West Highland Terrier Question – Lead or Harness for my Westie
A really interesting question on the Crazy About Westies forum:
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This isnt really a training problem, more a request for your thoughts. We have always used a collar and lead with Meg but after seeing some of your photos, I am now wondering whether to try her with a harness.
There are occasions where she really pulls on the lead, usually when we are nearly home and she needs to wee, but pulling causes her to choke. Whether she would let us put the harness on or not is a different matter but, I would love to hear your thoughts and any suggestions/advice you may have.
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A harness is much much better if the westie pulls as it does not put pressure on her neck. I hate pulling on Max’s neck. However he’s a little tinker and will not always walk in a harness. Luckily he doesn’t pull much.
He’s a funny mick, he is always strapped into the car with his harness attached to the seatbelt and if we stop for a break on a journey and get him out we attach the lead to the harness and he is fine. but if I try to put the harness n out of the car, at home, to go out for a walk he is having none of it. What a stubborn old westie he is.
Alison
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Jeff Cuckson
Editor
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Carole Said,
September 26, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
We use both a collar and harness for our Westie. It depends on where we are going and what we are doing. Mizti can pull on her lead quite a lot when we first go out, and especially so when we are walking toward the car (she knows!) or there is a person she knows walking towards her. It can be really painful for us to watch her almost choking herself when she is wearing the collar only. The pulling soons wears off and once she has got over her initial excitement, the pulling will stop.
If we are visting another town or going out for a full day, which we often do, we will always put the harness on her. For local walks she often just wears the collar. The choice depends on the type of walk we are doing – a full walk around the streets would be harness, a walk to the field would often be collar.
There are no hard and fast rules for us. There is no discomfort for Mitzi when wearing the harness, but is it not very easy to stroke her when she is wearing it.
Jeff Said,
October 18, 2008 @ 7:13 am
Hi Carole
Many thanks for your valued reply. very much appreciated for taking the time
Jeff