In our previous post about a Harnessing Station, we discussed in detail how to set up a Harnessing Station for dogs who really struggle with the process of getting a harness put on them. That post/video was about Blitzen. He is VERY sensitive about handling issues.

In this video, I discuss how to get a harness on a dog who does not love things going over their heads. This video focuses more specifically on getting your dog to put his head through the harness.

Most dogs are not quite as extreme as Blitzen, so this post is about Zooka. Zooka also does not LOVE getting his harness on. Once it is on, he's completely happy with it and loves going for walks with it on. But getting it on is a bit stressful for Zooka as well. As you will see in this video.

Zooka used to avoid me when the harness came out. He would stay nearby but kept moving to stay just out of reach. We have a Harnessing Station set up for Zooka and Blitzen in the dog kitchen, but in this video, I am demonstrating elsewhere so there's more space for you to see that first step of the process, getting the harness over the head.

What we are really doing is NOT putting the harness over the head. We are teaching our dogs to put their head through the harness. Does that seem like the same thing? It is not!

Let me repeat it. We are not putting the harness over the dog's head.

We are teaching the dog to put his head through the harness.

There is a big difference there. We are teaching our dogs how to participate in the process and MAKE THE CHOICE to engage with the harness. If I hold out the harness and Zooka places his head through the harness, then it was his choice. I did not force the harness over his head. He can avoid and refuse to stick his head in the harness. (Of course, he might not get to go for a walk, but that's his choice.)

Watch Zooka's body language closely in this video. How many stress signals can you pick out? Yes, there are several. I normally do not get that many when we are actually harnessing up for our walk and are at our Harnessing Station. There are more stress signals here because we are in a different setting and things are a bit changed up for demo purposes so it's easier for you to see.

In addition to seeing how he chooses to participate, you can also see the signs of his anxiety so that it's easier for you to keep an eye out for similar signs in your own dog. When you see these, slow things down. I was doing this only for demo purposes so that you can see it. But I do not normally allow that many signs of stress when actually working with Zooka and harnessing him up.

If  your dog is not completely comfortable about getting a harness (or other equipment) put on, think about how you can help your dog to participate more in the process and reduce the stress. In most cases, this means breaking it down into smaller steps.

Set your dog up for success!