Why Do Dogs Escape Out of Their Harnesses?

The Problem & Why Should You Care

"My dog is a furry Houdini that likes to escape out of its harness."

In our research, we read an article on Whole Dog Journal where a reader talked about their dog being able to get out of various harnesses/collars. The dog wasn't easily trainable and the owner was getting fearful that this behavior would become a real concern.

👉 Read the full question here

"My dog, Bear, has developed extreme cunning in getting out of whatever device I have on him – buckle collar, body harness (two different styles), Halti head halter – or any combination of these. The only time he was unable to free himself was when the buckle collar was too tight for safety or comfort. Bear’s strategy appears to be to face me, pull backwards, and hop around on his back legs until he pops out of his restraint. Even with the belly band of his harness on tight, he managed to wiggle his elbows through it and pull out backwards.

Also, he’s not easily trainable. He’s smart enough, but he doesn’t really care that much if he pleases us by doing what we say, and he’s not well motivated by food. He’s simply disobedient.

This is getting to be a real problem. Bear gets free so often that my son and I are almost afraid to walk him. As a result, he’s not getting much exercise, and that makes his behavior worse. We’ve been lucky so far that he hasn’t come to grief during his wild getaways, but we can’t go on like this."

Some of these may be obvious, but your dog escaping can lead to these undesirable situations.

1. Diminishing quality of life and relationship between you and your dog

Your dog gets excited and wants to chase things like squirrels, birds, cars, and other dogs when they see them. This makes you afraid to take them on walks due to the fear of losing them if they escape.
As a result, you and your furry friend end up being indoors more often, which means they are not getting enough exercise. Some dogs are left alone in the backyard which could lead to even more interruptive behaviors.

2. Your furry friend could be seriously injured depending on the situation

near roads - getting hit by a motor vehicle
getting attacked by livestock
getting attacked by horses or other wild animals (coyotes)

How Do They Escape?

1. The leash is pulled in the opposite direction of how the harness was put on

2. Pull-back-arm-tuck maneuver and slides right out

3. stops walking and pulls backward on the leash because they are nervous or fearful

Why Do They Escape?

1. They get excited/reactive

and want to chase after something fun - like squirrels, cars, birds, and other animals.

2. They get scared/frightened.

Especially with rescues because you never truly know what they’ve experienced in the past. Their fear can come from

stranger-directed fear
dog-related fear
non-social fear
unsure of surroundings and are afraid of what’s around the corner

3. They dislike their harness

The fit is improper, causing discomfort, chaffing, rubbing against their body, and loss of fur
don’t like things over their head because it’s unnatural
don’t like hands over their face when you put on the harness
had a bad experience with wearing the harness

4. They dislike being on a leash

Puppies and some dogs, especially rescues, aren't used to wearing leashes yet. Therefore, they will require additional time and positive reward training to get them used to it.

Is Your Dog a High-Risk Houdini?

There's a good chance you have a furry Houdini if your dog is...

1. nervous/reactive - we see this a lot with rescues.

2. leash averse - we see this a lot with puppies, untrained dogs, and rescues.

3. chews through everything.

4. has a natural body shape/frame that makes them a natural escape artist.

small head & slender neck
deep chest & long body
lanky builds

Unconventional Solutions

Solution 1: T-Shirt Method

Wear a dog shirt that has a top opening over the dog harness so even if the harness slips off, there's the t-shirt that still holds in place.
The Pros:

→ if you already own a dog shirt, this is a quick and easy solution.
The Cons:

→ this won't work in hot weather.

Solution 2: Collar + Harness + Carabiner

Use both a harness and a collar, and connect them together with a carabiner.
The Pros:

→ even if the dog wiggles out of the harness, you still have the collar as a safety measure.
The Cons:

→ pretty complicated and requires a lot of gear.

Our Solution

We didn't want this post to be too long. So we wrote The origin of Gooby's Escape Free Harness Collection in another post that you can read by clicking below.

👉 Read Post

References

This article was a combination of all of the sources listed below: