Safely Walking Dogs

Sarah’s Pet Sitting offers Leash Walking Training for Puppies & Adult dogs in Cheshire, Southington, & Wallingford, CT.  Please see our Training Page for more information.

Through trial and error Sarah’s Pet Sitting has found the best dog harness and leash to be the Kong Traffic Leash 4ft and the Easy Walk harness. We strongly recommend that clients purchase these items for all dogs needing to be leash walked.

The 4ft Kong Traffic Leash is a short sturdy leash with an additional handle close to the dog.  This allows for optimal  safety for your dog and pet sitter. Leashes longer than 4ft or that lack appropriate handles can allow your dog to exert a
considerable amount of force, which can lead to a lost/ injured dog or an injured pet sitter.  We had one incident were a pet sitter broke her finger while walking a dog on an inappropriate long leash.

The Easy Walk harness is appropriate for all but the tiniest of  dogs.  The harness allows full control of the dog and discourages  pulling without putting any pressure on the neck, trachea, throat, glands, heart & lungs. It is also easy to put on and adjust which saves more time for walking during pet sitting.

The Easy Walk harness is special in that the leash attaches at the front of the dogs chest. A regular harness with leash attaching at the back is not recommended and will actually worsen a pulling issue.

Each pet sitter at Sarah’s Pet Sitting has a leash and one or two harness’s of their own.  However they may not have the quantity or sizes needed to accommodate your pets.  It also takes up walk time if your pet sitter is needing to adjust harness’s to fit your dogs.

Due to safety and ethical concerns Sarah’s Pet Sitting is not able to walk dogs on retractable leashes or choke or prong collars.  Please see the following articles explaining the dangers of these items.

Using  the kong 4ft traffic leash and Easy Walk Harness  will make for a safe and enjoyable walking experience for you, your dog, & your pet sitter.  Both items are available from petsmart.

If you use either item please send your testimonial so we may add it to our blog article or feel free to comment directly below.  Please share & like so we may help other dog owners and pet sitters.