Harnessing the Power of Walkies


Heather and Mr. K love walks. What doggie doesn't? Until recently, we used a double leash attached to their collars on walks. But with Mr. K's coughing episodes as of late, I wondered if the strain of a collar around his neck was making things more difficult for him and whether swapping the collar for a harness would help. So, we headed to a few local pet stores to pick up some swanky harnesses. 

It took a while to find one that fit. Heather and Mr. K were mostly patient throughout the process. Heather was her usual charming self, tricking an employee at unleashed by Petco into giving her an all-access pass to the pouch of treats attached to the employee's waist. How? By wagging that happy tail and burrowing her way into the employee's lap while she tried to fasten the harness on Heather. We wondered why Heather was staying so still and being so cooperative when it hit us: she had her nose buried in the employee's treat pouch and was happily snacking the whole time! 

At the end of the day, Heather and Mr. K walked away with more than a few treats. They also went home with these dashing harnesses. As you can see from the photos above, neither Heather or Mr. K was interested in keeping the harness on for long once we got them home. They spent more time trying to wiggle them off with the help of the grass below than they did walking on those first few outings. Our hope is that they will get used to them in time. Tell us: does your pup use a harness or a collar for walkies? Feel free to share the kind of harness or collar your dog uses in the comment section below if you would recommend others look into it.

11 comments:

  1. HI,

    I have not found one that fits so could you give me the brand name and size. Margret is a 21 pound Wheaten Scottie

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  2. Harnesses are better than choking when trying to get to a squirrel.

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  3. Our vet said collars can damage their esophagus thus the cough. He also said harnesses for all breds is preferable.

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  4. Our vet said collars can damage their esophagus thus the cough. He also said harnesses for all breds is preferable.

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  5. Oh you both look dashing in those electric colors. But for me I just wear a simple black collar and leash with a black gentle leader so my head is turned not my neck being jerked. We don't prefer the harness because it messed up my skirt and the Scot Lee had before it rubbed under the legs and caused skin irritation.
    Sweet William The Scot

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  6. Heather that was brillian! yay for such a super smart scottie girl :o)
    easy rider

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    1. can you add a "t" please to brilliant? it probably got lost on the way over the big pond :o)

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  7. My two scotties have always had harnesses. The brand we have used for the last 5 years is mekuti. Archie takes a medium and his sister Skye has a small. They are adjustable. I ordered them online - we are in the UK - but I think they ship worldwide. Btw, Heather and Mr K are gorgeous.

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  8. And we thought the pups were just enjoying a roll in the grass.....

    We wear collars, but recently Dui has had to use Roxy's old 'Ezy Walker' harness because he pulls so.......always in a hurry to get to the next exciting thing. It has certainly slowed him down and made our walks more enjoyable.

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  9. My normal lead is on my collar but we usually use the extendable one with my harness

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  10. Looking adorable in your new harnesses! Our Yorkies use harnesses only to protect their necks and shoulders from strain when they pull.

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