At what age can a dog start wearing a harness?

An anti-pull harness is a great option. My little German Shepherd used to pull like crazy – to the point where I was actually scared to walk her in town, and I’d always come home with my back absolutely killing me. I ended up buying a front-clip anti-pull harness, and honestly, it’s been a real game-changer! Of course, it’s not a magic fix; she still pulls a bit when she spots something or gets over-excited, but no harness or collar can fix that on its own. It’s all about training, and I’m still working on that with her.

So, an anti-pull harness is a big help, but it’s not the whole story; you’ve still got to put the work in with lead training! :)

@Fredoo69, yes, we’re planning to do some canicross and bikejoring with him as soon as he’s old enough and the vet gives us the go-ahead. I tried taking him out for a bike ride once where he wasn't on a lead, and he very quickly realised he was supposed to run in front of me :)

We’ve been working on his lead training for four months now and I’m not seeing any progress, so I’m starting to get worried. I’m going to start taking him to dog training classes in August, but I’m tempted to try a no-pull harness in the meantime...

You can have different gear for sports and for loose lead training sessions :-)

I was working on the assumption that for walking on a lead, you definitely don’t want to encourage the dog to pull or increase their pulling power, especially as the owner is being dragged along at the end. A Border x Husky cross...

Mind you, there’s also the no-pull harness. I reckon the reason my vet advised against those is because he’s probably noticed that people who get that kind of kit tend to rely on the "mechanical" side of how it works and give up on the actual training.

I’m with @Energiesolaire on this one.

I prefer a harness, as it protects their neck. But whether you choose a collar or a harness, nothing beats proper training to make walks with your dog more enjoyable. Don't hesitate to stop every time your dog pulls, saying "stop". You can also teach them to walk to heel using little bits of cheese or sausage.

Plus, don't forget that your dog is a Husky cross, so they’ll naturally love to pull. I hope you've considered trying canicross or bikejoring. A Border-Husky mix definitely has heaps of energy to burn!

This is one of those many vet recommendations that I’ve never understood, and of course, I’ve never even been tempted to follow it. It’s just ridiculous, in my opinion.

If there’s one part of my dog’s anatomy that I’ve wanted to protect, it’s definitely her neck. So, I only started walking her on a collar from about one year old. :)

A good harness distributes any impact. Firstly, it keeps those jolts away from the dog’s neck and moves the pressure further down towards the shoulders. Obviously, we don’t want any jolts at all; we don’t want to hurt the dog. Every single part of their body is still growing. We don’t want to hurt their shoulders or legs, but for me? Even less so the neck! :)

For my girl, between 10 weeks and a year old, I went through three harnesses. She was just in a standard harness until she was about 6 or 7 months old. From then on, I got her a front-clip harness (which she still has, actually), and I’d attach the lead to the front sometimes. These days, I rarely use a harness because I don’t expect many sudden jolts anymore. They’re very rare. However, if I want to work on the 'STOP' command, which involves using a long lead with sharp stops, I obviously put her in a sturdy harness. I’ll only use a collar if I’m certain the dog won't pull, won't choke herself, and that there won't be any impact.