There is nothing better than a nice fun day out in the park with your dog. Playing a nice game of fetch, enjoying looking at your dog as he curiously wanders about trying to find that pesky little squirrel, and meeting all kinds of people who approach you because they want to get a closer look at your dog.
Of course, the issue with taking your dog outdoors is there is always the possibility that you might lose your dog. You want to find a way to keep your dog with you at all times but still give him all the chances he needs to wander around and enjoy himself.
One good solution is to buy a harness. Most dogs won’t like harnesses right away though, and they will not be able to walk around properly with them. Here are some of the steps that you can take to properly harness-train your dog.
Let The Dog Imprint On The Harness
The first thing you have to do to make sure that your dog gets comfortable with the harness is to have your dog imprint on it. Afterall, the dog will never fully embrace something until he knows that it is safe to use, that it is familiar, and it is something that can actually aid him.
Try giving your dog a treat every time you successfully put the harness on. It is this kind of positive association that allows many dog trainers to teach dogs all kinds of neat tricks, using this technique for the dog to simply see the harness in a positive light will only work to your advantage.
Practice At Home
You are probably aware of the fact that even though dogs seem confident when they are in the outdoors, they actually find the pressure of being around unfamiliar territory and being watched and interacted with by unfamiliar people to be a little bit overwhelming.
That is why it is probably the best idea to first train your dog how to walk in a harness at home, where he is most comfortable. If your dog is able to master the harness in an environment that doesn’t feel hostile towards him, then he will be ready to do it outdoors.
Keep Your Dog Fed and Hydrated
Of course one of the most detrimental things to training your dog on how to do anything is the odds that your dog might be hungry or thirsty. When you do not feed and hydrate your dog sufficiently, not only will your dog not have the focus to try to learn a new thing, your dog probably won’t have the energy to do it, to begin with.
Make sure you feed your dog before every practice session and before every walk. Let his mind focus on the task at hand and not on finding a meal.
Repeat
Once you have made all of these steps, the most important thing is just to repeat. Like everything else teaching your dog how to walk in a harness is not going to be an overnight process. It is going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of repetition on the dog’s part and a lot of patience and understanding on your part.
Make sure that with every piece of progress that your dog is able to achieve, you never forget his reward. The more you reward your dog with a treat after every milestone — the more adept he will be at learning new things. Remember a Harness walking kit package for dogs can easily be found online.
That is how you train your dog how to harness-train your dog the right way! Practice makes perfect but once you and your dog nail the process down, enjoying the outdoors will never be easier.