Thursday, November 1, 2012

Review | Premier Easy Walk Harness | Part 2: Overall

As promised, here's Part 2 of my review of the Premier Easy Walk Harness. As mentioned in Part 1 of my review, aside from sizing issues I'm actually happy with the harness and would recommend it to anyone with a dog that doesn't walk "nice" on the leash. While no leash, collar, or harness can take the place of proper training (which I know we haven't done enough of with Andy) I think most dog owners should see immediate results with the Easy Walk Harness. The harness consists of two straps, one that wraps around the torso, directly behind the legs, and one that falls across the top of the breast bone. The front strap is similar to a martingale collar, with loops that tighten gently across the chest and shoulder blades when your dog tugs. This, coupled with the fact that the leash clips to the front of the harness, makes it difficult for your pup to pull. When he does pull the pressure created by the martingale loops will force him to his side and redirect his attention towards you.

The Easy Walk Harness hasn't stopped Andy from pulling completely but I'd say he tugs about 70% less - which is a vast improvement and much better results than we had with the gentle leader or the body harness. It's also easy to get on and off. The harness is actually dual-toned, unlike the product photo, so I know immediately which strap goes around Andy's body and which goes across his chest. From what I've read the model I purchased, which is the Easy Walk Reflective Harness and Leash set, is actually sturdier than the regular model sold in most stores (which does not come with a leash). The set is made of a nice heavy nylon and features reflective threads (which really do reflect!) and snap buckles made of sturdy plastic. One complaint I do have is that the instructions for the harness say you should use a leash with a light-weight clip but the leash that came with the set actually has a pretty heavy clip, which contributes to the front strap sagging.

Teddy Bear the Talking Porcupine


Uh. Adorable.

Mushroom

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

My Little Pumpkin

Boo!

So...I ended up buying a Halloween costume for Andy after all. I know, I know - I was just bemoaning the fact that people spend $20-30 on pet costumes last week. I had every intention of putting together a costume this past weekend. I had even come up with an idea: I was going to transform Andy into an ineffective scarecrow. I was going to put him in a straw hat and red bandana, fashion cuffs out of brown raffia ribbon to mimic hay, and then stick black paper crows all over him. I would have had to have purchased some supplies to achieve this look and after I did the math I decided it was actually cheaper to just buy a costume. I found this skeleton suit from Martha Stewart Pets on clearance at PetSmart. It cost five dollars and change. The confused look on Andy's face as I put the costume on him: priceless. This thing actually regularly cost $21.99. What the what!?! The design of the suit itself is completely flawed. The fit around the back legs is awkward as heck and the hood doesn't stay on at all.

In the end Andy didn't even get to go to Camp Bow Wow today, which was the whole reason for the costume. I tried calling them yesterday and this morning to confirm if they were open today but I kept getting a "We're sorry. All circuits are busy..." message, which tells me they probably lost power as a result of Hurricane Sandy. It all worked out though because my class was canceled today and I got to spend the morning/afternoon with the pup and keep him out of trouble. Maybe I'll take a shot at that scarecrow costume next year.

Happy Halloween!

Pablo is dressed as a low-budget Internet Meme for Halloween.