I have 2 dogs, 4 & (almost) 14. Both of them don’t like walking with collar and leash, and I personally don’t like that either because I don’t want to pull on their neck if I have to give a gentle yank or they run a little ahead of me. So, I’ve opted for a harness.
My 4 year old is an angel. She sits on my lap and will actively stuck her head in the head hole to put it on when I’m getting her ready. When we come inside and it’s time to take the harness off, she patiently allows me to take it off before she goes off on her merry way.
My 14 year old, on the other hand, is a devil. When I get her on my lap, she will fight me. Sometimes she lets me put it over her head but then loses it while I’m trying to buckle it, wiggling and jumping away. When we come back, her body language is just fear. Her ears are all the way back, she pulls and resists when I want to take it off of her. After a giant fight to get it off, The second I unbuckle it, she’s violently wiggling her head out before running away.
The 14 year old has always worn a harness and has never reacted this way, only starting this issue maybe within the past year.
The harness is not too small or too tight. Nothing of significance ever happens while on a walk where she might be getting hurt. Just a standard sniff, pee, poop walk. I’m never aggressive or abusive in any way, so I’m not sure what the issue is. She’s in perfectly good health - she just had a physical this weekend and her vet is pleased with her overall health for how old she is. I’m the only one who walks them so I’m there to see everything that goes on. She’s perfectly fine otherwise. It’s just this harness.
Is there a different type of harness I can get for her or something I can do to make this entire situation less frustrating?
tl;dr: Dog suddenly fearful of harness despite nothing ever happening. I stupidly didn’t think to ask the vet at her annual about this. What do?
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/u/spongeboobsquarpants [link] [comments]