Favorite Harness?

[CeeEs]

Do I need a special harness for a greyhound?  I have an 11 month old and the neighborhood dog lunged at her twice. Now she’s afraid of other dogs and she’s like Houdini when it comes to slipping her martingale. I think she picked up on my fear- not of the dog but of her getting loose. I want to have better control the next time we meet another dog. 

[MerseyGrey]

We have the Ruffwear Flagline harness which goes over the head and has two clips on either side down the body. It has three points that you can attach a lead to, and a handle on the back for extra control. We love it for our dog.

Should you maybe look at tightening the martingale because it shouldn’t be that easy to escape from! An alternative would be a leather fishtail collar which is well suited for the thick neck and tiny head of a sighthound 

[macoduck]

Is the other dog running loose or on leash? Is the owner with it?

Until you get a harness, keep her walking beside you rather than letting her roam at the end of her leash. Also try shorter walks without being where she encountered the lunging dog. Might help her regain confidence. And yes, she will feel you tensing up. Picture it like your fear of another incident being telegraphed down that leash.

Regarding MerseyGrey's suggestion to check the collar fit:

 

[cleptogrey]

your pup is an adolescent, which can be quite the challenge. you don't need a harness!

stick with a properly fitting martingale. since your dog is young take a look at the 3/4" Lupine Martingale collars. That is my go-to for greyhounds, especially young or smaller GHs. they are guaranteed for life, even if chewed! the thinner the collar the more control you have. i have also started to used a limited slip collar but the martingale is still the safest if adjusted properly and worn high on the neck.  and if you can't sign up for training classes, then do some research on Youtube. there are many excellent videos out there. 

daniel oliver is an excellent trainer who will work with you via video. i recommended him to a friend when she got her 6 month old gh pup. i could give my friends pointers but she really needed a program to stick with and consistent video chats/demos on both her part and the trainers. even though she has had numerous GH in the past a puppy, especially a sighthound puppy is challenging. she has had total success using daniel and i have referred other people who were very very pleased w/ his innate wisdom and experience.  https://www.oliverdogtraining.com/about-us

[HeyRunDog]

It's personal preference but a properly fitting collar should be all you need.  I use a fishtail collar and despite the best efforts of Grace when I first got her (she was frightened by kids playing football in the park) she never slipped it.

 

[CeeEs]

Just looking at the graphic I see her collar is too loose. My other two were soooo chill. Didn’t even worry about them slipping the lead. I may try a thinner martingale or the fishtail. My confidence is high when going next to “scary” things. Just not when she’s slipping the lead. I need to get a handle on this. The closing garage door freaked her out tonight.  I don’t want her her learning to fear random things. 
And thanks for the great advice! 

Edited July 18, 2022 by CeeEs

[CeeEs]

On 7/16/2022 at 5:27 AM, macoduck said:

Is the other dog running loose or on leash? Is the owner with it?

 

The first time it was on a leash. Second time the owner just had it loose in the yard. 

[JenniferS]

My favorite is the Freedom No-Pull Harness from 2Hounds Design. They were originally made to fit a greyhound, have a martingale tightening feature, and soft velvet under the arms. I also attach a coupler from the harness to my dog's martingale collar for added security should he slip out of one. 

[cleptogrey]

the fishtale collars are lovely. i have a few from spain and rarely use them. contact me privately since i might just sell one if you are interested and i have 2 thinner martingales that are not working for my whippets(will sell those cheap). but honestly the thinner martingale will serve your needs. i do have a fishtale that is a choke collar. difficult to find, one collar maker here in the states makes them and only sells them at specialty shows bolduc leather. similar to it is the limited choke collar just fishtale shape. i have a limited choke from E-ZY dog(a work horse of a collar- one of my whippets has super high prey drive and is stronger than a GH) and everyday limited choke collars from fuzzywumpets. 

https://www.amazon.com/EzyDog-Checkmate-Martingale-Style-Training-Correction/dp/B01GH44MLK/ref=sr_1_20?crid=1F2G51RISGE99&dchild=1&keywords=limited%2Bslip%2Bcollar%2Bfor%2Bdogs&qid=1627691875&sprefix=limited%2Bslip%2Bcollar%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-20&th=1    i only use this for walking, works well, but not to be left on.

 

https://www.fuzzywumpets.com/collections/limited-slip-collars/style_everyday-collar+width_1-wide#collection   or their walkers with leash permanently attached are EXCELLENT!!!! they wear well and are soft on the neck.

another option, once your dog stops growing is this https://www.hoganleather.com/store/martingales/padded-limited-choke-collar/

how old and how big is your dog now? 

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by cleptogrey

[Time4ANap]

4 hours ago, JenniferS said:

My favorite is the Freedom No-Pull Harness from 2Hounds Design. They were originally made to fit a greyhound, have a martingale tightening feature, and soft velvet under the arms. I also attach a coupler from the harness to my dog's martingale collar for added security should he slip out of one. 

Will secod this harness if you decide that you need one.  Petunia would often statue on walks and we switched to a harness for better control and to avoid any potential injury that might occur when she got stubborn with a martingale on. The 2Hounds harness was awesome and I could control her whole body as a unit instead of only having control at her neck. 

[FiveRoooooers]

9 hours ago, JenniferS said:

My favorite is the Freedom No-Pull Harness from 2Hounds Design. They were originally made to fit a greyhound, have a martingale tightening feature, and soft velvet under the arms. I also attach a coupler from the harness to my dog's martingale collar for added security should he slip out of one. 

4 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

Will secod this harness if you decide that you need one.  Petunia would often statue on walks and we switched to a harness for better control and to avoid any potential injury that might occur when she got stubborn with a martingale on. The 2Hounds harness was awesome and I could control her whole body as a unit instead of only having control at her neck. 

Third vote for this harness.

[cleptogrey]

do i have the only dog who went totally naked from the velvet?

and the other dog slipped it- yup, on tight and a porta-john truck came barreling down the aisle we were set up at in Brimfield Antique Show. Annie took off  full steam ahead thru all the vendor's tents and aisles to rt 20. she was found in a yard 4+ miles away. thank dog she made a left turn into a residential neighborhood vs. straight to rt90. 

and even with 50 years of canine ownership i still can't manage 2 leads on one dog and another dog at the same time and have full control. 

hence my feelings about harnesses.

[Time4ANap]

3 hours ago, cleptogrey said:

do i have the only dog who went totally naked from the velvet?

and the other dog slipped it- yup, on tight and a porta-john truck came barreling down the aisle we were set up at in Brimfield Antique Show. Annie took off  full steam ahead thru all the vendor's tents and aisles to rt 20. she was found in a yard 4+ miles away. thank dog she made a left turn into a residential neighborhood vs. straight to rt90. 

and even with 50 years of canine ownership i still can't manage 2 leads on one dog and another dog at the same time and have full control. 

hence my feelings about harnesses.

I didn't like using 2 leads on the harness but it was capable of doing so if you needed that kind of control.  We tried that and found that we didn't need it. That 2 Hounds harness also has a center attachment point that lets you use only one lead instead of 2 if you choose. That was all we needed. I don't recall any velvet on it either. I'm pretty sure it was a soft nylon webbing on both sides. 

[queenwinniesmom]

If you do decide to go with a harness, we've always used the ones from Houndstown.  Our 3 Galgo girls from Scooby came with the spook harnesses from Houndstown.  The have an extra strap which makes them really secure for a scared dog who might balk, which they all did when they first came home.  I've felt really confident with these, and they still use them, even though they probably don't need them at this point.  It's just that if Kiva especially, got away, I'd never get her back!

[FiveRoooooers]

12 hours ago, Time4ANap said:

I didn't like using 2 leads on the harness but it was capable of doing so if you needed that kind of control.  We tried that and found that we didn't need it. That 2 Hounds harness also has a center attachment point that lets you use only one lead instead of 2 if you choose. That was all we needed. I don't recall any velvet on it either. I'm pretty sure it was a soft nylon webbing on both sides. 

I just checked our 2Hounds harnesses and they do have the velvet strap that goes under the belly and attaches behind the elbow. None of my many campers were ever bothered by it 

[Time4ANap]

55 minutes ago, FiveRoooooers said:

I just checked our 2Hounds harnesses and they do have the velvet strap that goes under the belly and attaches behind the elbow. None of my many campers were ever bothered by it 

I must have never noticed the velvet if ours had it, so I guess Petunia wasn't bothered by it. Her harness is here somewhere, but we haven't needed it for LaVida, so I will check it out the next time I see it. Thanks. 

[Remolacha]

A little late to the discussion, but I will just add my  A loose martingale is next to useless in controlling a frightened/aggressive/over-active dog, so be sure yours is fitted correctly. I personally found a harness a much better option for my leash reactive 90lb greyhound. I could hold him next to me (which helped calm him) and not worry about him injuring his neck when he leapt around like a fish on the end of the line  I have the 2Hounds harness mentioned above and it worked great. Actually, I had two, but gave one away. They do have velvet, I think so they don’t rub on that fragile greyhound skin. They are somewhat adjustable, but at 11 months your girl will probably grow a bit more. If you call 2Hounds they are very helpful with choosing the size you would need. I have never needed the double leads, pretty sure I am not coordinated enough to manage  but I know some people who have. 
 

All that said, it sounds like a properly fitted martingale might be all you need for now.

[JenniferS]

On 7/18/2022 at 5:54 PM, cleptogrey said:

do i have the only dog who went totally naked from the velvet?

and the other dog slipped it- yup, on tight and a porta-john truck came barreling down the aisle we were set up at in Brimfield Antique Show. Annie took off  full steam ahead thru all the vendor's tents and aisles to rt 20. she was found in a yard 4+ miles away. thank dog she made a left turn into a residential neighborhood vs. straight to rt90. 

and even with 50 years of canine ownership i still can't manage 2 leads on one dog and another dog at the same time and have full control. 

hence my feelings about harnesses.

Regarding the velvet, my most recent greyhound seemed to have sensitivity to a velvet tag collar, but that was on 24/7. I've never had one have sensitivity to it on the harness because they don't wear it for that long.

And you don't need two leashes - there are many alternatives to attaching a harness and martingale using one leash. 2Hounds sells one that has two attachments with one handle,  but it is too short for my liking. Houndstown makes an excellent one with two attachments and one handle. I use a coupler to attach them and then use my regular leash. I wish I could post a picture but GT won't allow me to  

[ramonaghan]

Just chiming in to say in 9 years with Sweep and a velvet tag collar and the 2Hounds harness, no issues with velvet irritating her skin. So far, so good with Doolin and his velvet tag collar and martingale (but we're only 3 weeks in). Every dog is different though!

[CeeEs]

I’m going with a harness. She just reacted to a lone person walking the block. That isn’t what I want for her so for my piece of mind I am just getting one. My confidence will be better if I have control. I have been looking at the 2hounds. She’s been wearing the velvet house collar so I don’t anticipate it rubbing.  
Great advice here. 🙂

[cleptogrey]

19 hours ago, CeeEs said:

I’m going with a harness. She just reacted to a lone person walking the block. That isn’t what I want for her so for my piece of mind I am just getting one. My confidence will be better if I have control. I have been looking at the 2hounds. She’s been wearing the velvet house collar so I don’t anticipate it rubbing.  
Great advice here. 🙂

do contact daniel oliver, his link is my initial post. he is excellent and all will be done on-line. nip this in the butt as they would say, you don't want a reactive dog, especially to people! don't wait!!! 

i have referred other dog owners to him and they all have been very pleased, use my name- andrea w/ lettuce & mango.

Edited July 21, 2022 by cleptogrey