Training and Behaviour | Halti Non Pull Harness

Original Source - Far too many logistical issues with photographing a black dog,
in a black harness in half darkness half blazing sunshine

While we were visiting the lake district with Poppy we had some quite serious problems with Poppy pulling, the excitement of a new place and new smells was just too much to deal with. Myself, my mother and my brother all sustained injuries within the first day as a result of her pulling. With myself having a possible fractured finger. As a result we ended up buying a Halti Non Pull Harness to try and save ourself some problems.

Now, if you've never heard of Halti they are a brand that you really should familiarise yourself with. They have a whole range of amazing products to help with dog walking. From amazing quality leads to head and body collars to bring dogs under control they really are worth a look to if you are having problems with your dogs behaviour while walking. The idea behind this non pull harnass we found in a local little petstore in Keswick is that dogs have a sensitive spot in the armpit of their front legs and the light pressure that is placed there when the dog pulls against the harnass is enough to remind them to stop, without causing any pain due to the soft padded material of the harnass straps.

Original Source - webpage also shows harness in action showing the immediate change in behaviour 

We found this worked instantly in helping with her behaviour. We went from a labrador who was pulling severely causing a lot of pain down shoulders and back to one that walked at heel far better than we had ever seen within seconds. Even without it needing to put pressure on. But it was there as a reminder when she did decide to try and pull again. This doesnt hurt her but shows such an amazing improvement in her behaviour its hard to fathom. But even better from a dog owners perspective it reduces the risk of her causing herself harm, it removes the pressure from her neck and throat that had been a quite significant problem, we have experienced occasions where she will pull so hard she has blown blood vessles in her eyes. This completely removes this issue by placing the pressure across her chest rather than entirely upon her throat.

This is a really good harness, she looks smart in it and its easy enough to get on and off, slipping it on over the head, and then her legs through the loops it is very quick, and more importantly with things like this, it actually works. I really do love this harness and while it isnt something I use with her on a daily basis it is a really important part of our dog walking.

Rebecca and Poppy 

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Toys & Games | Chomp and Chase Field Disk

By fluke of chance when mum and I were toy shopping for Poppy in TK Maxx we found the strangest of toys, an orange rubber disk, that looks a little bit like a discus with a squeaker in the middle. We didn't think much of it at the time, but when we saw it there it was only £3.99, and we took a chance. She needed new toys so we bought.

It turns out this Chomp N Chase Filed Disk is quite possibly the best dog toy we have ever came across, and nobody in our family can understand why. But its a pretty awesome toy, it bounces, rolls and floats, responding to the surfaces it lands on, and its soft rubber and thin shape seems to be nicer for Poppy to hold than average toys like tennis balls and bone shaped throw toys. But, even better this thing seems damned near indestructible. Poppy is amazing for destroying toys, even "indestructible" toys for Rottweilers and this toy has lived strong while others and newer toys have fallen by the wayside. The squeaker still lives and the material is hardly worn.

Poppy verry happily playing her own game with the toy, we are still yet to understand
the "rules" of this game other than that dad is not permitted to join in. 

The adoration Poppy has for this toy is beyond comprehension, its the only toy that she will actively hunt out if we store it in the porch, the only toy that she will play with constantly for the entire walk and not grow bored of for a single second. The look of joy and adoration when you pull it out on a walk is heartwarming. It is pure unadulterated joy when she sees this toy. We werent able to find a second one in the UK so actually went so far as to get a relative in the states to bring one over when he visited because we are so concerned about if we lost it that we needed a spare.

And, that in itself is the only downside of this toy. It isnt available easily in the UK there are a lot of US sites such as amazon and Caitec (the cheapest Ive seen it). Its frustrating because it is such an amazing toy and there is nothing like it in the UK market. We still try to keep an eye out in TK Maxx but until then we are stuck with ordering them from the states and paying the whopping postage and packaging charges. But she is worth it purely for that joy. They seem to range from $7-13 USA readers certainly need to pick one up!

Rebecca & Poppy

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Rebecca & Poppy

Poppy bounding around the garden at 8 or 9 weeks when
she was first allowed outside of the house

Hi, I'm Rebecca, a Psychology Student from Newcastle, a blogger and dog owner. I usually blog at Polkadot Notebook, a beauty and lifestyle blog that, under varying guises has been running for nearly 4 years. But, with the help of Simone and the other authors here I also write for Paws for Pets now too.

I own a 20 month old black Labrador called Poppy, we got her at the age of 7 weeks old and she has been a valued and loved part of our family ever since. Its hard to work out what I ever did with my time before there was a dog to walk and feed. She really has brightened up my life.

Poppy is far more of a tom boy puppy than she is a girly cuddles puppy, she loves nothing more than a stagnant mud puddle or diving face first into big waves and up extremely muddy banks. I'm honestly amazed she hasn't broken bones yet she dives down banks and jumps off things before we have a chance to stop her with no idea of where she's landing or what she's landing on. She really is full of beans!

She is from working stock, both her mum and her dad are working dogs that go off and retrieve things that their owners have shot on a weekend, and is quite short statured, while shes still a pup we cant see her getting much taller now. But really shes a wonderful height, and with her slim build she is beautifully proportioned, even with her massive Labrador feet. She is so unique in her appearance, while remaining typically Lab though. Her hair is quite curly, and she has been mistaken for poodles, doodles and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and everything in between. Especially on her back legs her fur is almost permed its so thick and curly, but I think she is absolutely stunning for it!

Love this photo of her from the seaside

Her favourite places in the world are the seaside and the fields at the top of the hill near my house. She would happily run around at the seaside climbing and jumping on things until her legs fell off. She isn't phased by anything at all, and is always willing to prove us when we say something is too steep or too high for her. She brightens up life so much with her big cheesy grin and the quirky things she does that makes her, her.

So, as it stands, poppy is 20 months old, about 22 kilo, convinced she is a lap dog so will climb up and sit on your knee if she thinks she can get away with it. She's developed an incredible personality and we have finally found a toy that is so robust that she cannot break it, more on this soon.

Rebecca & Poppy 

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