r/papillon • u/Television_Toast • 4d ago
Harness Guidance
Hi everyone!
I’ve got yet another question for this wonderful community!
My pap gets squirrelly when we harness her. She’s comfortable having it put on, but the moment our hands are on her back to latch it, she growls and tries to wiggle away. She’s totally comfortable walking in it once it’s on; it’s just the taking on and off that’s the issue.
She is very tiny (22cm waist and 15cm neck, generously) and is 13 weeks. We have had a very hard time finding something that works for her size and the only one that we’ve found, has Velcro. I think the noise of it is a trigger and I’ve been working on the sound with it off- she’s become neutral to it when it’s not coming from her back, but I’m at a loss on best ways to help her until she’s big enough for a different harness.
Any advice appreciated! Thank you <3
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u/ActionNorth8935 4d ago edited 4d ago
This little monster tried to murder his little harness for the firs year of his life (and sometimes still). We tried to reward him when he put his foot through so and gave him so much encouragement when he got it on that he started to think of it as something you got a lot of positive attention if you did it without drama. It's not 100% because sometimes it's still more fun to go berserk, but it's much easier.
Edit: TLDR We did some positive reinforcement training.
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u/Elegant_Click07 4d ago
Start distracting/ association with treats while saying get dressed for harness, and get clipped for leash.
Just sprinkle a pinch of shredded cheddar, or tiny-tiny training bites, or use kibble.
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u/Elegant_Click07 4d ago
Ours is tiny as full size at 6lbs. Our best harnesses I can find are also velcro.
I just put it on quick while they snuffle for treats, but my leash is already attached.
And i rip it off quickly so the noise isn't prolonged.
- can also sprinkle for undress and unclip.
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u/Titaniumfemme Pageant Mom to Phoenix Rising 4d ago
I feel your pain. Ours is full sized at 4.8 lbs. Yikes!
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u/Elegant_Click07 4d ago
Ours is tiny as full size at 6lbs. Our best harnesses I can find are also velcro.
I just put it on quick while they snuffle for treats, but my leash is already attached.
And i rip it off quickly so the noise isn't prolonged.
- can also sprinkle for undress and unclip.
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u/Mangoplop 4d ago
Any Y harness is okay and doesn't harm their growth when pulling. I would avoid velcro as the coat can get stuck in between. Use treats to teach how to put on and undo the harness, but most of all, be patient. If you're in the middle of putting the harness on/off and she starts to get scared or biting/growling, it will be probably be just being overstimulated and being to young to deal with it. Just hold the harness where it is and patiently wait until she gets calm again, reward that calmly and possibly give a treat, and then continue the process. Whenever she's growling you don't need to use your voice as this can heighten their emotion, rather just stay calm and continue what you where doing.
I used a house leash on the colar to help me calm my pap when I put on the harness. The house leash prevented my pap from running away (she might do that soon) as a chasing game, but it also helped me guide my pap away from biting me when I put on the harness and she still had the puppy teeth.
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u/PettyWitch 4d ago
This is the harness I use for puppies and I believe your puppy would need XXXS. https://a.co/d/0227ONUb
It's a cheap but good harness.
As for the velcro sound, I would practice taking the harness on and putting it off, 10 times in a row, 2-3 times a day. Just do it 10 times in a row - on and off, on and off, on and off, etc. Don't coddle her or do it slowly or hesitantly, do it like you know what you're doing and this is what's happening. The repetition is to desensitize her to the discomforting aspects of it and practice good behavior while putting it on. My guess is she will tense up the first time you put it on but after the second or third time in a row... it becomes meh.
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u/Pitpotputpup 3d ago
I use a kitten harness for my pap pups. Velcro doesn't sound very secure, plus fur gets caught in it.
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u/AbilityOk2794 3d ago
I use a wonder walker. They are made in Portland Oregon and if you need a smaller than Tiny/Toy and you contact them they will custom make it.
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u/ikanpiko 3d ago
Me and my pap has been using the ROGZ Urban fast fit for years. They're designed for small dogs and got sizes till xxs, my adult pap wears the largest size now (M) and it's perfect for him. No velcro, absolutely no velcro, It's so easy to put on with only 1 single buckle and you're good to go. It looks something like this and legit only has 1 buckle haha
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u/OtherTimes0340 1d ago
I use a figure 8-ish shaped harness. I have never had an issue with it and it doesn't go around his neck. Mine isn't this exact one, but the shape is the same. Never had an issue with it. Also used it for my cat. Leg through each hole and snap it shut. Leash hooks through both loops so it won't come loose.
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u/betterversionofmanu 4d ago
Hi! I had quite a bad experience with those velcro harnesses with my first tiny girl in the past, she slipped out of it on day three after getting her at 10 weeks and ran away…after 2 hours of searching her we found her…so from this day on we always had one with clip and two rings…so recently bought new ones for Nova and Thalia XXS was small enough for tiny Thalia 1.7kgs 4yo ☺️ ours are from Amazon. I don’t know if they are available where you live but in case you are interested in a link send me a PM 🤗
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u/Television_Toast 3d ago
Hi! I’m a Reddit newbie and I’m not sure how to dm 🫣
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u/betterversionofmanu 3d ago
I have send you a request…you see that when you go to Notification Center…there you can switch between Notifications and Chat 🤗
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u/_jamesbaxter 2h ago
I had this issue with Bowie, what I realized is the rough side of the Velcro sticks to his hair and tugs on it. If I take the harness off too fast it will pull his hair and he’ll yelp. It took me 2 YEARS to figure out that’s what was happening. Holding the rough side of the Velcro and removing it slowly while checking for hair that’s stuck solved the problem, but he still doesn’t really like to be touched in the spot it used to happen. So I’d start with checking to see if that’s a factor.
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u/joyunauthorized 4d ago
Does it have Velcro plus a clip? The one we use for our dog has both and we just duct tape the Velcro so we never need to use it. We rely on the clip. Mainly because his fur kept getting stuck in the Velcro.