Simon is a great puppy.  I walk him twice a week for his family.  He is crate trained, knows how to sit and lie down and for the most part he walks pretty well on leash.  His family brings him to my training classes every week and they work hard on his lessons.  I work with him too of course, when we take our walks, but right now, Simon is at that awkward stage where his level of training has been surpassed by his size and strength!  He can't help but forget himself now and again, lunging out out at a passing leaf or a teasing squirrel.  He gets over excited when he sees people on the street, pulling toward them like a freight train. He is young and impulsive - it is completely normal - but wild behavior that was easily controlled or managed when he was 10 weeks old is suddenly not so easy to stop.  This past week he lurched sideways toward the busy road after a fluttering candy wrapper left over from Halloween and it took all my strength to stop him.  Visions of the family's young daughter being pulled into traffic behind him made me shudder and I thought, "Okay, time for a Sensation Harness!"  The Sensation harness made by Soft Touch Concepts is, in my opinion, currently the best management tool on the market to help slow down and redirect hard pullers.  It does not give you the same amount of control as a head halter, but it also doesn't require the lengthy acclimation period.  Let's face it, most dogs don't like the feeling of the head halter on their face, whereas a body harness seems to be well tolerated by most.  The Sensation harness allows you to gently stop your dog's forward momentum.  Once he stops and gives you some attention or comes back close enough to create slack again in the leash you can reward and  move forward - no yanking, no choking, no pain,  just a bit of gentle pressure and redirection of his own force.  It works like a charm.
     Simon is a deep chocolate color.  He has soft, expressive eyes that I could easily get lost in. I am completely smitten with him, as is his own family!  But Simon is pushing five months old and he's gigantic.  Being dragged around by him, even if only occasionally, isn't much fun.  We human's tend to get cranky when our arms are yanked out of their sockets! Until Simon's brain catches up with his body we'll need a little help controlling him on leash.  He is responsive to rewards for walking close (praise, treats, games and toys) but he is a puppy and he loses his mind occasionally!  Using a Sensation Harness will prevent human frustration and anger during those lapses in self control.  It will prevent disaster or injury, but more important it will create an environment of success for both Simon and his walkers.
Come on Simon, "Let's go!"