Sensation Or Freedom Harness?

[Guest brit1]

Have been using the EZ walk harness but a trainer told me its not the best as it stretches and to get either the Sensation or Freedom harness. Do any of you have experience with either one? Just not sure which one to order brit

[OwnedBySummer]

I have the Wiggles Wags and Whiskers "Classic" harness vs the "Freedom" harness. I have no need for the secondary front hookup on the Freedom harness, even though connecting to it is entirely optional. I love the velvet wrapping on the girth straps and the fit is perfect. The martingale control is also something I like. I've never tried the Sensation harness, nor have I ever seen anyone using it. There is no martingale control on it and there's not very much to it. I wouldn't feel secure putting a greyhound into the Sensation harness.

 

Edit: Don't pay attention to the harness in my siggy, that's just a cheap PetSmart harness that I used while I was figuring out which harness I wanted. But now that I think about it, I'd rather use the PetSmart harness than the Sensation harness! Can you tell that I don't think too much of the pictures that I was able to google?

Edited May 29, 2011 by OwnedBySummer

[greyhndz]

The Sense-ible harness is made by the people who make Sensation. It's a little less expensive, but otherwise there's no difference. It's a marvelous harness, especially for pullers or dogs who need a painless reminder to walk nicely. It worked immediately for my very strong galgo - a dog hard to place in Spain because he was a terrible puller. It's comfortable and stress-free. It works similarly to Easy-Walk (Premier) but I found Easy-Walk has a buckle on the girth that falls right behind the elbow -- that looked like a sore waiting to happen. But Easy Walk works for my iggies.

 

Sense-ible is a great harness, and I have only good things to say about it.

 

[buddibear]

Ditto on the Wiggles Wags Whiskers harness. My spook would turn into a bucking bronco when a motorcycle or something out of the blue would run by. Crossing a busy parking lot at Petco was an issue before the harness. He would statue in a traffic lane , I could pick up on the harness feature and carry the front end like a suitcase. I won't walk him without it.It has held up well for 2 yrs and I like the velvet under strap on his naked belly.

[duncan41]

I luv, love, LOVE my WWW harness! Not only does it control my stronger-than-an-ox Anna, but there is absolutely no evidence of rubbing thanks to the velvet covering. She is walked 4 times a day and we have had absolutely no issues.

[kudzu]

Definitely the Freedom harness over the Sensation though the Sensation is definitely better than the EZ Walk. The problem with these harnesses is one of restricting the dogs movement. No I don't mean restricting them from pulling. I mean restricting the way their muscles are designed to move. All of them push into the dogs muscles when they move. EZ Walk is likely the worst with that danged martingale loop in the front. It's unnecessary, pinching the dog's shoulders together & really presses into their shoulder muscles a lot. The Sensation & Sense-ible harnesses are a vast improvement over the EZ Walk but still effect the dogs movement even with the leash completely slack. (Ask Dr Chris Zink about this if you don't believe me.)

 

The Freedom is the least restrictive of the three. Of the no pull harnesses it seems the best of the bunch. It does press higher up but not across those biggest muscle groups like the others. Definitely go with the Freedom harness & ditch that EZ Walk.

[GeorgeofNE]

I have a Wiggles, Wags, and Whiskers harness too, and it's great. However, if pulling is the issue, then a harness is actually counter productive. There's a reason sled dogs wear harnesses to pull...

 

For a spook, nothing beats a harness. But I think they're terrible for training purposes, unless your dog has a neck injury or some other reason a traditional, properly fitted martingale can't be used.

[kudzu]

I have a Wiggles, Wags, and Whiskers harness too, and it's great. However, if pulling is the issue, then a harness is actually counter productive. There's a reason sled dogs wear harnesses to pull...

Am guessing that your WWW harness is not be the Freedom harness. Freedom harnesses have a front ring for leash attachment. This is helps a handler whose physical abilities are not up to the dogs strength of pulling. That is most definitely not counter productive. I also disagree that harnesses in general encourage pulling. That is not true any more that snapping a leash onto a collar encourages pulling. The dog has more leverage with a harness but that still does not train them to pull. People allow dogs to pull & need education so they can train their dogs to walk properly. The only problem comes in when a dog is simply too powerful for the handler's physical abilities. In that case something like the Freedom harness can be very helpful by giving the handler the control needed to have a chance to properly train the dog.

[krissy]

I use the WWW harness as well, but only for hiking as I use an 8 foot lead to give him more freedom to sniff around. I didn't want any pulling on his neck in case the line got caught on something, or in the unlikely event that he gives chase. Also it keeps him from stepping over his leash and having it between his legs since the line is so long. The leash is also tied around my waist (which makes the slack only about 6.5 ft or so for him to work with) and gives more security because it can't be accidentally ripped out of my hand.

 

For regular walking we just use a martingale and 4ft leash.

[2hounds]

Obviously I am biased (I own Wiggles Wags and Whiskers and we make the Freedom harness )

 

But here are the differences -

 

the Freedom harness has the swiss velvet lining on the underside of the harness, which helps prevent rubbing and chafing sores behind the front legs.

 

Also, it sits higher up on the chest in the front, which is a better fit and does not restrict movement. It also has a front AND back connection, so you can connect to the front and back of the harness at the same time.

 

You will hear from some trainers that a back only connection harness encourages pulling - however, we have a martingale on the back of the harness, which acts as a gentle feedback mechanism when the dog pulls. BUT the best part about it is that front and back connection - and APDT and CPDT trainers both like this because it allows you to steer your dog like using the reins on a horse. Lee Charles Kelley (author of several books and the "original" dog whisperer before Cesar Milan stole the term from him) says the front and back connection gives you a shared center of gravity with your dog and allows a very small framed person to control a very strong dog with very little effort.

 

Alternatively, you can use only the front connection on our harness if you wish. This will help discourage pulling in the same way that the front connection on the easywalk or sensation discourages pulling - the difference is that our strap is up higher so it doesn't restrict movement as much.

 

Hopefully this makes sense - and if you have any questions, you are welcome to email or call anytime.