Sense-ible Harness Review

About a month ago, Steven and I bought Shelby a collar in the hopes that it would help train her to be more tolerable on lead. Having grown up with a harness, Shelby learned to pull, because she could. We've tried several harnesses on her: the traditional adjustable harness, the step-in harness, and the Holt no-tug harness. The first two, were not meant to prevent pulling, and of course, Shelby pulled. So I bought the no-tug harness, but Shelby still pulled. So then we tried the big big collar, but Shelby still pulled.

And so my last options were to either live with the embarassment of having my dog walk me, or try the Sense-ible harness.

I ordered a small Sense-ible harness from www.softouchconcepts.com. The harness is unusual in that it attaches to the lead from the front.

Fit is very important for this harness. It has to be snug but not so tight that it rubs. I spent about 10 minutes as Shelby patiently waited for me to adjust the harness, before I realized I had put it on her upside down (Ugh) and had to start over. Again, Shelby waited while I adjusted the straps. (This time, successfully.)

We've only gone on a few walks with the harness, but thus far, I am pleased with the result. Shelby's pulling has dropped dramatically, starting with the first use. This is because if she pulls very hard, the harness forces her to turn, which doesn't get her to where she wants. And it's extremely easy to pull Shelby forward if she is lagging behind, usually to smell something stinky. I must admit that it is sometimes a bit awkward having the lead attach to the front of harness. When Shelby steps over the lead, we have to stop to fix it before continuing our walk. For this reason, I prefer using it with a reatractable lead. (No slack means Shelby doesn't step over the lead.) The upside is that I don't have to exert much force to get Shelby to behave or to steer her on lead. I figure that it's a worthwhile trade off. And since there's little stress on Shelby's collar, I don't need to be as concerned about her injuring herself. She's still not very good on lead, but she's getting better, and at least I won't accidentally hurt her while she's learning to walk on a leash. I  short, more control with less exertion.

I took a little video of me walking Shelby with the new harness. It shows her being “reasonable” on lead, as well as what it looks like when I pull her away from something. View the video.

Some notes about the harness. It costs about $22.00 after taxes, shipping and handling. It's not meant for anything except for walking and training. Not running, not for tie-outs, not for restraining in the car. It can be used for training. Fit is very important, so measure carefully. Shelby was a small, bordering on medium. To minimize the possibility of chafing in her armpits, I'll probably sew a little piece of fleece to the bottom strap.