Choosing the Proper Harness for your Dog

Recently, we have been asked for recommendations for harnesses. We decided to put a little info together to help out others who are interested in purchasing a harness for their pet.

There are several different types of harnesses:

No-Pull Harness
There are several types of no-pull harnesses.
One type has a leash attachment ring at the center of your dog's chest which allows you to have more control of your dog's front half and guides him toward you when he begins to pull.

The second type of harness works by gently tightening around your dog's chest or leg area, which restrains your dog when he pulls.

A head halter is also an option for pullers. It consists of a strap that goes around your dog's nose and a second strap that goes around his neck behind his ears. The leash connects to the halter under the dog's chin to a ring that is attached to the nose strap. When your dog starts pulling, the design of the head halter causes the dog's nose to be turned down and back toward you. This makes it difficult for your dog to continue pulling.

Pull/Indifferent to Pulling Harness

For Ruger and Denali, we have chosen to use the X-Back Harness with foam from Nooksack Racing Supply in Maine. The harnesses are very good quality and hold up extremely well.
This is a standard sled dog harness. The harness distributes weight evenly over the dog's shoulders and allows him to pull without choking himself.

There are several other harnesses that will allow your dog to pull or will be comfortable for your dog while running. For example, Howling Dog Alaska offers the Distance Harness. The Distance Harness only reaches about 1/3 down the dog's body, which tends to help eliminate the pressure on the dog's hips while pulling. Therefore, this harness a good choice for any dog with lower back problems.

If you have questions about harnesses or what type of harness might be best for you and your dog, ask! We would love to help you pick the best harness for your dog.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Ruger & Denali

Weekend Training Update

The dogs were able to get in some more miles this weekend. Here is a video from their run today. We are hoping to get a little more snow soon.

Payin' for the Spayin' 5k

This week, the date for the Payin' for the Spayin' 5k in Crocker, MO was announced. It will be held March 8. We are looking forward to this race as it is well organized and supports a great cause. http://lovingpawsadoptioncenter.com/5k-runwalk/

 

They really mean there's no such thing as bad weather.

Nick and Ruger at Payin' for the Spayin' (2013).

Snow!

We have been waiting for a while to get a bit of snow. Finally! Ruger and Denali are really enjoying it, while Fox would rather be napping inside.

 

Ruger and Denali are ready to play!

Fox enjoys the snow for a little while - then it's time to go inside.

The snow has given us a chance to get a bit of sledding in as well. It was a little dark, but Nick and Ruger were ready to go.

Saturday Training

Unfortunately, Denali took a tumble down the stairs yesterday and tweaked her paw. So, we decided to give her a few days off from running. She was less than pleased with our choice as you can see from the look she was giving Joy while she was on the treadmill this morning. (The black object at the bottom of the photo is the treadmill). Her paw seems to be doing much better.

 

 

Ruger, on the other hand, is a little tired after getting his fair share of running today in the rain with Nick. They had a wonderful ten mile training run. 



We are hoping to get some snow next week for sledding.