I'm working with a 160 lb dog at an animal shelter and he's extremely reactive to other dogs. He had a neck surgery and can't wear a collar, do you have any tips on how to handle a lunging 160 pound dog on a harness?

I work at an animal shelter and we have a very large Dane mix (160 pounds) with us at the moment. He's an unneutered male, just over 2 years old. He grew up without boundaries and pulled his previous owners off their feet several times, even broke their leg and shoulder.

We trained him to walk nicely on the leash without distractions, but he is very reactive to other dogs (sex doesn't matter, so I assume it's not a testosterone issue). When he sees dogs he lunges like crazy, growls and is completely unresponsive to the handler.

We previously used a head harness to manage unexpected out-of-training dog encounters. However, he had major spinal surgery on his neck 3 months ago. He's not allowed a head harness or any kind of collar ever again. Do you have any tips on how to handle a lunging 160lbs dog on a chest harness? We tried Halti chest harness and others, but he just pulls straight through any of those. Training goes well except with dog encounters.

Thanks for your time.

Cindy's Answer

I'm unsure what to suggest for a huge reactive dog that can't wear a collar and lives in an animal shelter environment. Harnesses promote pulling and actually amplify reactivity. Without the ability to control him physically during the training process this seems like a dangerous endeavor.

In my opinion, this dog needs to learn leash pressure with a collar or slip lead because what other options are there? His only chance for having a quality life would mean learning the training steps he should have learned as a pup/young dog.