# Easy Walk Harness vs. Martingale Collar



## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

Charlie is only 7 mo so we’re still working on leash training, but overall he walks very nicely. The exception is when we’re walking past the street where all his friends live (it sounds silly I know!). One neighbor hosts play dates in her yard 2x/week and there’s another puppy we get together with who also lives on the same street so it’s basically party town for Charlie. If we need to walk down this street or past the street he pulls and strangles himself. I’m also having trouble going for hikes with him because he gets so excited that all he wants to do is run and I worry he’s doing damage to his throat. Otherwise, walking in our neighborhood he’s very good about adjusting his pace to match mine and gets treats for heeling. He’s great about walking past dogs that don’t want to say hi or are barking at him from their yards, it’s just hard to motivate him with treats when he’s much more excited about the possibility of playing with his friends. 

Anyway, the obedience class I had him in a couple months ago encouraged us to use martingale collars, so that’s what I’ve been using, but I feel bad when he chokes himself. A neighbor suggested I use an easy walk harness. I’ve usually shied away from harnesses since I’ve read they can promote pulling, but this one is supposed to discourage pulling. Does anyone have experience with this harness? I’ve read mixed reviews but it seems that people who were unhappy with it may not have had it fitted properly for their dog.


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

I use an easy walk with Ranger unless I am specifically working with him while we're out and he's in a flat collar. I'm happy with it; definitely stopped pulling (except when he needs to do giant leaps and spins when something oh so super exciting is near).


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

The most common use of a Martingale is to prevent dogs from backing out of their collars, especially breeds with necks larger than their heads, like sighthounds. Otherwise, they really aren't much different from a standard flat collar.

There are a number of different front-attach / no-pull harnesses available. I have an Easy Walk and wouldn't buy it again as it doesn't seem to fit my dog correctly and the straps tend to loosen as we walk (that could be a problem with other harnesses, too, though). The Freedom No Pull harness is often mentioned favorably.


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## Arya of House Stark (Jan 14, 2014)

I've used both at the same for Zoe as per the advice of the trainer.The leash I have has two clips, one for the Martingale and the other for the harness. I like the Martingale because it sits lower on her neck and doesn't aggravate her eartip wounds, plus she can't back out of it and escape.

I do like the Easy Walk harness but I feel like I constantly have to re-adjust it and I'd never use it without the Martingale and the leash I got from the trainer. Make it too loose and Zoe can slip out, make it too tight and she gets skin irritations from the belly band.

Esme just uses a regular Four Paws harness, but she's older and doesn't really pull.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

I just noticed that someone else recently posted a thread asking for harness recommendations. Their thread didn't come up since I was specifically searching the forum for the Easy Walk Harness. They ended up with this harness http://www.julius-k9.us/idcinnovadogcomfort-p-3.html which looks very comfortable and high quality. Thank you also for your suggestions.

We always just used flat collars with my previous dog so I had no idea there were so many options! I've literally steered away from harnesses since I'd heard that they encourage pulling... who'd have thought there were so many "no pull" options. I feel as though I've been living under a rock. I'd really like to get something that doesn't put so much pressure on his trachea when he does pull so I think I'll make the switch and continue with loose leash training.

Thank you!


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

I responded to you in my thread but I would also recommend the sensation harness to help with pulling (the straps are thinner than the julius k9 so may be better for long hair?). I've tried the easy walk but wasn't a fan. I use a martingale in combination with the sensation harness. I clip the leash to the collar and harness to prevent the harness from slipping. You could use the harness on it's own though. I just got the julius k9 today so i haven't tested it out on walks yet to see if it encourages or discourages pulling.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

When we first adopted Duke we tried out a No Pull harness with him, it is a Control Ease and it did not inhibit his pulling in the least. I don't think it works quite the same as other no pull harnesses but I don't really know, it is really the same as most basic harnesses except it has a ring front and back and the leash has two clips. You clip to both to make the dog feel unbalanced when he pulls. Didn't even slow him down. I don't know why we chose this one vs Easy Walk, maybe that was the one we found or maybe it was the one suggested to us by some one at the store, it was 7 years ago and I'm lucky if I remember what I did 3 weeks ago. He actually wound up reasonably easy to train for loose leash with a little incentive. I do walk him on a martingale because his neck is thick and his head is boxy (he's an American Bulldog). But he wouldn't run even if he got loose. 

I do not find that martingales work for heavy pullers. My Carolina Dog is a wild man right now (going through some "teenage" stuff) and the martingale just doesn't cut it for him. I use a Gentle Leader on him. We are always working towards loose leash but right now he is just too wild when he sees people or hears dogs. I've considered the Easy Walker because I don't love the head halter.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Easy Walk works great for heavy pullers, but only if it is properly fitted. The front strap should rest just a bit under the neck and a bit over the shoulder blades. If not fitted, it will not work.

I use the Easy Walk for my fosters if they don't come trained to walk loose leash. The Freedom No Pull harness works great too 

Just remember that you should still work on LLW. The Easy Walk will help you control your dog better but it will not stop him from trying to pull.


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## Darrin Greene (Mar 26, 2014)

Look up counter conditioning and desensitization training. Keep the martingale and simply make a 90 degree turn when pup tries to pull. All a no pull harness does is apply leash pressure in a sideways direction, pulling pup slightly off balance and turning him toward you. You don't need the gimick though, making a 90 degree turn will do the same thing.

Also, pretty simple strategy is to stop and stand still when he wants to pull. No forward movement allowed on a tight leash.

You know where he's going to do it. It's simple to counteract.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

Darrin Greene said:


> Look up counter conditioning and desensitization training. Keep the martingale and simply make a 90 degree turn when pup tries to pull. All a no pull harness does is apply leash pressure in a sideways direction, pulling pup slightly off balance and turning him toward you. You don't need the gimick though, making a 90 degree turn will do the same thing.
> 
> Also, pretty simple strategy is to stop and stand still when he wants to pull. No forward movement allowed on a tight leash.
> 
> You know where he's going to do it. It's simple to counteract.


This is actually how I've trained him to generally walk well... lots of stopping or turning around as we learned in obedience class. There are just some high excitement situations we're still working through and I'd rather him not strangle himself in the process. It's hard when all the other neighborhood dogs are walking past while we're constantly stopping when he pulls. We're making progress, it's just been slow. He's also learned who is going to be strict walking with him and if anyone else walks him he takes advantage so it would be handy to have something that aids in preventing the pulling for when my parents dog sit for instance.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions! I'll have to do some research to sort through all the recommendations.

Jade5280, you'll have to know what you think of the julius! I have no idea if thinner straps would be better or worse with the longer fur. The wider straps seem like they'd be more comfortable in general since the pressure is more evenly distributed. It also looks like good quality material... it better be for that price!


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

pinksand said:


> This is actually how I've trained him to generally walk well... lots of stopping or turning around as we learned in obedience class. There are just some high excitement situations we're still working through and I'd rather him not strangle himself in the process. It's hard when all the other neighborhood dogs are walking past while we're constantly stopping when he pulls. We're making progress, it's just been slow. He's also learned who is going to be strict walking with him and if anyone else walks him he takes advantage so it would be handy to have something that aids in preventing the pulling for when my parents dog sit for instance.
> 
> Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions! I'll have to do some research to sort through all the recommendations.
> 
> Jade5280, you'll have to know what you think of the julius! I have no idea if thinner straps would be better or worse with the longer fur. The wider straps seem like they'd be more comfortable in general since the pressure is more evenly distributed. It also looks like good quality material... it better be for that price!


Have you tried attaching the leash to a harness and a collar?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Definitely look into a harness, that Julius looks great. You can train LLW on any tool so long as the dog cannot pull you over.

Max has long feathers and hates wearing a harness. His fur does make little fur balls inside the adjustment loops, perhaps it is sticking in there and getting pulled out? This is a cheap store bought harness with straps only. The easy walk kind of harnesses are all thin nylon braid with rings that might trap long hair.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

I ended up purchasing a Freedom Harness and am very happy with it so far! The woman in the store let me try it out and helped me fit him. The Julius is something I'd like to purchase down the road, but the freedom harness is great so far!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

If he's choking himself on a martingale, then I would try a harness. Anything that clips to the front is going to decrease pulling because the dog can't get leverage. I've used an Easy Walk and I don't like how it restricts my dog's movement. Now I use a standard harness which also has a ring on the front - it gives me the option to attach to the back if he's walking well, or switch to the front if he's overstimulated and pulling. I don't have the freedom harness, but I like the design so I hope it works for you guys.

And it's sort of a myth that harnesses promote pulling. Yes, they make it more comfortable for the dog to pull (by not putting pressure on the throat), but without training a dog can pull on just about any collar. If the dog is going to pull anyway, it's much safer for them to pull in a harness as pulling on a collar can cause trachea damage.


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## pinksand (Dec 11, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> If he's choking himself on a martingale, then I would try a harness. Anything that clips to the front is going to decrease pulling because the dog can't get leverage. I've used an Easy Walk and I don't like how it restricts my dog's movement. Now I use a standard harness which also has a ring on the front - it gives me the option to attach to the back if he's walking well, or switch to the front if he's overstimulated and pulling. I don't have the freedom harness, but I like the design so I hope it works for you guys.
> 
> And it's sort of a myth that harnesses promote pulling. Yes, they make it more comfortable for the dog to pull (by not putting pressure on the throat), but without training a dog can pull on just about any collar. If the dog is going to pull anyway, it's much safer for them to pull in a harness as pulling on a collar can cause trachea damage.


It's frustrating how much misinformation is out there! I'd learned that from his obedience class  It was nice to walk him around the store without the sounds of strangulation. The store is one setting where he could care less about treats because he'd much rather say hi to this person or that dog. He did very well on this harness.


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## Hector4 (Sep 16, 2013)

elrohwen said:


> And it's sort of a myth that harnesses promote pulling. Yes, they make it more comfortable for the dog to pull (by not putting pressure on the throat), but without training a dog can pull on just about any collar. If the dog is going to pull anyway, it's much safer for them to pull in a harness as pulling on a collar can cause trachea damage.


I like this. It's all in the approach and training.


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