adjust properly for the broad shoulders of my pit bulls. So I had resigned myself to using martingale collars and having to stop every ten feet or so during a walk to correct my dog's pulling. The result was that I slowly stopped walking my dogs altogether and instead began to rely on backyard romps to get them their exercise. Knowing how important walks are for exercise, for training, and for establishing leadership, I was frustrated and disappointed at the situation.
Two weeks ago I attended an adoption event with my current foster pit bull, Sasha. Sasha is a fabulous little dog with a ton of energy. She is a year old and just spent the last three months in a shelter, so she needs some training and socialization to make her an ideal family pet. I was not surprised when we arrived at the adoption event and she (literally) began bouncing off the walls, but I was surprised when she did not respond to my corrections. She was jumping up on anyone who came near her and at the same time was trying to play with every dog in the room. One of the other volunteers saw that I had my hands full and suggested I try out one of the Walk Your Dog With Love harnesses that had just been donated to the rescue group. I was doubtful it would work given my past experiences, but I figured it was worth a shot; it certainly could not make her behave any worse than she already was.
Putting the harness on was easy despite the fact that she was wiggling all over the place. It just slides over the dog's head and then clips under the dog's shoulder. As soon as the harness was on and the leash was attached, I was able to give Sasha instant corrections that she actually responded to. With her collar on, despite the fact that it was a martingale, she did not respond to my corrections. Pulling on her leash just encouraged her to pull more, as if we were playing tug of war. But the Walk Your Dog With Love harness is designed to pull from the center of the chest, thereby changing the dog's direction. It works with the dog's natural instinct to follow his human. I was an instant convert and found myself spending the rest of the adoption event marveling at how easy it was to handle Sasha. Click on the following link (video courtesy of Walk Your Dog With Love) to see the harness in action; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1tmOVRVJE .
When I got home from the adoption event I got on the Walk Your Dog With Love website (www.walkyourdogwithlove.com) and ordered four harnesses; one for each of my dogs (I have two pit bulls of my own, plus two foster pit bulls). When they arrived I eagerly sized them up and tried them out. With the help of the Walk Your Dog With Love harnesses, I was able to walk Sasha and Spanky, my two fosters, together at the same time. This was the first time I had ever attempted to walk the two of them together but it will not be the last. Likewise, I was then able to take my two dogs out together for a walk. I have not yet tried walking all four of them together but that has more to do with my own lack of coordination than the harness. Taking my dogs for daily walks has now become part of my routine.
Dan Merson designed the Walk Your Dog With Love harness when his dog, Pilot, was recovering from leg surgery. As Dan describes it on his website;
"The Ah-Ha moment for the harness occurred when Pilot, my big chocolate something-or-other dog, was recovering from leg surgery. A bit shy about putting his foot firmly on the ground, the vet said to pull gently on Pilot's leash, 'his natural instinct will cause him to pull in the opposite direction he'll push down with the leg he is favoring.'
. . .his natural animal instinct will cause him to pull in the opposite direction!!!
Animals — including us — pull away when pulled on! WowWee! I immediately switched the leash attachment ring to the front of Teddy's old harness, and, lo and behold, with some tweaks and twists, The harness was born!"
Dan's love for animals and desire to make all dogs behave well on walks are two of the things I love about his company. Another thing I love about Walk Your Dog With Love is the company's dedication to helping rescues groups. They have a fabulous fundraising campaign for rescue groups which allows the group to post a link to Walk Your Dog With Love's website on the rescue group's website. When shoppers use the link from the rescue group's website to purchase a Walk Your Dog With Love harness, the rescue group receives 100% of the retail markup on the sale. Some of the rescue groups who are participating in this fundraising campaign are: Bully Paws Rescue, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue, German Sheperd Rescue of New England, and the Springfield Humane Society. Walk Your Dog With Love also donates a large number of their harnesses to rescue groups, and has an area on their website where shoppers can purchase a harness for donation to a rescue.
Walk Your Dog With Love accepts checks, credit cards, and PayPal for payment. Their website is easy to navigate and offers instructional videos and pictorials for how to adjust, put on, and walk with the Walk Your Dog With Love harness. Their harnesses are available in a variety of sizes to fit any breed, and are available in seven colors. A nice safety feature of the harnesses is the 3M Scotchlite reflective material which is sewn into the harness at your dog's shoulder level. Also, they have taken the time to design the harness in a way that all of the seams are on the outside of the harness, so that dogs with sensitive skin or short hair do not end up with irritations or chafing. The harnesses cost $24.95 plus shipping and handling, a small price to pay for a stress-free walk with your dogs.
The DC Pit Bull Examiner loves using the Walk Your Dog With Love harness and gives it five stars.
Did you know that millions of homeless dogs are euthanized in U.S. shelters every year? Adopting a shelter dog is one way to save a life, spaying and neutering is another. Please spay and neuter!
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Comments
The harness/leash looked like it was a miracle for some breeds
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