Harness Training: Helping Your Dog Feel Comfortable and Confident

Harnesses generally tend to be more comfortable and help control a dog without putting pressure around the sensitive structures of the neck and throat. However, fitting them on a fearful dog can be a cause of stress and requires a sensitive approach.

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The Training Steps

1. Leave the harness in areas of the home where the dog spends most of their time, allowing them to see it and investigate it with their noses in their own time.
2. If they show no signs of alarm, place it somewhere close by (but not in their space) while they are doing something pleasant. This should help them begin to make positive associations with it.
3. After a few days, lay it somewhere with treats scattered around it so they have to get closer, making sure this is on their own terms.
4. Gradually, if all goes well, lift the harness so that the part that goes over the head forms a loop. You or a helper can pass a hand through the loop, offering the dog a treat. Do not rush this stage — advancing the loop over the head too soon can be frightening.
5. Some dogs dislike being approached head-on. For this reason, it can help to stand at the side of the dog so they do not feel threatened.
6. Gradually withdraw the hand with the treat so the dog has to move closer to the loop. Continue until they are putting their head through it.
7. For extremely nervous dogs, select a harness with a neck clip so they do not have to put their head through the loop. Instead, desensitise them to the feel of it on their body before moving on.
8. Briefly lay the harness over the back of the neck, still giving treats.
9. Introduce them to the sound of the clasps opening and closing. This noise can startle noise-sensitive dogs. Start at a comfortable distance while they are doing something pleasant, then progress closer. Follow each click of the clasp with a treat so that the sound predicts something good.
10. Once the dog is relaxed about the clasp sounds and comfortable with the harness on their body, fasten one clasp, continuing to give treats generously.
11. Continue in small steps until the harness is fully in place and both clasps are fastened.
12. Get them used to wearing the harness. Start with just a few seconds, then gradually increase the duration. Give lots of praise, treats, and maybe a short game.
13. If at any point the dog shows signs of fear or anxiety, go back to a stage they were comfortable with and progress more slowly.