Dear Miss Behavin’: Last week my husband accidentally pinched our dog Pip when buckling his harness to go out for a walk. Now poor Pip runs away each time we pull out the harness! How do we help him overcome his newfound fear?
First of all, let’s talk prevention. When clipping a dog’s harness or collar, always keep two fingers between the buckle and the dog’s skin. That way, if you accidentally clip anything, it’s your own finger. It also helps to teach your dog some etiquette for getting “geared up.” Teaching Pip to sit or stand calmly for harnessing will make it much easier for you to gear him up without incident. Accidental pinches are often a result of an excited dog that jumps and wiggles as his owner struggles with straps and buckles.
Now that Pip has already experienced the misfortune of being pinched, he will need to be desensitized to the harness. This means exposing him to the harness gradually enough that he learns not to have a negative reaction. To start, show Pip the harness and toss him a few yummy or “high value” treats. Repeat a few times and put the harness away. Practice this briefly a couple of times daily until Pip becomes excited by the sight of the harness in anticipation of treats.
Once he is happy to see the harness, take your exercise to the next step by moving the harness towards him. Repeat a few times to be sure he is still happy, and not just tolerant. As long as he is still happy about the presence of the harness, try slipping it over his head. Give him a few treats and take the harness back off. Again, practice this in several short sessions until he is happy to have the harness slipped on.
At the next step, you may find that Pip flinches at the sounds of the buckle clipping. If this is the case, you will need to spend some time simply desensitizing him to the “click.” Clip the buckle, feed tasty treats, repeat. Once he is happy to hear the “click,” he will likely have overcome his fear of the gear! This can be a long process, so be patient and remember not to rush ahead or skip steps, which can Pip back further.