I confess I tried one of those front-clip harnesses a couple years ago, in trying to teach my dogs not to pull when we went for a walk. I won't ever use one again and would never recommend them to anyone. Actually, it did work like magic the very first time, I think because the dogs were just so surprised at the different sensation. But they quickly learned to pull just as hard; they simply had to pull in sort of an awkward sideways position.
The front strap indeed goes right over the point of the shoulder, right where the scapula and humerus meet. That is a joint, what would be the human shoulder, and just think of all the tendons, ligaments, and other easy-to-injure tissues in any joint.
I also tried a different kind of harness, one that has two straps that go from the front of the collar, down, between the front legs and back up to the top of the collar. I believe this one was even worse. After one use, the insides of the armpits were so badly chafed I never used it again.
Think of the harnesses you see on sled dogs. The better ones are designed to fit comfortably and not rub or chafe or constrict movement. I've heard from several well-respected sources that harnesses are meant for a dog to pull something; they don't teach a dog not to pull.
I had a halti/gentle leader on Koenig for the first few days I had him. (He had no leash training, and I'll freely admit, I used to be one of the 'prongs are evil' crowd. He was pure dog, no manners, all drive, bolting everywhere. A real nightmare to walk) He took off after a cat, flipped himself, and got an abrasion all the way across the top of his nose. I'm lucky he didn't break his neck.
Thankfully, I got smart, got the dog a prong, and his nose healed just fine in a couple months (for awhile I was concerned he was going to have a scar). I'm sure Halti's and all the other brands of halters work just fine for a low-no drive easygoing dog. My dog nearly killed himself.
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