Does your dog run away every time you pick up her harness? (Photo: Weimaraner licking its lips and moving away from camera)
You walk toward your front hall. You haven’t even TOUCHED the harness yet, but your dog has taken off. You’ve blocked off all of her usual hiding places, but she can still fit under the bed and you forgot to close the door. You can’t reach her.
“I have to go to work,” you say to her. You try not to sound frustrated, but your voice betrays you. And then you drop an *F* bomb. Your dog is shaking and scared and now you feel worse because not only is she afraid of the harness, she’s afraid of you too.
If you leave for work, you’ll come back to shredded curtains, pee, and likely a stinky poo as well.
If you stay and wait for her to come out from under the bed, you’ll be late for work again and your boss will probably fire you.
Why does she hide every time you pick up (or go near) her harness?
Have you accidentally taught your dog to run away from you when it’s time to go for a walk? (Photo: chihuahua wearing a harness and leash)
The most likely answer is that your dog never learned how to have her harness put on properly, so she doesn’t enjoy the ritual.
You can be the one to teach her how to ENJOY having her harness put on, but you need to SLOW DOWN.
Don’t teach her when you only have five minutes before you’re going to be late for work. Teach her on your day off and really take your time.
Dogs will only COME to humans who are calm, confident LEADERS.
If your dog views you as her bestie instead of her boss, you need to work on that part of your relationship first.
Does your dog come when called? If not, begin there. Recall saves lives. If she won’t come to you to put her harness on, she won’t come to you when she’s nose-to-nose with an aggressive dog, a porcupine, or an oncoming bus.
Every time your dog comes to you should be a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE for her. This doesn’t mean she gets a steak every time (or a package of hotdogs.)
Right now, every time she comes to you, she gets put into a harness that she doesn’t like wearing. Try sitting down and letting her come to you. Try not being in a rush. Try not getting frustrated at her (or yourself) during the process.
Teaching your dog to come builds trust (Photo: black and white dog runs toward person sitting on the ground)
Teach your dog to become part of the process. Crouch down and wait for your dog to come to you. Do not use the moment they arrive to snatch them up and yank on the harness. Instead, praise them for coming. Be sure to say “Good come,” instead of “Good girl,” so your pup can learn what she did correctly.
Practice “Come” in various parts of your home. Practice calling her while standing up as well. Call her while you’re in a different room from her. Before you know it, you’ll be practicing outside too!
When she begins to learn that coming to you is awesome, you’ll be well on your way to being able to have her come to you while you’re holding the harness.
The more patient you are and the more repetitions you do, the faster your dog will learn.
Let us know in the comments below if you struggle to put on your dog’s harness.
Be kind to yourself and your dog.
Working with animals isn’t easy and it’s okay NOT to know how to do everything correctly. The important thing is you’re here, you’re learning, and you’ll do anything to help your dog have an awesome life. You’ll get there! Keep going!
Alyssa
Photos by: Nathalie SPEHNER@nathalie_spehner (Weimaraner licking its lips and moving away from camera,) Sharon McCutcheon @sharonmccutcheon (chihuahua wearing a harness and leash,) UPSPLASH image (black and white dog runs toward person sitting on the ground)