All about Tyke...

Tyke is now three years old and fully grown. He is a little on the big side for an American cocker spaniel and is just a little bit taller than the rest of them. He is a little bit more solidly built too and at about forty pounds is quite a handful. He is compact and strong and he has a powerful chest and legs. He always pulls when he is on the leash and I have a hard time controlling him.

I just recently heard that when you put a harness on a dog, this stops the amount of pulling they do on the leash, so this morning  I rode my bike over to the pet store and bought one. I got one that you slip on with one click of the button. It's very easy to use. Unfortunately, when I came home and tried it on Tyke, it turned out to be just too small.

This meant that I had to walk to the pet store with him to get the proper size. Of course, to him that meant an adventure, but it is what I should have done in the first place. He turned out to need a large size harness if it was adjusted on the smallest setting and we walked out of the store with it on.

The difference was immediate. He didn't pull at the leash. He even walked beside me like he had never done before. The walk home was a pleasure and I even made a detour to make it longer because my arm wasn't being pulled out of the socket.

After we'd been home for a while, I decided to get a better look at the harness to see how it had been put together and Tyke immediately got up from his nap and was ready to have it put on and go out for a walk again. So we did.

I hadn't realized how much fun it is to go for a walk with a dog who doesn't pull at the leash. It changes the whole experience. Tyke has turned into a relaxed dog who only has to stop at trees and bushes now and then to do a piddle. I no longer am being pulled down the sidewalk in a hurry.

So if you have a dog who pulls at the leash, get it a harness. It will save you a lot of aggrevation and the poor dog won't have that collar choke it's neck all the time. It makes for a happy dog and a happy you.

And they lived happily ever after...

Ciao,
Irene