Readers of Mom’s blog know that we are a family of dog lovers. While at Mom’s its all about the beagles, here at my house we are in love with our yellow labs, Bruce and Tony.
These big guys take a lot of maintenance. As Bruce (14 months old) gets bigger we have nearly 200 pounds of dogs to care for! That means more food, bigger kennels, and constant vaccumming. I wouldn’t change it for anything… but keeping up with them can be a challenge.
Tony is naturally the “perfect” dog. He only ever had one accident in our home, he has never been kenneled, and is very well-mannered. He is very caring and loves all people and animals, especially the guinea pigs at school where he is a therapy dog.
Bruce… not so much. While he is the perfect dog for me, he is very much a “Marley and Me” type of lab. He has destroyed all of Tony’s beloved stuffed animals, three shelves of books, and most any cardboard he can get by with. As a puppy he swallowed a baby bunny whole. He is hyper, he barks, and he doesn’t understand his size.
Because we live in a small home, and because of Bruce’s energy, it is important that “the boys” get regular walks. But as Bruce gets bigger, walks have went from fun, to challenging, to impossible.
Luckily I found a great product on Amazon that has changed our walks COMPLETELY! These harnesses fit around the dog’s chests and front legs. The ring to attach a leash is actually on their front. When the dogs pull away, the loop tightens around their front legs. It is uncomfortable for them and makes it hard for them to run. As long as the dogs keep the leashes loose they can trot along comfortably.
I joke now that the boys just trot along like draft horses. Now we can all enjoy our walks and harness some of that big dog energy.
I couldn’t see the harnesses on Ammazon but it looks like the EasyWalk harness I use with my two German Shepherds who weigh 85 pounds each. That harness is a wonder! The dogs understood immediately how to walk comfortably for me! Even a squirrel running in front of them is not a problem. Walking them is a real pleasure now.
I wish the link worked – I want one of those! My dog (8 month old St.Bernard) is getting HUGE and is a challenge on a leash!
Just updated the link… Hope it helps!
Link works! Looks like a great idea for a dog that wants to go his own way!! Your boys are beautiful!!
We have an 85 #golden doodle. I so understand the pulling issue with walks. We found the gentle leader. It works wonders. It pulls their nose down a s they pull and reminds you of a pony halter. It works so well that kids can take the big dog for a walk without u t problems.
Cool! I’ll have to order one of those for our Samoyed. He loves people and when he sees another dog, he digs in like the sled dog he is. We have been able to control him, but he is strong. I chuckled about Bruce eating books. A few months after getting Zuko, he chewed up the book about Samoyed dogs that the breeder had given us!