Seriously my dog hates his harness and won't walk!!!

WaltsMom

New member
Jun 19, 2016
53
1
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Walt
Ok, im new! Thankful to have a place to chat with fellow bully owners, hello!

So, here's the deal. We got Walt at 3 months and got a harness from petsmart, and he would not walk. You would have to pull him. He will plop down. Or lay down. And you can drag him across the floor, he wont get up. So even though all over online said no collar, we switched to a collar anyway. And boom he walked! However now, he is much stronger at 6 months. When he saw a dog once my husband pretty much chocked him to the point that he threw up because he tried to get the dog. So we put the harness back on. We dont want him to get hurt. But how that the harness is back on, he is stubborn again! Sitting, laying down, wont walk down the stairs unless i pull, hard, etc.

He only really starts walking when we take long walks and we are sort of running. He has to get going though. It has to be on his terms. Does anyone know how to get him to stop sitting, laying down and being so dominant when im just trying to take him to his potty place?!?

Any tricks are much appreciated and no he hasnt gone through formal obedience training yet although we've taught him some things.
 

RiiSi

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 30, 2011
5,014
535
Sysmä
Country
Finland
Bulldog(s) Names
Taisto, Kylli, Salli, Angel-Usko and Angel-Voitto
No amount of pulling or dragging will make him walk with a harness or without it, if he doesn't want to. You need to tempt and entice him to move, not force. Find out what makes HIM tick and you're on the right track with all kinds of obedience training.
 
OP
WaltsMom

WaltsMom

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Jun 19, 2016
53
1
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USA
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Walt
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Thanks guys! This is very helpful. We're on our way to get more treats and a clicker. I've been mainly using his fromm food for training and maybe thats the issue
 

TROUBLEMAKER

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Jun 19, 2016
1
0
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USA
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TROUBLE MAKER
I have recorded cookie jar noise on my phone. He runs like a rabbit, I am thinking of entering him in greyhound race. :) His "easy walker" harness does fall a little bit over his front joints and slows him down, but sound of a cookie jar makes him run for his treats. I am looking for better harness for him, this is his third one. I didn't find any specifically made for bullies, but positive reinforcement definitely helps.
 

Frith

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Mar 15, 2016
291
11
ME
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Frith
Thanks guys! This is very helpful. We're on our way to get more treats and a clicker. I've been mainly using his fromm food for training and maybe thats the issue

for training we were supposed to get five or so different treats...each has a different value to the dog...high value treats fr hard tasks, like come.
 

BREWBADGER

Member
Mar 5, 2016
60
1
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
Vader and Reya
Cattle Prod... Just joking.. even thou I could use one on some days:whistle:... Vader can just be stubborn, harness or no harness.
 

helsonwheels

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2016
13,064
2,367
Alberta
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Nyala, Jake (R.I.P. Duke)
Leave the harness on for 24hrs..

I always have Nyala on a harness. Went to my son's today and DH didn't clip the harness in the truck but clip her on the collar instead. Welll guess what..... Door truck was OPEN, Nyala clipped in the truck waiting ONLY 2 minutes max, well next thing you know she's was standing in front of us without her collar. I freaked out cause it's a F150 and she could of snap her neck or hang there and hung herself! Man did DH get an ear full going home. :evil: Nyala is 9 months old, very energetic, curious, has no fear and will even jump in deep water. Like oh mommy's there she'll come and get me type. So put Walt's harness on 24hrs so he realizes it's part of him. Yes give a REAL treat. Show the harness with a treat then put the harness on first then give the treat. Go for a walk with treats, pretend to fix the harness like wiggle it then give another treat. Walt will make the link harness is part of his walks.
 
OP
WaltsMom

WaltsMom

New member
Jun 19, 2016
53
1
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Walt
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  • #10
Very helpful!!! Thanks!
 

Lalaloopsie

New member
Apr 18, 2016
1,628
34
Cape Town, SA
Country
Belarus
Bulldog(s) Names
Tank
Dear Walters Mom, bulldogs are rather lazy, EXTREMELY stubborn, and yes, pretty much everything is on their terms:mellow:. My Tank also hates harness till now ( 5 months old) and sometimes doesn't want to walk. It is quite funny, he follows me perfectly without leash, he is like my tail, i taught him "follow me" command, he never disobeys. But harness...In the beginning I thought I will never get it right. He just sat like a rock. When i tried to pull him once, he seemed very insulted and shocked with my cruelty, so I never dared to do it again. I couldn't stand the way he looked at me - " i thought you are the best person in the whole world, but now I see that you are a miserable abuser of helpless little bullies...". And I wanted to be a person my dog thinks I am:) So, since then when he stopped, I carried him further on. Then put him down again and he walked. And then carried again. At that time I read an absolutely perfect phrase here on EBN - "Never walk your bully further than you can carry him", so I took it as a rule:yes:
But it is getting better now. First of all, I started to put harness on him just before giving him his meal - he is happy and excited and lets me to put on harness easily. So now I first show him harness and he knows that immediately after food comes, so he is happy. We always have treats with us, it helps to lure him when he is not willing to walk.
Also, this is how I taught him to follow - having leash in one hand, put a treat in my other closed hand and keep it in front of his nose so he smells it and runs after it, but don't give it to him very soon, just lure him. So he is kept interested in following me. I also keep saying "follow me" and after some time give him treat and say "good dog". Now he follows me without treat too, just when i say "follow me", even without leash. You have to be very patient, bullies understand only positive reinforcement, and keep in mind, if you stop training your doggy, he will forget. It is brain physiology. So, just be consistent. It is better not to pull him. I think, these dogs have a lot of personality, and if they do not like something, it is better to find way how to bribe them. If you try to force or punish them, they can become neurotic, agressive or regress in potty training.
And please, please, never use a collar, I personally knew a guy, who wanted to subdue his female bulldog and pulled her back and choked her. Actually, he broke her thyroid cartilage and she died. It is very easy to do, so never try to subdue bulldog pulling the collar. They are strong and stubborn. We have to be more clever and find ways.
Also, keep in mind, that bullies are not really best walkers, so may be sometimes it is not just stubbornness of your bully, may be he feels tired or something hurts?..
 

KimDe

New member
Jan 6, 2016
558
9
Country
USA
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Fezzik
The Julius K-9 IDC is an AMAZING harness that fits bullies perfectly, slip over head and 1 buckle. Very good quality and features, Google it!! Or even better:

Let me google that for you

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

I use this one and love it. It is so easy to get on. Mine gets his put on everytime he goes outside so at a year he is used to it. Onwalks I give a small tug and whistle when he needs to heel. Sometimes though he just needs to sit and get a little love and attention before we continue on.
 

Whitney Chiang

New member
May 26, 2016
23
1
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Oliver
Our does this with me sometimes, but is a perfect angel with my husband. Part of it is making sure your dog knows you're alpha. My husband is way better at this than me, so he gets better results. It's mostly little things we do to make sure he knows we're in charge - We don't let him walk inside before us, make him sit and tell him "okay" when we feed him instead of just letting him go after the bowl, and when he's being stubborn, I try not to give in. If I have to tell him to do something 47 times, I don't stop telling him until he does it, then I reward the good behavior. It's really hard because he's adorable, but I have found when I'm consistent he listens better overall.
 

dieMuttivonBifi

Well-known member
May 25, 2013
1,817
178
Germany
Country
from the Philippines but residing in Germany
Bulldog(s) Names
Bifi (beef-ii)
This could also be a matter of just getting him used to the harness first. Simply put the harness on at home and let him sleep, play, eat while it's on him. Let him get used to it like it's his second fur and ofcourse let's not forget about praises and treats :). Goodluck and have fun!
 

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