Easy Walk Harness Review

The Easy Walk Dog Harness is designed to discourage your dog from leash pulling.  Let's take a look at if and how it works.

Description
From the Premier Website:


The Easy Walk Harness is designed to gently discourage your dog from pulling while walking on a leash.


Traditional harnesses can actually encourage dogs to pull harder because of the “opposition reflex.” That’s the reflex that makes sled dogs do what they do. The Easy Walk Harness' unique front-chest leash attachment stops pulling by tightening slightly across your dog's chest and shoulder blades. The gentle pressure steers your dog to the side and redirecting his attention back towards you. The Easy Walk Harness never causes coughing, gagging, or choking because the chest strap rests low across the breastbone, not on the delicate tracheal area.

Quality Features:

• A quick snap buckle on both the shoulder and belly straps make it easier to get the harness on and off.
• Soft, but strong nylon and four adjustment points provide maximum comfort and a reliable fit.
• The belly strap is an attractive complementary color - making it easy to identify which strap goes over the shoulders and which goes under the belly.

Color Combinations:

Raspberry/Gray
Red/Black
Royal Blue/Navy
Green/Black
Fawn/Brown
Deep Purple/Black
Black/Silver

Packaging and Pictures

Does it Work?
     Does the Easy Walk Harness live up to it's promises?  If you view the pictures above, you will notice the leash attachment is on a loop that is attached to the harness.  As your dog pulls, the loop naturally compresses the harness at the dogs shoulders.  My Schnauzer/Terrier mix digs in and pulls with every ounce of his 38 pound frame.  He is surprisingly strong for a medium sized dog.  As he pulls, the harness compresses his shoulder blades and at first he would look back and eventually return to my side.  Every time he would try and pull, he would retreat after the harness compressed his chest and shoulder blades.  After a few long walks, he started to get used to the compression and run ahead a little.  Even when he powers through the harness, the walker will not feel the same pressure as a traditional collar.  I never feel a strong tug on the leash with the Easy Walk.  So I would say it works.
     So the Easy Walk does it's job, but is it perfect?  Well to be honest, no.  I have a couple problems with the product.  If you notice the product, the adjustment points are made from a chromed metal.  The surface is smooth, and the nylon harness tends to loosen as my dog pulls.  This happens mostly on the chest adjustments that are attached to the leash attachment.  As our walks progress the chest strap becomes noticeably looser the longer we walk.  When this happens, the harness loses it's ability to compress the shoulder blades and it leads to more leash pulling.  This could be solved by using a material that does not allow the nylon harness to slip through the adjustment loops, but as it stands it causes some problems.
     I believe this next problem is more of an isolated incident with just my dog.  On long hikes, the nylon and plastic buckles  behind the legs cause hot spots on the back of my dogs legs.  One reason I think this happens is because my dog has really sensitve skin on his underside with a relatively small amount of fur.  This means the harness is rubbing more on skin than fur like an average dog.  Also, I feel like my dog would keep walking if he had a broken leg, he just seems to have a high tolerance for pain so he will keep pulling even if it hurts.  So I don't think this will effect other dogs, but it happened with Hunter so I thought I should include it to give people a heads up.  Now, he seems to be scared of the harnesss.  I don't think he likes his lost freedom and he will back away when he sees it.  I thought about fashioning some sort of soft cover for the buckle and rough nylon to protect his sensitive skin because it's a shame that the product works so well but causes hot spots.
     Overall, the product works.  It can be had for under $20 so I feel it is a good value.  The product is well designed minus some minor gripes I had.  I really like how it will take pressure of the dogs neck and puts pressure on some safer spots on the body.  If your dog has a lot of problems with leash pulling and you are afraid you are putting too much pressure on their neck, this may be the product for you.  At under $20 this product is definitely worth a try.

PROS +
It works, it definitely neutralized leash pulling
Simple to fit and use
Price, much more reasonably priced compared to other training systems
Takes pressure off your dog's neck
CONS -
It may cause hot spots
The adjustment points loosen on long walks

BOTTOM LINE
At the end of the day it does it's job.  It may have imperfections, but if your dog has a problem with leash pulling, the Easy Walk Harness from Premier may be the answer to your problems.


Check out or Buy the Easy Walk Harness