Does anyone know of an escape proof harness for my dog?

I have a problem with my beautiful rescue westie, she is very nervous when I take her for a walk, especially if people want to stoke her. She started to back away and it has gotten worse, she has now escaped from her harness twice. The first time was horrendous as it was on the main road near my village and if it wasn't for some of the locals walking along the path and coming to my aid I fear she might have been killed on the road by a car, or heaven forbid caused an accident herself! The local people actually stood in the road and stopped the traffic whilst someone else got out of their vehicle and grabbed her. I was amazed to see such patience from the traffic in both directions and only wish I could thank them all personally... However, I now have a big problem because after a week I took her out again along a back road and couldn't believe it but once again when I stopped to speak to someone she escaped again; enough was enough and now she is confined to our garden which is such a shame but at least she is safe and really she doesn't seem to mind not having a walk but I would really like to be able to take her to try and get her used to people a little more. Does anyone know of a harness that is esape proof, I have looked at the Ruffwear ones and some others that are extremely expensive but would have to be assured that they do work before spending anywhere near that amount of money. Any advice would be most welcome, thankyou...

Does a collar and lead not work? A harness may be a bit restrictive and add to the anxiety of your Westie if it's something they're not used to.

I'd use a standard collar and lead set up.

Hi Ladybird,
The back gardens nice and safe for now, but I do agree that she must be able to socialize with people and other dogs, but MUST be safe by either collar and lead or harness, if not both. If she has not worn a harness before she will need time to get used to wearing it, ie playtime in the back garden while getting used to it, same goes for a collar.
I would suggest that you give HK GEAR a call on 01722718213 and have a chat with the boss, he is excellent, delivery is quick and help is on hand. If you want an expert ring this number I have given you and anyone else reading this, any equipment for dogs, these are the people to seek advice. Good luck with you little Westie I hope you will be enjoying lovely sociable walks together soon!!

Many thanks for the comments I have received so far, they are much appreciated.
Dolly, that is my Westie, has always had a harness right from when I first brought her home but she wears a collar too with my telephone number and post code on it. She has, of course been microchipped too. At first she seemed to accept the harness quite well but now she has found out that she can pull back out of it inspite of it being a good well fitting and secure (obviously not secure enough) harness, she has done it again. I am not prepared to chance a third time unless I can be sure she will not escape. I do get your Point Mr Tweed about just using a collar but I feel I have no confidence to try it alone. Also Lenny to answer your question about the harness feeling restrictive, she took to it like a duck to water and I never had a problem putting it on, so I am not sure that she is anxious about it being restrictive: I think the answer is simply that she is afraid of people after having such a cruel life before coming to me. Her anxiety is so bad that sometimes if I go to gently stroke her she screams like a child, it is very upsetting to hear and makes me want to cry, I can't help but wonder what dreadful things happened to her. Thank you to the person who gave me the HK Gear number, I will certainly follow it up.. Once again I appreciate everyone's input and welcome others to comment on my situation, especially those who have a dog with similar problems. She is the product of a puppy farm, thankfully she was rescued but not before she was damaged beyond belief.

hi ladybird,
My sister has the same problem with her dog and my son had a good idea, why don't you use both the lead and collar and a harness then you have a back up if he gets out of the harness, good luck.

Hi DD, I want to thank you for taking the time to send me the good idea from your son, I may well try this out, it may be that the problem now is my lack of confidence to try her out once more. Also the email from Miss IA Moon about HK Gear has taken my interest, I have been on their website and the harnesses look very strong and affordable, in the meantime tell your son I will give it a go in the garden... thankyou...

I had this problem with my puppy. I had a clip on a nylon webbed band (4 ins long) as supplied with a halti harness, which I clipped onto his collar and tied the other end in a knot onto the chest band of the harness. I suppose a small soft collar would also do. As long as the harness is tied to the dogs collar, when the dog backs out of the harness he will still be attached to your lead. Another solution is a soft body harness, looks a bit like a vest, reflective ones sold for dark nights. Head goes through hole so more difficult to reverse out, also dog feels comforted by the allround support.
Ask people not to go upto your dog,while you are training him, they will understand and eventually he may go to them of his own accord. Remember humans don't like every person they meet, why should dogs. As long as she is not aggressive don't worry about it.
Good Luck
Pam

Dear Ladybird...................reading your description of Dolly made me cry, just so awful what this poor little girl has gone through and thank God you have got her now and she is safe. I think it is just time with a little creature that has been damaged like her. She will thrive with your kindness and gentleness towards her. Just give it time and in time the memories that are bad will fade a little and I am sure she will respond to her walks. In the meantime I would maybe go for a soft collar and lead, nothing too restrictive. Not all dogs like harnesses and she might feel slightly scared of the feeling. Be patient and keep taking her for short walks and hopefully in time she will know tht they are meant to be enjoyable and not scary. God bless her and you x

We have a lovely dog who had issues, too. He now walks very happily to heel, on his collar with lead...plus harness. I suggest not using a retractable lead.

We had the same problem with one of our 2 small dogs escaping from his harness and we went to our local pet shop with both dogs and they tried an Ancol car harness on them both.They fitted perfectly after a few minor adjustments and neither dog escapes now.Also they come with a strap car restraint which has a 2 clip system which allows you to connect the harness to the seatbelt fitting.Neither dog can escape from it in the car and it has made travelling in the car a lot safer for them as they cannot be thrown forward in an accident.They also have a large contact area over the chest area so that if you do brake hard the dogs chest is protected.Price £13.06p each and well worth the price.

Many thanks to everyone re my Westie Dolly... I didn't want to upset any of you by telling you what Dolly is like but the truth is not all people care for their pets as you and I obviously do. I will try some of the ideas you have given me and who knows I may find a way to take her out without fear of her escaping... In the meantime she feels safe and content in the back garden and I will take things very slowly with her....

My two Jack Russells both pull on the lead so we switched from collars to harnesses. Unfortunately we've had a few Houdini-style mishaps. I eventually bought a Ferplast Ergocomfort harness for Sausage, the naughtier of the two, and it solved the problem. One day Sophie disappeared into some bushes looking for bunnies to terrorise and returned minus her harness, so I bought her a Ferplast as well. They are excellent - easy to put on and a doddle to adjust for an exact fit, comfortably padded, super secure, and smart. I purchased them from petplanet, where they're a tenner cheaper than here on amazon.

I have a rough collie that i got when she was 3 like yours she did not have a great start in life and she is exceptionally nervous. I got her 5 years ago and she is still nervous now. But I also understand how you are feeling, it is Definatley true that the dogs pick up on your feelings when it comes to a walk. I have tried using the combination of a collar and harness. But I think for me the best thing was tying a longer lead round my waist so that she doesn't feel the nerves you are transmitting through the lead. Time and patience is the answer. Wish you and dolly all the best.

Thanks for the information about the Ergocomfort harness, I have never heard of that one so will have a look. I love the name of your dog Sausage, they sound delightful! I feel quite at home getting all these lovely replies, I thought I was the only person in the world with these doggie problems, evidently not thank heavens! I just think that my Teddy and Dolly are vocal because they are not only happy but looking after me; I may be very grateful one day for their barking... thanks again...

What a good idea loulou, I may just do this as it must make you feel more in control - yes time and patience is very good advice. Thank you so much and I wish you too many more happy years with your rough collie...thankyou...

I am a Westie owner and mine wears a soft fleece dog harness which is the correct size from wwww.fleecedogharnesses.co.uk. They explain that the only way to get an escape proof harness is to have it fit your dog properly. They do standard sizes and custom fits which are priced as in-between sizes. Recommend.

The halti harness, it actually clips to the dogs collar as well as going over the legs and round the body- making escape (touch wood) impossible test it out in the garden with maybe a neighbour. I would also suggest she is taken to puppy training classes - so that she can build her confidence up slowly with pets & owners that are not a threat and every time you stop to talk to someone - get her to sit and give her a treat for doing this and the people you meet to give her a treat as they rub her chest (do not stroke over her head, it could be that she was hit and this would frighten her)- so stroke her chest/other people stroke her chest - it sounds as if someone has frightened her, she will get her confidence , just lots of love and patience -which I can see you have - if you have some very patient friends ..have them sit on the floor with a treat - put the treat near to them, over time - it took my husband a year to get our german shepherd that we rescued to like him, he just sat with a treat near him, she would grab it and run, he did not move, if he moved towards her, even coming in through the door she backed off and growled at him she looked pretty scary- she was 6 years old ..she loved women and children (so we know that it was a man that hurt her) - eventually my husband and our dog were inseparable - she passed away at 15 1/2 ..his dog -she adored him.

Thankyou happy westie owner, they are lovely dogs inspite of their skin problems aren't they! Sadly because of their popularity they are a breed that is used all too often on puppy farms... my knowledge of this is of surfing the web and reading about it, don't do it unless you can stand to read some of the most appauling things that happen to them! Back to my westie Dolly, I have never heard of the website you mention so I will have a look at it, I never realised so many people would be so helpful, it really brings back ones confidence in the goodness of the human race! Bless you...

Hello Enya21,

What an informative and moving piece of information you have sent to me, thankyou for sharing your experiences, and yes, you do have to have an aweful lot of patience and then some! It isn't difficult really, all I (and I am sure others to) think about is the suffering she must have gone through. Your comment about stroking her tummy wouldn't, I'm afraid be possible with Dolly as sometimes if I go to pick her up and talk all the time to her telling I am going to do so, she will literally scream when my hand makes contact with her tummy; to hear this is very traumatic and the first time it happened I was outside in the garden and wanted to let her know how much she was loved and so I went to pick her up gently but no sooner had my hand touched her than she was screaming at high pitch! This happens at all sorts of times and for no apparent reason other than I want to touch her tummy for some reason, either to pick her up or to bathe her. I have even had to tell my neighbours not to worry if they hear her in the garden doing this and that it isn't me hurting her... how dreadful that I should have to do that. I have my own thoughts on the matter and feel it would be inappropriate to air them on this website. However, I could find a way around it by asking people to cup their hands with a small treat in it. Like your dog, Dolly is mostly afraid of men! She is obsessed with watching the television too and when certain men come on she barks her head off but when she sees animals, especially other dogs she gets very excited, I think this is because she only ever knew her own kind until she was recsued but I will never know the full truth of it all and tend to try no to think too much about it. I was particularly heartened by the fact that your lovely dog was eventually bonded with your husband and and lived to such a good age, well done to both of you. Kindest Regards, Ladybird...

escaping from harness, there is one it comes in one piece round the neck and front legs fastens under belly, and lead attaches in the middle of the back, I had the same trouble with 4 Chihuahua's it did the trick,you'll find it online, search company selling mikki muzzles.
Miriam Golding. miriamgolding@gmx.com

I agree with the comments of having both the harness and a collar and lead at the same time. Dont leave Dolly unsocialised in the garden as this will only compound her terror in the long run as she needs to learn to trust people. After all what will happen when she needs to visit the vet or go into a kennel etc, etc, etc for any reason. When you are out walking her tell people not to stand facing her but to stand side on, not looking directly at her and always carry a pocket full of treats and give her a treat whenever she starts to show nervous behaviour. One of my girls is nervous of people and the first thing she does now, instead of barking like mad at them is to put her face up to my pocket to ask for a treat. This in the long run will hopefull show to her that meeting people is a pleasant experience. When she is more comfortable around people, get someone to drop a treat at her feet then that way she will not feel so intimidated by this huge scary person coming to get her

My black lab was extremely nervous, especially of traffic, and she was an escape artist when it came to collars, haltis or harnesses. Despite being well fitted, well known brands she still managed to slide backwards out of them. I wish I could explain how it was done - unless you have seen it, or have a dog who has done the same trick it is very hard to imagine!

Like a few other people have said attach either a harness or halti to her collar. With my lab, she would only try to escape if something scared her and she got incredibly anxious; it wasn't something she did every time we went on a walk. It was reassuring to have the backup but also gives you an extra few seconds to think, crouch down and try to reassure her before she escapes both the collar and harness.

Also, I don't know if you take treats with you when you walk Dolly? If you don't, try praising and rewarding her for walking nicely and not escaping the harness. If you can alter her perspective of going outside it might reduce the chances of her getting anxious. Also, try asking friends or people you bump into on walks to praise and reward her by giving her treats. It should show her they are not to be feared - but rather they are nice people.

Good luck!

scot-petshop ltd

I agree with enya21; the halti harness is great. It tightens slightly as the dog pulls preventing it from becoming loose enough to come off. Clipping it to the collar gives extra security. They are also good for dogs that pull; we have a 44kg young leonberger who used to be extremely enthusiasic when going out. Luckily she is calmer now so I don't use it any more.