[nagdu] Sport vs standard harness

Fri Sep 23 18:44:30 UTC 2011

Yup. And yes! 

I love the martingale strap both for keeping the rest of the harness
coordinated with Mitzi's movement, and also for the really great
addition to communication of ups and downs, along with some extra
communication of lateral movements. Whizzing up and down curbs on a
brisk walk from here to there in the city is a breeze. She stops for the
down curb (or down stair), of course, and I can get a feel through that
martingale strap through the handle of what's under our feet... I can
tell easily the difference between a straight curb, corner curb (if
she's positioning us to go around grate, say), and a ramp without having
to really think about it. So I find that helps me put my feet in
position on the edge of the curb really easy, and I already have some
confidence that I know what to expect when we step off to cross the
street. When we do strike off, her step off the cub ahead of me gives me
an almost perfect feel to judge my first step down, which is very nice.
In places, there are really high curbs, so stepping off expecting the
street to be the normal distance down is a jarring experience. Being
able to feel Mitzi's movements down, I can judge my foot placement
precisely without the minor trauma. /smile/ And, when we reach the other
side of the street, we just go on up the curb in sync, because I have
her movement to follow. This is great, because the idea of using the
method of having her stop in front of the curb gives me the willies. I
did think about training for that approach until I noticed that it
didn't seem to be necessary. Same for up stairs. She gives me a little
signal in her movements that I barely notice except to respond to if it
is stairs instead of curb, and we can just sail on up without stopping
to let me work things out the hard way. Love, love, love it! The
downward communication is also great for going downstairs, although I
remain a total nervous nellie about that which makes the two of us
together less graceful. Sigh. When I get it right, it's great, but I
still just can't seem to help myself as a matter of habit. I look down.
Then I start thinking about going down... The trick for me is remember
that I need to absolutely never watch where I'm going. /lol/

Another advantage of the martingale strap, in my opinion, especially
with my poodle guide, is that it distributes the pressure of guiding
along the length of the dog's sternum, which is very strong and
comfortable for that. So all of the forward pressure is not across the
dog's chest, which is not as well designed for that sort of pressure. If
that makes any sense. With the poodle build, that distribution and
arrangement of the weight bearing parts of the harness is more
noticeable, as is the difference between the standard style and sport or
Laveau style. For a lab or shepherd, it may not make a huge amount of
difference how the breast strap works around the front of the dog. I do
believe that distributing some of the stress of the pull along the dog's
sternum can't hurt. I coud be wrong there, though, having not had a lab
with a standard style harness to use in further investigations. /smile/
Since I actually like my friends with labbie and shepherd guides, I have
little motivation to star feeling around on their guides while they're
in harness... /grin/

Tami

On Fri, 2011-09-23 at 12:32 -0400, Margo and Arrow wrote: 
> Can you get a martingale strap?
> 
> also, wonder if they will make offset harnesses.
> 
> margo and Arrow
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 11:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Sport vs standard harness
> 
> 
> > Hey Tracy,
> >
> > You're right: the total freedom of movement in the sport style harness 
> > handle does require some care, as you can, if not careful, over walk your 
> > dog. It seems unlikely that the handle would flip up in the way you 
> > indicate, although I suppose that is a possibility, albeit a slim one. 
> > However, the handle does move far enough that it could literally go up 
> > over your dog's nose, but the backward pressure as your dog moves and as 
> > you move would probably preclude this. Though it would be very possible to 
> > over walk if you're not careful. The advantage is that you can make 
> > extremely tight turns.
> >
> > It's not on the sight, but order the sport harness, and in the comments, 
> > ask Bob to make you the Laveau style. This is a sport style with 
> > stabilizer loops. I have one for Leno and absolutely love it. The loops 
> > keep the handle at  a natural angle, the handle can't go up over your 
> > dog's head, but you still feel all the movement through the shoulders the 
> > way the straps are configured. Truly, I think the Laveau style gives the 
> > best of both styles. It definitely has a different feel from the standard 
> > American harness as you'd get from school. You really feel, not only the 
> > pull into the front of the harness, but also the shoulder movement to some 
> > extent. I quite like it.
> >
> > To tell you the truth, the only real reason I wanted another harness was 
> > the removable handle. It's the one feature of Seeing Eye's harnesses that 
> > I wish we had but don't. I don't have any issue with their name on the 
> > back strap or anything of that nature. So, yes, the harness with loops 
> > still has a removable handle. Just thread the handle through the loops, 
> > then snap it together. The plastic backpack type fasteners that Bob and 
> > Rox'e use are surprisingly sturdy; I think you'd have to try pretty hard 
> > to damage one. Now having said that, beyond the removable handle, I really 
> > enjoy using my Paw Power harness. It's lightweight, gives great feedback, 
> > and looks sharp. Definitely count me as satisfied. And I got mine with all 
> > the options: reflective tape and padding, I mean. Bob assures me the 
> > reflective tape is sewn on, not glued, so it will hold up just fine in the 
> > laundry.
> > --
> > Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> > Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sep 23, 2011, at 10:56 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
> >
> >> I'm thinking about getting a Pawpower harness.  It would be nice to have
> >> something I can throw in the wash, especially with winter crud coming
> >> along.  I'd also like something where I could detach the handle.
> >> What I'm not sure about is which to get, sport or standard.  I need to be
> >> able to tell instantly when Ben is stopping for traffic or dodging a
> >> pedestrian.
> >> I'm a little worried that, with the sport, the handle might flip over his
> >> head.  I'm a little worried that, with the standard, it would be harder 
> >> to
> >> take the handle off and on because of the stabilizer loops.
> >> What do those of you with Pawpower harnesses have to say?
> >> Tracy
> >>
> >>
> >>
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