Training
He hides when the harness comes off the hook, or grabs the lead like a tug rope. Fear and play get the same fix: help him link harness and lead with good things.
You lift the harness off the hook and the dog has already vanished under the table. Another dog stays put, but the moment the harness goes over his head he drops onto his belly and freezes, then walks like a robot for the first ten minutes outside. And then there is the three-month-old puppy who, as soon as the lead touches him, grabs it and hauls on it like a rope, growling with delight. Those are three different situations: fear of the harness, fear of the lead (or of what comes after it) and play. You fix all three the same way, by helping him link the kit with good things, one small step at a time and at his pace.
Watch him closely for a week. Does he leave as soon as he sees the harness, or only when you touch him with it? When something goes over his head? At the click of the buckle? At the sound of the lead clip by his ear? Or does he run because the harness usually means you going out, the car, the vet? Each answer gives you a different place to start.
Then check the harness itself. One that rubs under the armpits, presses on the neck or shoulder, or tightens when he sits is simply uncomfortable. Plenty of dogs who "hate the harness" really hate that particular harness. A good one leaves the shoulders free, keeps the straps at least two fingers' width from the armpits and goes on without anything tight passing over his head. For dogs who dislike things going over their heads, the easiest are harnesses that open right up, with buckles on both sides.
Repeat each step for a few days in two- or three-minute sessions, until he looks relaxed or even pleased. If he moves away, lies down, licks his lips or looks off to the side at any step, go back to the one before.
Many dogs are not frightened of the lead at all. What worries them is what follows, because they have learnt that the lead means the end of play in the park or getting into the car.
A puppy chewing the lead is not scared of anything. He is playing: the lead moves, it hangs right at nose height, and you react every time he pulls. From where he stands, it is a brilliant game.
The puppy. The best time of all. Put the harness on for a few seconds from the first days, indoors and with food, long before you need it outside. Clip the lead to the harness and let it trail around the house for a few minutes while you play and keep an eye on him. Lead-biting is normal at this age, and the tug toy gets you out of trouble.
The adolescent (6 to 18 months). The puppy who accepted anything starts to object. He turns away, runs off with the harness in his mouth, stops coming over when he sees the lead. Make the steps smaller, go back to where it was easy and do not let putting the harness on turn into a chase round the house. At this age, running from the lead usually means the lead has come to mark the end of the fun.
The adopted adult. Plenty of rescue dogs have never worn a harness, and some have bad memories of being grabbed by the neck. Start at step 1 even if it feels over the top. In the first weeks, a harness put on once and left on all day (if it is comfortable, safe and you are around) can be less stressful for him than a twice-daily routine of on and off.
The senior. An old dog who starts refusing the harness sometimes has sore shoulders or a stiff neck, or finds it hard to lift a leg to step in. Get one that closes at the side with no paw-lifting, and if the refusal is new, ask your vet.
For a puppy, a few days to two weeks. For an adult dog who is afraid of the harness, usually two to six weeks of short sessions every day. A puppy who bites the lead settles as he grows and gets alternatives; most lose interest by about five or six months.
The good signs tend to show up in this order. He no longer leaves the room when he sees the harness. He walks up to it. The head goes through the harness without any help from you. His tail goes at the click of the buckle. One day he is waiting by the door as soon as you take the harness off the hook. Outside, his body is loose and his nose is down, with no robot walk. If he shakes himself all over right after you put the harness on, the way he does after a bath, that was too much, and next time you drop back a step.
A trainer who works only with rewards can show you how much your dog can cope with and how to stretch that bit by bit. They will also see what your hands are doing without you noticing, which is often where the problem starts. In our puppy class, the harness and lead are among the first things we practise.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer.
First check the fit: two fingers under each strap, shoulders free, nothing in the armpits. Then go in small steps, a few days each: harness on the floor with treats on it, one-second touches, head through the harness by himself for a treat, the buckle click practised separately. A harness that opens right up helps dogs who dislike things going over their heads.
Usually because the lead has come to announce something unpleasant: the end of play in the park, you going out, a trip to the vet. Sometimes the sound of the clip by his head worries him, or he has been grabbed by the collar out of nowhere. Clip on and off several times per walk with a treat each time, and use the lead at home for nice things too.
He is playing: the lead moves and you pull back. Stop, keep the lead slack and do not pull; a tug game with nobody on the other end soon fizzles out. Take a long tug toy on walks and offer it before he grabs the lead. Shorter walks with sniffing breaks help a lot, because tired puppies bite more.
For walks, a well-fitted harness is gentler on most dogs, because the pressure spreads across the chest instead of landing on the neck. The collar can stay on for the ID tag. On a dog who pulls or struggles, a lead clipped only to the collar presses on the neck, and he links that discomfort with the lead.
For puppies, usually a few days to two weeks. For a frightened adult, two to six weeks of short daily sessions. You know it is working when he stops leaving the room at the sight of the harness, puts his own head through it and walks outside relaxed, nose down.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
He plants his feet at the corner or flops down belly-up. There is nearly always a reason, and the reason decides what you do about it.
Needle teeth, torn sleeves, crying children. Play biting is normal in a puppy and it passes, but not by itself: you teach him how hard he is allowed to bite.
Arm at full stretch, aching shoulder, dog panting with his tongue out. Pulling on the lead is the most practised habit of all, because it works for him every single time.
Shaking in the waiting room, growling at the nail clippers, hiding from the brush. Fear of handling can be learned from a single experience and unlearned in small steps.
In Puppy Class and the basic obedience course these exercises are worked in a group, with real distractions and feedback at every step.