Teaching Your Dog To Wear a Harness
A harness takes a lot of the work out of teaching your dog to walk with you, so it’s great to teach him to like wearing one. Dogs need to wear a harness if they have not learned to walk on a loose leash (otherwise they will hurt their trachea), when using the seat belt in the car, or as a safety device in public in addition to their collar.
Dogs who don’t like to be touched can be challenging to acclimate to a harness, so please take your time, especially with the first two steps described in the following:
STEP 1: The harness appears and good things will happen! Show the harness to the dog and then give some tasty treats. Repeat this a couple of times. Your dog should start looking happy and excited when he sees the harness appear.
STEP 2: Getting your dog used to the click sound of the buckle
You will need only a few treats for this exercise. If your dog is sound sensitive, start clicking the harness buckle shut from a distance, then give your dog a treat.
Step by step, reduce the distance until you can close the strap without your dog reacting to the sound.
Repeat until he is not afraid of the sound or your hands next to his chest.
STEP 3: Your dog learns to feel the harness straps on his body.
Hold the harness in your hand and place it near your dog’s body, and treat.
Repeat this a couple of times. If your dog seems to shy away from the harness, repeat for as long as it takes, maybe even a week or two, until he is comfortable. Practice until he maintains a loose body and appears relaxed without any signs of avoidance when you touch his body with the harness straps or lay it over his back.
STEP 4: Lure your dog to voluntarily put his head or front paws into the opening of the harness.
Depending on the type of harness you are working with, hold it in front of your dog’s face and lure him with a treat to get his head through the opening and treat him when he does. You can also place it on the ground and lure him with a yummy treat to get him to step inside, then tell him what a good dog he is and give him the treat!
Repeat this step a couple of times until your dog is comfortable.
STEP 5: Building duration - your dog learns to be comfortable with the loosely fitted harness on.
When your dog is voluntarily putting his head through the harness or stepping into it, start strapping it across his body. Fit it very loosely. Give your dog a lot of praise and treat him. Only keep the harness on for a couple of seconds.
Repeat several times.
STEP 6: Your dog has learned to like the harness when he sees it, puts it on voluntarily, and keeps it on. Now it’s time for perfection! Increase the time your dog wears his harness, minute by minute and have him wear it in many situations. Always supervise interactive social play with other dogs. Pay special attention if they are wearing a harness. If the harness is too loose, the other dog’s feet can get caught during play and wrestling.
With contributions from IAABC