Sens-ation/Sens-able Harnesses

[mnp13]

My perspective: all of these are management tools; a flat collar and leash are just as much management tools as a prong or e-collar.

Not quite.

Anything you can put on a dog and have it "work like magic" is a management, not training. "15 minutes to manners on leash" is management using a prong collar, and is about the only time that I teach using corrections (and I'm pretty sure I state that in the thread.)

You don't hear many people say "today I put a flat buckle collar on my dog and she walked without pulling for the first time EVER, it was amazing!!" In fact, I have never heard it in the 8 years that I've been on forums.

"Magic" results aren't magic, they are results that depend on a harness/tool/collar/whatever. When that item isn't present, the results go away.

[tiva]

Of course, different management tools do lead to different outcomes. But my point was that a flat collar and lead are also management tools. In low distraction situations (ie, within our 20 fenced acres), my kooky Vanya doesn't need a flat collar or leash to heel nicely and focus on me, and I often leave them inside when we're working on skills. But when we're off the farm, I fall back on using a collar and leash as backup management tools in case our training isn't enough. One could say: "what a miracle! before I put that collar and leash on, he would take off after deer! But with a leash, he doesn't run into the forest after those deer! it's amazing!" When some people scorn someone who uses a harness on their dog because it's "just a management tool", it makes no more sense than scorning someone who uses a flat collar. If a harness works for you, great.