using harness
 

i am having problems trying to get my boy 12 weeks old to wear a harness he wont let me put it on just freaks out and screams other than that hes a sweety, any advice would be appreciated :confused:

What kind of harness is it? Step-in? Or one you have to pull over the head??
Toki doesn't like things pulled over her head and it's much easier to hold her and get her 2 paws through a couple of holes and snap/buckle her in. Step-ins are easier for me (I know other users have the opposite experience though).

Either way, just be persistent and give treats and lots of love and praise after managing to get the harness on! I want to say that after a couple of days of putting on/taking off a harness, Toki stopped trying to flail her little front arms and squirm away while I was putting her harness on. Now she knows a harness means that it's time for a walky walk! Eventually your boy will know that a harness means outside playtime and walks!

Good luck! And let's see some pictures!

Try this and see how it works - Put it on him anyway, give him a treat and then take it off. Try that a few times and then after that, eventually work it up to having it on a minute or two longer. Keep increasing the time with it on after the treat & most likely he won't mind the harness at all. As long as it is fitting him properly anyway.

I have tried both types , over the head and step in he doesn't like either of them, he will be able to go out next week don't fancy trying a collar I prefer a harnes wondered if any one in the UK has any ideas on the best harness available over here, I know there are more available overseas .my problem is getting one that fits and is comfortable most are really bulky , he is weighing around 3lbs bought a puppia one but didn't fit well .

Maybe try setting the harness on the floor and give him a treat when he goes near it or put treats next to it so he has to go to the harness to get the treat. If the harness is not to tight and he is not hurting himself when he freaks out you could try just putting it on him and trying to distract him from it buy either taking him for a walk or giving him treats. It can take them a little while to get used to collars and harnesses because they are not used to having anything on.

Has he ever worn any clothes such as a t-shirt? If he tolerates light clothing he may accept a vest style harness. There are many vendors who create and sell light harnesses that are more like an article of clothing. Also you could try bringing him outside and then putting on a harness (get a friend to help) hopefully he will be so interested in the outdoors that it will distract him and he won't put up as much of a fight. Once he is able to explore he may forget about it. Good luck I am positive that you will find a solution :)

thanks for advice i have now managed to get the harness on but think i need to see what other harnes's are available dont think the one i have got is the best sort :thinking:

Hello there. I'm from Scotland. I bought a kitten harness from pets at home for my two at first cause the puppia one I bought was too big. You can get a buddy belt from amazon uk. These are great and very discreet. Lily hates getting a harness on and still runs away Shen she sees me pick it up but I persevere cause it's better for her to wear it. Once the buddy belts on she forgets all about it. I leave it on most of the day so I don't need to take it off and on. It doesn't rub it mat her cost. She's nearly 6 months now. I got the size 2 but I don't think it will fit much longer. I ordered mine from the U S but I had to pay customs in it do it worked out about £43. That's before someone started selling them on Amazon. Hope this I'd useful to you. Eileen

:) thankyou will take a look :animal36

I use a fabric harness (like in the picture). It velcros in the front and underneath. It has a d-ring on top. It goes on in seconds. There was a short time when he didn't want me to put it on, but I rewarded him everytime for a while. Now he loves it. He knows when I get the harness and leash, he gets to go for a walk or a ride in the car. We use it everyday.

I hated the buckle harnesses. They were often too big and too much trouble to get on the dog. I even bought a couple of expensive ones. Now I just stick to the velcro harnesses. I make my own. There are several people on this site who make them to sell with the same design I use.

Good luck with your efforts!

Buddy belt
 

Sorry my mistake. Is eBay not amazon. They come from someone in Manchester.

Sprocket did not like the harness at first either but I'm such a scardy cat, and for us it was a security issue. I use the over the head kind it provides the security if there is the need to grab him up away from some other little person, place or thing, you know, fill in your own blank danger. For us it's generally an other dog or a kid. But that type of harness is secure and I can grab him up and protect him but it did take some getting used to. Good luck on your choice.

funny I posted this same problem with my 12 week old last week. But I kept trying, she was wiggling and getting one leg out while I was trying to buckle the harness on top, finally I just held her tight until she quite wiggling, (it takes alot of energy to wiggle that hard, she had to stop eventually) when she did stop the wiggling I got it buckled and put the leash on and off we went. That was last week. For the last (2) days of this week, when she sees the harness in my hand, she goes to the corner and lays down, but I pick her up and put her on my lap (while I'm sitting on the floor), and believe it or not, she didn't struggle at all!!! Yesterday I put it on (3) times and we went out for short walks, with no struggle at all. I was so shocked that she finally gave in. I got a harness similiar to the buddy belt, but its called 'scrappy pet harness'. I got it on Amazon.com. It is really soft leather, you might want to check it out. Or just go to Amazon and put in a search for scrappy pet. Worked for me, I am so proud of her, now this morning when we went out, she was running next to me I could hardly keep up with her little legs. LOL! Good Luck, cause our pups are about the same age.

Maybe he just needs to get used to it? Dexter now lifts his paws up for me when I put his harness on, it's so cute :D

Oliver does the same thing. When I first used a harness he hated it, cried, rolled around tried to chew it off. I got a step in harness, he did better.

Now I ask if he wants to go bye-bye and get it out, he lifts paws up for me and then puts them down, lowers head so I can velcro and secure D clips.

They eventually get use to it, stay calm and make it fun.