Hey guys,

Ive been having some problems lately with putting a harness on my 8 month old ( yes shes going through naughty teenage phase). As soon as she sees it she starts going mental with the zoomies for a good 5 minutes. when she returns she is howling and wooing.. you name it..... but the thing is whenever i walk towards her or she walks towards me, the second i go to put it on she runs away. It is clear to me that she thinks this is some game of chase... as her tail is always wagging. its taking me 15 mins or so before i can get it on!

appreciate your thoughts

If mine did that I would put the harness away, scrap the walk, and ignore them. They learn real quick to be calm that way as I won't put up with any nonsense. If it was an occasion when they just needed to potty real quick then I would either crate them until they calm down since I wouldn't want an accident or just have them potty on a collar. No matter what though, we don't leave the house unless all dogs are waiting calmly and quietly.

Just to reiterate on the above, when its time for us to go anywhere Onyx knows he has to sit so I can put his harness on him. We have made him do this since he was 8 weeks old when we got him his first harness. Once you correct them, it only takes a little while before they become conditioned.

I always make Bella sit to put the harness on and she wasn't out of my grip till the leash was clicked on her. Once she learned she stays near me when we're going out it wasn't a big issue. Try that with your dog and see how it goes. It took awhile because she was SO excited to go out but she got it.

Kodiak puts his head way down when I try to put his harness on. I have to lift his head up and then put it on. After that he is fine.

Do you have a fairly consistent routine for leaving the house? If so you may want to try changing it up so the anticipation doesn't get him so exicted that he can't act calm.

Qannik does the same thing as Kodiak. For some reason he wants nothing to do with getting the harness on, but as soon as it's on, there are no issues. He walks perfectly fine with it on too!

Trying using a treat to raise his head and only let him have it after he's in the harness.

It might sound odd, but I would put my hands behind my back while standing and give her the stare down and not react to her even if she were trying to climb up my leg. Usually they'll calm down or stop all together and give you a 'what' look. Maybe you could put your hands on your hips instead so while holding the harness it is still in full view and it isn't like you're trying to play a game of hide-and-seek. If she wants you to chase her then don't give her what she wants and she'll get mad and stop.