# Sensation harness?



## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

The trainer doing Mojo's obedience class recommended this, because I won't put a collar on Mojo. I got the thing, tried it out after the trainer fitted it for me. It was working well this morning on our walk, I thought I had better control, but then it started pouring rain and Mojo started to run, so I ran to stay in front of him where I needed to be with the harness. He's faster than I, so I couldn't really stay in front of him, so the harness began pulling around to the side and somewhat up, and I heard him cough a couple of times. Took the harness off once we got home, and now I'm not so sure about the thing. 

Anyone else used it?


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

I don't think I know what it is??
Carole


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## good buddy (Feb 20, 2007)

Mojo's Mom said:


> The trainer doing Mojo's obedience class recommended this, because I won't put a collar on Mojo. I got the thing, tried it out after the trainer fitted it for me. It was working well this morning on our walk, I thought I had better control, but then it started pouring rain and Mojo started to run, so I ran to stay in front of him where I needed to be with the harness. He's faster than I, so I couldn't really stay in front of him, so the harness began pulling around to the side and somewhat up, and I heard him cough a couple of times. Took the harness off once we got home, and now I'm not so sure about the thing.
> 
> Anyone else used it?


I have the Easy Walk harness which also hooks at the front of the chest-so very much the same thing.

I'm not understanding why you felt you had to run to be in front of Mojo. ?? For my understanding, the no pull harness is designed to stop the dog from pulling ahead by turning them around simply by the design of the harness.
I really like using mine, but tried to switch Rufus back to a collar today to see if he had learned no to pull. Not yet! With a collar back on, he still wanted to pull ahead but not as bad as he was before.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

This one? http://www.softouchconcepts.com/info/benefits.php
Why won't you use a collar?


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

JASHavanese said:


> This one? http://www.softouchconcepts.com/info/benefits.php
> Why won't you use a collar?


Jan that is the SENSE-ation harness. I've used it with Oliver and had good results


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

Yes, that's it. I have to walk very fast or run, because Mojo goes very fast, and he will pull no matter what I put on him. He doesn't pull if we stay at a fast walk, most of the time. And I want to be ahead of him slightly so that it appears I am the leader (hah!, but I try) So I have to get out there and GO, but that's how I walk anyway, and I'm walking for exercise, so it's fine.

He pulls in the Sense-ation harness, and I know it is adjusted properly because the trainer did it. And when he pulls, it rides up because there's no strap under his legs between the chest strap and the belly strap. Or that's my impression.

The harness seems to help except when he spots something he REALLY wants, and there are still quite a lot of things he REALLY wants. "No-pull" is a crock, in my opinion. It doesn't turn him toward me when he pulls, it just doesn't, I don't care what they say.

I won't use a collar because I don't want to crush his trachea, and my vet supports that opinion. Mojo is a strong puller, would make a great sled dog ;-)


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Mojo's Mom said:


> Yes, that's it. I have to walk very fast or run, because Mojo goes very fast, and he will pull no matter what I put on him. He doesn't pull if we stay at a fast walk, most of the time. And I want to be ahead of him slightly so that it appears I am the leader (hah!, but I try) So I have to get out there and GO, but that's how I walk anyway, and I'm walking for exercise, so it's fine.
> 
> He pulls in the Sense-ation harness, and I know it is adjusted properly because the trainer did it. And when he pulls, it rides up because there's no strap under his legs between the chest strap and the belly strap. Or that's my impression.
> 
> ...


I found the same thing with the Easy Walk Harness for Cody (which sounds very similar). He didn't pull for about 3 days. I have the same issue that it doesn't really pull him towards me but pulls the harness itself over to his side. I didn't see that it was hurting his throat at all but he did end up with a sore under his "armpit" from it rubbing.


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

I have a 40+ lb terrier that I think could pull a truck! I tried many, many, many devices. I finally settled on just using a lupine harness, and I attatch the lead to the front. The only time it pulls him back toward me is if he is at a fast pace, and I stop completely. When we are 'walking', the thing is always askew. 

Sometimes, 1/2 way thru our walk, when his excitement is lessened a little bit, I can attatch to the top, but only at the front end. I can't really ever attatch the leash to the place where it's supposed to go -- b/c then it gives him too much power to pull.

I've tried training methods, such as 'be a tree' when he pulls. It might have worked if I used it when he was young, but now that he is older, he just sits until I move foward again, and then he is pulling again if he is after something in particular.

All I can say is try all the tricks like above and using treats and such b/c from my expereince, they need to learn to 'walk' and not pull when young. The pulling is self rewarding in that they get what they want and it's been really hard for me to get my terrier to change behaviours now that he is older. I really love him, but terriers are really hard to train, and I'm just not in that league since I'm basically a push-over kind of fur-mom.

I will send you very understanding hugs. :hug:

Lynn


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

I was laughing when I read what you said about your experience with being "a tree". I read that technique somewhere before getting Mojo and have used it since he was first with me, but he does the same thing: he pulls, I stop. He looks back at me as if to say, "Well? What's your problem?", and sits. I start up again, he pulls, I stop. It becomes an endless cycle sometimes. 

Mojo actually does walk well on leash much of the time, and the more familiar and routine the surroundings, the better he does. But when he's highly stimulated by new surroundings, or seeing other dogs (his greatest passion in life), forget it.

I can't say with certainty that the front lead harness is choking him, because I'm way up high and he's way down low, but I hear him coughing and I don't know what else it could be. He doesn't cough a bit when I use his regular mesh harness that hooks on in back.


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## j.j.'s mom (Aug 16, 2009)

j.j. was a real puller. i thought i was going to lose my arm. we have a trainer because my work schedule doesn't allow time for group classes... the trainer taught me how to teach jj to walk with the easy walk harness and how to give corrections. there are several tricks.. one great one is when the dog starts to pull, just turn around and start walking the other direction.. quickly. 
he is doing great and is getting good at heeling.
the only issue is with all his hair i have forgotten to take the harness off and now jj has chewed through two of them. i got a couple of sensation harnesses on line to see how they worked. since he was already walking well with the easy walk, he can walk well with the sensation. he still pulls with just the collar. i think i will just stick with harnesses.


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

Well, you've just dis-proved my theory that the 'be a tree' would work if started young. Sigh.....yep, my boy and yours are apparently cut from the same cloth, just in different breeds!

Since this harness is not helping with the training, and it does cause choking, I think I would go back to the mesh harness and work with treats -- or just feed him part of his meal iin place of treats as you walk. On a few occasions when we were just going out for a quick pee, I would get lazy and put the collar on him. He has pulled so hard in the past that he ends up throwing up and coughing for 10 minutes afterwards. Now, he randomly coughs and I don't know if it was from using the collar on occasions in the past, or just the recent high allergy/pollen in the air.

You know, I think I read something on here that does help. Already I was doing the NILIF method. At feeding, I put the bowl down and make them wait (drooling) briefly before letting them eat. But, that was about all I was doing under the NILIF method. 
Then, someone on here mentioned doing this as we leave the house and to never let them out of the house before I go out the door.

So, now, I make them sit and stay while I physically go over the door's threshold. Then I release them. This actually helps to calm him down and he doesn't start 'at the gate' pulling super hard. The problem with him is that he is super, super excitable and doesn't do well in controlling his excitement. So, I am trying to make him calm down before he is rewarded, and behaving at the door does show improvment in his not pulling.

At least until he sees something move.....he is a terrier after all...and any movement, squirrel, turtle (yep), or leaf blowing across the road means all bets are off! This is what it feels like on many of our walks........I am constantly having to pull back on the leash (even with it attatched to me)......me and him:
:fencing:


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Kimberly (havtahava) posted this advice years ago in this "old" thread about using choke collars. I've used this method very successfully w/Tori. However, it did not work for Shadow 

_If you want to train your dog not to pull ahead, try doing it by the method our trainer calls "the crazy walk". As soon as the dog begins to pull, you immediately turn around and go the other direction. He will get the idea and go with you. If he pulls ahead, you turn again and go back the direction you started. This can take several attempts before he figures it out, and in the meantime, the neighbors will all think you look crazy, hence, the name._


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

:tea:Crazy walk works!!!!
:redfaceeople think you are crazy!!!! (So who cares what they think it works and you only have to do it for a short time!)


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

I took Mojo to obedience class tonight in the Sense-ation harness and showed my trainer how Mojo was choking on it. He said he didn't understand it because he'd never seen a dog cough in the harness before, but he could see that Mojo was coughing even though the harness was fitted properly. He told me to go back to my original harness.

I'm sending the Sense-ation harness back for a refund.


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