As a Chandler dog sitter I know that some dogs are not perfect walkers! What is a dog owner to do? Well, there is the option of using a different collar or harness while your dog learns to slow down his pace (After all, we only have 2 legs).

One very effective option is a Gentle Leader. These go over the dog’s nose and clips behind their head. It is very similar to the way horses are trained. Your dog will not want to pull and therefore will slow down. If they start to speed up you can very gently tug on the leash. Not all dogs are happy with the Gentle Leader right away but this Chandler dog sitter has seen them come a long way with some patience and training to the Gentle Leader. Now when you first see these you may be concerned as some people think they are muzzles. They are not and your dog can open his mouth, eat, and drink. He/She can do anything they normally could without the Gentle Leader.

For those of you who would rather try a different approach another great option is the Easy Walk Harness. Dogs may adjust to these with a shorter amount of training than they may have needed with the Gentle Leader. These harnesses have a clip in the front of the dog on their chest for you to attach the leash. These tend to work very quickly. As your dog pulls ahead of you the harness will tighten around their shoulders and they will feel off balance; you may even notice that they turn around towards you. This does not hurt them, but they will know that slowing down does not cause this strange reaction they are receiving. Being a dog sitter in Chandler I have seen many dogs respond wonderfully to the Easy Walk Harness. Your only issue may be learning to put it on properly!

As you will notice walking around a pet store, there are many kinds of harnesses. Besides the easy walk harness they all have the same basic concept: To stop your dog from pulling and choking with a collar on. Some dogs have sensitive or damaged tracheas and do not do well with a regular collar even when they are walking by your side. Even if your dog does not have a sensitive trachea you may notice them pulling so hard that they keep gagging. In this case a harness would be recommended.

You may be wondering why I did not mention the benefits of a choke/pinch collar. The reason this dog sitter in Chandler is against them is for the safety of your pet. I have personally seen other collars and harnesses work much faster without hurting your loving dog in the process. Using a choke or pinch collar incorrectly could also result in damage to your dog’s sensitive throat area. Many times I have shown pet parents the difference of one of the options listed above. They never went back to the choke/pinch collar and their dogs learned to walk better a lot faster.

Your Chandler dog sitters have done our share of walking all size dogs with different personalities. Even though the options mentioned above will help your walk be more enjoyable for both you and your pup, you still need the patience and time to train and bond with your dog. It’s an amazing connection and experience.