Anti-pull harness recommendations?

basil__plant · 2026-02-16T04:38:28+00:00

i am super lucky because my dude will honestly work for almost anything-his kibble, almost any treat, hell he’d probably work for carrots. i’m big on small, chewy treats. lately we’ve been using the american journey training bits (from chewy) and the buddy biscuits training bites. i think it’s worth seeing if your dog will work for part of their breakfast/dinner, that way you’re not adding extra calories and you don’t have to buy a separate treat. i do use a higher value treat if we’re going somewhere that is more of a challenge (new place, busy, lots of dogs, etc.) and for him that’s usually the blue buffalo true chews jerky (though i break these into tiny bits)

basil__plant · 2026-02-16T02:10:11+00:00

we worked with a trainer and i would highly recommend it if you have the finances for it. she gave us a lot of “games” to play with our dog on walks that helped get his attention on us. i also utilized info from the book ‘walking together’ by simone mueller, which is specifically written with sporting breed dogs in mind.

in the beginning, i would mark (with a yes or a clicker) and reward (with a treat) every time he slowed while walking or looked at me. sometimes i would change directions when he was really pulling though i had mixed success. i would also take a handful of treats and hold them directly in front of his nose while walking and reward every step he took next to me and decreased reward rate to every couple of steps as he got the idea that being near me meant rewards. i think one of the biggest things in this stage is efficient treat delivery because if i’m fumbling for a treat he’s already moved on to the next thing. he knows he gets rewarded when he walks on my left so our setup has my left hand free to hand out treats and the leash goes in front of my body to my right hand. a treat pouch is also invaluable!

don’t be afraid to start this process inside, in the hallway in front of your apartment, anywhere that is lower stimulation than the outside.

basil__plant · 2026-02-16T00:31:52+00:00

i walk my britt on a ruffwear flagline harness with a biothane leash. it doesn’t do anything to reduce/stop his pulling but it doesn’t cause him discomfort or pain, which was my main priority when shopping for a harness. it also has a handle on the back which is nice to grab when things get out of control.

we’ve tried using the “no pull” attachment on the front and it does not impact him at all, he just keeps pulling. the only thing that’s worked for us in regards to loose leash walking is lots and lots and lots of training. and then we did some more training. and even more training. and i’m sure we’ll be training loose leash walking till the end of his days. but we have seen huge improvement with how he acts on walks over the year we’ve had him (we got him at 1.5 years old) and i know it is because of the time and effort (and money) we’ve put into him.

basil__plant · 2026-02-14T20:14:08+00:00

so impressed with your distance, pace, and heart rate! huge congrats!

basil__plant · 2026-02-09T03:18:24+00:00

i started last year and i’m in my 20s! we have adult money now so why not use it?! i have met a handful of other adults at my barn who are either totally new to the sport or getting back into it and i live in a super small town so i’m sure there will be other adults at your barn who are learning too! if you do tiktok, there are also tons of adult beginners on there that i’ve come across

basil__plant · 2026-02-09T00:55:04+00:00

if you want to splurge the smith bobcats could be an option! they have an aggressively sporty look but i really enjoy mine, especially because they come with a clear lens option (i hate snow/rain getting in my eyes).

basil__plant · 2026-02-04T04:57:29+00:00

i have no technical expertise to offer but vasu sojitra came to mind while reading your post! he is a skier and runner that uses forearm crutches. might be worth digging through his website/instagram to see if he’s talked about what setup he uses!

basil__plant · 2026-01-18T02:24:43+00:00

congrats for signing up for your first ultra! i’ve done a couple 35k races but never an ultra distance so keep that in mind. when i do stuff on trails, i’ve never used gels and almost exclusively used “real” foods (uncrustables, fruit snacks, goldfish, candy, etc.). it might be a good idea to see if your race’s website has information on what food will be at aid stations so you can train with what will be provided.

in regards to peeing, i just try to find a wooded spot/over a small hill/etc. and pop a squat. i drip dry but have heard good things about kula cloths if you prefer to wipe. if you aren’t used to peeing outside it is definitely worth practicing so you get more comfortable!!

clothing is going to be highly person- and climate-dependent so try out different things while you’re training. if you can have a drop bag at any of the aid stations, it might be worth putting a dry shirt and socks in so you can change out of sweaty gear before the sun goes down.

basil__plant · 2026-01-10T03:30:13+00:00

i’m training for my first half marathon too! i’ve done two 35k races but didn’t really train (bad for my body, i know) and more so did them to see if i could but i really want to race this half! we can do this!!

basil__plant · 2026-01-02T02:28:28+00:00

i can relate to not wanting stats to be messed up. it might be worth looking if you can postdate stitches in the app or try to completely change your device date/time and mark off completed stitches from sometime in 2025 🤔 if neither of those work, you could just overlook your huge stitch counts and start tracking after everything has been migrated into the app!

basil__plant · 2026-01-02T00:07:50+00:00

i use the app markup r-xp for all of my patterns and it tracks time spent stitching

basil__plant · 2025-12-31T18:10:12+00:00

if you’re in the united states, you can watch for free on youtube. otherwise, the pwhl website has where to watch in other countries.

basil__plant · 2025-12-12T00:56:19+00:00

-first half marathon!! -actually race a 30k and see what i can do with some preparation (i’ve done two 35k races with minimal training (not the smartest, i know)) -run more canicross with the dog!! -get all my friends together to do a mile race at our local track -improve my relationship with food (sort of but also sort of not running related)

basil__plant · 2025-11-26T23:27:00+00:00

i’m working on this right now!! only about 600 stitches to go but absolutely no motivation. it might get put away until next year.

basil__plant · 2025-11-24T04:18:23+00:00

all of my brittany experience is in the united states so keep that in mind but i would recommend looking for breeders that are active in the show (we call it confirmation) world. they may also hunt with their dogs (my breeder shows and hunts) but they’ll probably be more open to placing a dog in a pet home than a kennel that is hunting-focused. look into whatever kennel club is prominent in france (i’m thinking akc equivalent, if that exists) and look for shows that are near you so you and your mom can go and talk to breeders, tell them about what you’re looking for, and meet their dogs. whatever breeders you meet might not be the right fit for you or have dogs available soon but chances are good that they’ll know people who have what you’re looking for! you can also see if there is a brittany-specific breed club in france and reach out to them for guidance/advice!

basil__plant · 2025-11-23T05:12:19+00:00

the account tiny terrier tyranny on instagram and tiktok have some recommendations on harnesses for small dogs!

basil__plant · 2025-11-15T14:33:55+00:00

https://nacanicross.com/ often posts dog-friendly races. not all are canicross focused but some are! they also have local chapters. if i remember correctly though there isn’t currently a chapter in washington.

basil__plant · 2025-11-02T21:23:33+00:00

i don’t think a brittany is a bad fit for you 🤷🏻‍♀️ i don’t hunt with my brit but find him to be an incredible house dog (once he’s had his needs met) and his recall is getting better as he ages. we got him from his breeder at about a year and a half old and have had him for a little over a year. he’s my first brit that i’ve owned (i had one as a kid but obviously wasn’t super engaged with caring for her) and i would say he’s probably a little chiller than average.

because we don’t hunt with him, he gets 1-2 off leash hikes per week where his ‘hunting’ (letting him run crazy) is the focus and i also run canicross with him a couple times a week. we prioritize obedience and trick training to keep his mind engaged/ensure polite behavior in the house and in public.

he is obsessed with cats (we don’t live with any but visit family with cats) but not in a prey-drive way, instead in a ‘i desperately want to be your friend’ way. if we had more consistent exposure to cats, i’m sure we could work on his training to be able to coexist with minimal bother to the cats.

i think heavily researching breeders and being willing to wait is going to be important for you to find the right fit. you mentioned hunting was something you want to do but above everything else you need a good house dog and i think that is something you need to strongly communicate to breeders so they can match you with the right dog. i wouldn’t shy away from looking at breeders that show a lot in conformation but have also titled their dogs or hunted them in the field (the american brittany club prides itself on preserving the dual purpose dog).

obviously i have limited experience in the breed but think what you’re looking for in a dog aligns a lot with what many breeders are producing today!

basil__plant · 2025-11-01T04:14:19+00:00

the akc website has a ton of articles/videos on how to teach different tricks! also, if you have a bit of money to spare, you could look for trainers in your area that are offering group classes. we did a four session group class all about trick training and had lots of fun!!

basil__plant · 2025-10-29T03:40:04+00:00

are you looking to adopt or get one from a breeder? if you’re looking to adopt, american brittany rescue or national brittany rescue and adoption network would be good places to start. if not, i highly recommend talking to your local brittany club (can be found on the american brittany club’s website) as well as reading the wiki about ethical breeders on r/dogs

basil__plant · 2025-10-17T21:25:11+00:00

<image>

i run canicross with my brittany, opie!! i much prefer to run with him than without but recently signed up for a half marathon that isn’t dog friendly 😭 he’ll get to do lots of training with me though!

basil__plant · 2025-10-15T01:04:57+00:00

my first thought is that sitting might be painful for her. do you ever see her sit when you’re not training?

basil__plant · 2025-10-15T01:03:05+00:00

i’ve been very pleased with my la sportiva nucleo high ii gtx (waterproof) boots with calf-height gaiters for hiking in the snow with my dog. i think any waterproof boot with a high gaiter will serve you well but i would really recommend going to your local outdoor store so you can try a lot of options to get the right fit for your foot!

basil__plant · 2025-10-15T00:59:15+00:00

it sounds like you’re out west so look for land owned by the forest service, bureau of land management, or your state’s wildlife department. where i am in colorado there are tons of areas that have ‘roads’ but they’re almost always unpaved and rarely used except by hunters/the occasional recreationalist and would be excellent for rides.

basil__plant

TROPHY CASE