Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness review

I introduced my warmup partner, Mimi, to the Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness this week. It was roughly $30 from Petsmart, so it's wasn't cheap compared to other collars and leashes. Even fancy retractable leashes don't cost this much. However, already I can see it being worth every penny. Mimi had a tendency to get really excited at the start of a walk and pull herself silly against her collar. Sure, it would serve her right if she managed to strangle herself, but I didn't want to try to explain that to the rest of the family.

This product consists of three nylon straps. The first goes across the shoulders and the second goes across the belly, resulting in an encirclement of the torso just behind the forelegs. The key ingredient is the third strap, which runs between the shoulders by crossing the dog's chest. The leash attaches to this strap in the middle of the dog's chest. When the dog attempts to pull forward against the leash, the force slightly compresses the chest strap and redirects her to the side, avoiding the usual "pull-forward-hard reflex" that happens when a dog feels a collar tighten around her neck.

The first day I fitted the Easy Walk, Mimi actually refused to budge for a few minutes after I strapped her in. She was even reluctant to move when I opened the front door! But eventually, she realized that this change to our routine wasn't the end of the world, and she has really taken to it. Just as the product title promises, she's now striding contentedly beside me without placing any tension on her lead whatsoever. Both the belly and shoulder straps feature squeeze release buckles, giving me options on exactly how to fasten and unfasten the harness. Nice job, Premier.

This is actually the second Easy Walk I got for Mimi. At first I guessed wrong and purchased the small size, but I had to exchange it as it turns out that her fit is actually is at the tightest adjustment of the medium version. The Easy Walk is available in multiple sizes and all three straps are adjustable, so just about any dog can enjoy a custom fit.

Product: Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness by Premier
Price $29.99 (local Petsmart)
Verdict: Buy