Walking a Sled Dog with 100% Confidence
We are always getting asked about what the best collar / lead / harness is to walk a husky?
First off – we never use a harness to walk a husky. We did. Way back when we had our very first huskies over twenty years ago, we naturally bought harnesses. I mean, why wouldnt you. You see huskies in harness running in sled dog races, so why not use a walking harness.
We quickly learnt that walking harnesses are not “husky-proof”. When there is tension between the harness and the lead (inevitable as the husky pulls forward), this creates something for them to lever against. A quick 180 turn and then they can pull against the lead, “backing out” of the harness very quickly.
You will notice that when huskies are running in harness they are generally also connected to another dog by a “neckline” between their collars (unless a single lead dog).
It’s these collars, known as semi slip collars, that provide you with the confidence that they cannot “back out” of them.
Unlike normal dog collars that clip together, usually with a plastic or metal fastener, semi slip collars do not have any fastenings that could break and therefore allow your husky to break free. The collars basically have two positions, on and off. In the off position you make the collar as wide as possible then slip the collar over the dogs head and make it into the on position by tightening it as far as you can making sure its not big enough to come over the dogs head. So now the collar is on the dog, it hangs loosely around the neck and is not tight, but as soon as you pull on the O Ring or add it to a lead, the couple of inches pulls it tighter, tight enough for it not to be able to slip over the dogs head but not enough to be tight against the throat or neck.
We have used these types of collars for many years now, and not only do they give us utmost confidence when walking our dogs, they also mean they are ready to be hooked up for running. The collars will last many years, and we have only ever had to replace them infrequently.
We also used to use extending leads like the Flexi Giant. But these also turned out to be not so good for sled dogs. Not only are they large, cumbersome and heavy, you don’t really want you dog that far away from you and out of your control. So we turned to leads that are made of the exact same thick durable material that the semi slip collars and are 7ft long. Enough length to give your dog a bit of freedom, but close enough to pull them in if you need to. They also come with a trigger to clip to the semi slip collar and an O ring to clip to a walking belt.
Yes, walking belts are a life saver, or rather an arm saver. These will save your sled dog from ripping your arm from its socket, as the padded belt goes around your waist and then with the steel quick link provided you can securely fasten your leads O ring to it. The pulling power of the dog is then spread across your back rather than your bicep. A much easier way to walk a husky and also allows you to go hands free. Multiple dogs can be added to the one belt this way. Although if you were to have more than two dogs I would suggest you upgrade to a deluxe belt that has built in bungee lines.
So with the combination of the semi slip collar, the strong, long lead and the walking belt, this makes the ultimate way to walk a sled dog.
We have now put together this package and added it to our shop as a Sled Dog Walking Package, and you can get the collar, lead and walking belt for just £39.99 plus p&p