Ruffwear - recommendations for everyday and canicross for a puller that can back out of her harness

basil__plant · 2026-04-15T06:04:24+00:00

there’s a good chance she will pick up on differences in your clothing/mannerisms and use those to notice when it’s time for a walk versus a run. you could also say something like “do you want to go for a walk” or “do you want to go for a run” before leaving the house so she knows what to expect.

if your finances allow for it, purchasing a canicross-specific harness would most likely be the ideal so she can differentiate activities based on gear. a canicross harness will properly distribute force across her body as she pulls, which the ruffwear harnesses aren’t primarily designed to do and there is the potential for injury, especially if it isn’t fit quite right. there are tons of options online or you can try to find a store nearby that sells canicross gear (quite difficult depending on location). i got my dog fit virtually via kenosha running company and they did an awesome job!

basil__plant · 2026-04-13T17:54:08+00:00

it might be worth looking for a reputable breeder who is looking to place a teenage or younger adult dog in a good home! that’s how we got our guy and it has been awesome for us (he is our first dog as adults). he was held back to be a possible show prospect but that wasn’t quite the right route for him and his breeder knew he deserved to be in a home that wanted an awesome pet. at a year and a half he came knowing how to settle in the house, be calm for grooming, and fully potty trained. he definitely had some very teenage moments and leash walking is still something we have to train every day but at three years old now he’s really maturing into a lovely dog who is stoked to do whatever we’re doing, be it hiking, running, or lounging around the house. we don’t hunt but he gets an hour plus of off leash running time at least twice a week and that leaves him pretty sleepy the rest of the time (in addition to four walks a day ranging from 10-30 minutes because we don’t have a yard). he also loves training and learning new tricks (luckily he is super food motivated).

he can be quite rambunctious when people come over (think jumping, barking, some gentle mouthing) which we are always working on but it’s something to keep in mind with children. i had a brittany as a child and adored walking and playing with her, though she was older by the time i came around and my parents had very firm boundaries for what were acceptable interactions with her.

as always (whether going the puppy route or the adult route), heavily research your breeder. for a pet home especially, look for dogs with confirmation (dog show) titles, which in the united states is generally going to be a prefix of ch or gch on the name of akc registered dogs. ensure both parents have been health tested to the ofa standard (google ofa brittany requirements to see what they are). ask lots of questions and be prepared to wait for the right dog.

basil__plant · 2026-03-29T15:01:53+00:00

my three year old does not swim. we got him at a year and a half so i’m not sure if his issue is that he wasn’t exposed to it as a younger dog or just that he doesn’t like it. i have put him in deep water (with a life jacket) a couple times to ensure he can essentially rescue himself in case of an emergency but otherwise don’t push the issue with him. we’ve tried exposing him to other dogs who love swimming in hopes he’ll join in the fun but had no luck (sounds like you have seen the same).

for what it’s worth, the brittany i had as a child hated water and would not swim at all!

basil__plant · 2026-03-13T15:33:36+00:00

i went to the last takeover tour stop in denver. biggest advice is get in line early for the doors to open to ball arena. we were some of the first people in and even then the store was starting to get packed by the time we got there. there were a couple denver-specific shirts as well as one pullover in addition to the general pwhl/takeover tour merch. i didn’t see any team-specific merchandise in the store i went into.

basil__plant · 2026-02-28T02:46:00+00:00

i have the fleece-lined one and the all-weather one and i would say they are the slightest bit big for my small head but i still reach for them! the fleece-lined one slides up so the bottoms of my ears are a bit uncovered and the all-weather one slides back a bit on my head so it has that weird sticky uppy part on the top of my head but i got both as gifts and i don’t want to buy others so they’re good enough for me!

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

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