r/reactivedogs • u/kayb-rown • 1d ago
Advice Needed Walking Set Up for Reactive Large Dog - Advice
hi there! I have a 7 year old great pyrenees mix who is reactive on leash when he sees german shepherds. We lived in apartments and went on multiple walks a day for the first 3 1/2 years of his life. He was known to react when seeing (some) german shepards. this included pulling, barking, lunging. we used a leash with two points of connection, one to his martingale collar and the other to a gentle lead head harness. For the last 3 1/2 years we have lived rural and he’s had plenty of fenced in property to run around in! He also became fence reactive during that time. We are moving back to town, and he will likely go on walks every day.
I need some advice on what/brands of harness, collar, gentle lead etc to buy for his walks. At the time, gentle lead was the only thing we could get to redirect him but I have since seen critique of them. He’s between 110-120 pounds!
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u/MaleficentBake9995 1d ago
Here’s my go to products:
An escape proof harness by Nonstop Dogwear (link) but Ruffwear and a few other brands have similar harnesses.
A no-pull head harness leash combo from Heathers Heros (link) - love using this as just a regular leash but it’s great if I need more control over my pup
Hope this helps or at least gives you some ideas ❤️
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u/Quick-Incident-4351 1d ago edited 1d ago
I also use both of these! (Although we use the rock harness long) Both are very sturdy we've had ours for years.
We uses them with the ferd belt and a 6ft leash with a locking clip. I like that the belt is more secure and I can hang my poop bags, bear horn and pepper spray for easy access
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u/Foggy_Redwoods 1d ago
Also have a Pyr mix (Pyr/Newfie) and this is the set-up I use as well. Strong gentle leader with an extra connection to her martingale. It's the only way I can ensure control of all 100 lbs. of her when she gets worked up. Otherwise, on our walks, I've never seen it bother her. She doesn't love it...but she tolerates it since she knows it means walkies.
Sometimes I'll also put her harness on so that way I have a strap to grab onto to help control her body too. I never put a leash on it though.
We've been doing a lot of work with find her threshold and using high reward treats the past 2 years and she has improved a lot. And just finding walking routes that have lots of "escape" alternatives if we see a dog coming towards us.
Good luck!
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u/kayb-rown 1d ago
is there a particular brand of gentle lead and martingale you recommend?
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u/Foggy_Redwoods 1d ago
I use Zevey for my gentle lead - it's nice and thick, has padding for her snout, and has a safety strap that I connect to her martingale. I also like that the snout size adjuster is movable so that when she's not pulling she can have plenty of room for her mouth to open, etc. - but if she pulls, it goes tight (like a martingale) so she can't slip out (which she managed to do with my last gentle lead model).
For martingales, it's really up to you. I like getting ones I can personalize with her name and contact info so I don't have to put a tag on her collar - and there are so many out there. And for my bigger pups, I like to get the wider collars for the extra strength.
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u/Cheap-Board-2873 1d ago
I think most people on this subreddit, would greatly benefit from just better management. It doesn't really matter, harness, collar, anything that your dog cant slip out of. Whether you have a gentle leader, a harness, a leash, a collar, etc, if you have good management, distance, handling technique, you'll be fine.
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u/kayb-rown 1d ago
I totally get that! However, I’m starting from scratch in terms of products (we are buying all new leashes, harnesses, collars etc) which is why i’m wondering what type and brands people like most! :)
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u/Cheap-Board-2873 1d ago
A 6ft leash is standard and a collar. If your dog is a big puller, I'd use like a 2 inch thick collar so you don't close his windpipe
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u/Careful_Interaction2 1d ago
Aside from the gear advice, i also would consider taking your dog out during business hours if possible when the heat dies down in the season! Things will be so much calmer during that time.
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u/retteofgreengables 1d ago
We use a 2 inch collar with a handle and a harness (just a standard y-shaped) for my dog who is a bit smaller than yours (in the 85 to 95 range). We also have a leash with a traffic handle and a carabiner clip instead of a standard leash clip (much faster and stronger).
In terms of the gentle lead, there’s a few things to consider:
1) does your dog do okay with it? My dog hates to wear one, and while he will if I need him to, I think it sets him up to fail since it makes him grumpy and is irritating for him. Some dogs don’t mind them.
2) how badly is your dog reacting? A dog that is so out of control that they are jerking and pulling even after the gentle lead goes taut is a dog that the gentle lead isn’t safe for (too much chance of neck damage IMO).
3) (and you already have this one) what is your backup if it fails? Connecting to the martingale can definitely be a back up (I don’t like martingales because of the restrictiveness, but they can definitely be used well), but so too can a harness.
As a bonus, how close to the Shepards does your dog have to be before he reacts? I have found that if I cover my dog’s eyes before the trigger gets too close, they can pass us without him reacting at all. We very rarely have lunging moments now if I’m alert.
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u/kayb-rown 1d ago
he does wonderfully with the head collar and does not mind it! he does not react to the point of thrashing, so it’s reassuring to hear it’s not as dangerous! thank you for the tips!
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u/heartxhk Brisket 23h ago
we have used gentle leaders to walk our two 70lb pit mixes with potential sudden lunge-y reactions for years without injury or incident related to the head collars. if your dog does well responding to the gentle leader + leash pressure i wouldn’t be worried about neck/spine issues
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u/Cumberbutts 1d ago
I have a 130lbs golden retriever who is dog reactive. After years of trial and error I’m on my current set up which is the RuffWear Flagline harness, front clip with a 20ft biothane long line that I have wrapped around my shoulder, and a traffic leash on the top clip as a fail safe.
Mine never tolerated the halti and destroyed three before I gave up. The long line was a game changer for us, but I did seek a trainer to help us get the hang of it and how to hold it correctly.
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u/heather-84 5h ago
I just bought the flagline for my 110lb rottie. It feels so thin and light - it makes me nervous.
I know it’s made out of pro climbing material and it seems to have a long history with few negative reviews…. But actually imagining him lunging and relying on that front strap (since the only metal d-ring is on the back) is causing me anxiety, lol.
I also, in a pinch, “briefcase” him - which is what I call grabbing his harness and lifting him off his front legs to temporarily get control - few and far between but it has happened.
Have you had any issues with it?
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u/Cumberbutts 4h ago
My pup is a big lunger, and also loves to slightly back up and lunge forward again (fun!)... zero issues with the front clip. But I totally get what you mean! I also do the briefcase method and it feels strong when I pick up most of his 130lbs. The traffic leash attached to the top gives me a bit more security in case anything happens to the leash.
We are on two years for this particular harness. I had another one for around 8 months and one of the clips bent slightly, I contacted Ruffwear and they immediately sent a replacement.
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u/curiousairbenda 1d ago
I have a malinois mix who was reactive and a PULLER when we rescued him. I really liked the Halti head collar. We used the gentle harness as well but he would rub his face on everything and could always get out of it. We alternated for a few months and then switched to the two hounds harness and exclusively use the front/chest clip He actually does way better in a harness and is calmer than he was in the gentle leader/halti. I would recommend giving it a try even though I know it's hit and miss - Our last two dogs were aggressive German shepherds and the harness was an absolute no go for us because they would pull anyway.
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u/lilpirahna6765 10h ago
I’m working with a trainer right now with my 11month old Great Pyrenees mix, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that distance is your best friend with reactivity.
Originally I thought that if I made my dog sit while another dog/person passed and fed him treats, he would eventually learn not to react. My trainer explained it differently: if the dog is already over threshold, asking for a sit doesn’t necessarily change how he feels about the trigger. It can be like putting ice cream in front of an overwhelmed toddler and asking them to just sit there and ignore it 😂. Once they’re over threshold, learning becomes much harder.
One thing that has worked really well for us is a cheap flirt pole type toy. It basically looks like a giant cat toy. a stick with a ball/tug attached. Instead of waiting for my dog to lock onto something and then trying to regain his attention, I can use his prey/play drive before he reaches threshold.
So, for example, if you see a German Shepherd coming but you’re still far enough away that your dog hasn’t fixated yet, create more distance and start engaging him. Let him chase the toy, play with you, praise him, move around, etc. The goal isn’t necessarily “you MUST ignore that dog.” It’s teaching him that he can notice a trigger and still remain regulated and engaged with you.
Finding the right distance is huge. If he can’t engage with you, won’t take food/play, freezes, hard-stares, starts loading forward, or otherwise becomes fixated, you’re probably too close. Back up until he can actually think again. That distance might look ridiculous at first and that’s okay.🥹
Every calm exposure at a workable distance is a successful rep. I’d rather have 20 boring successes from 100 feet away than repeatedly get 20 feet away and have him explode. You can gradually decrease distance as his emotional response improves.
Another thing my trainer really emphasized was my own handling and body language. I realized I was constantly watching my dog on walks. As soon as I saw one of his triggers, I’d tense up and bring my leash hand toward my chest without even realizing it. Dogs are extremely good at noticing those tiny patterns. Eventually your behavior can basically announce, “OH GOD, HERE COMES THE THING.”
So we practiced on quiet streets where I could work on my behavior. Eyes forward, relaxed body, loose leash, keep moving. If he pulled ahead, I’d calmly change direction rather than getting into a conversation or leash battle with him. We’ve also done a ton of impulse control work outside of reactive situations. Sit means sit until released, starting with literally a few seconds and gradually increasing it. Same with down, place/bed, waiting at doors, waiting for food, etc. I use a release word (“okay”) so there’s a very clear beginning and end to what I’m asking.
I also use portions of his meals for training instead of automatically putting everything in a bowl. It gives me dozens of easy reinforcement opportunities throughout the day without constantly adding extra treats.
Since yours seems specifically reactive to German Shepherds, you could also try very low intensity versions of that trigger while he’s relaxed. German Shepherd barking played VERY quietly while he’s eating/playing could potentially be useful, gradually increasing it only while he remains comfortable. I’d be careful not to blast barking sounds at him though, the whole point is exposure without creating the reaction you’re trying to change. Even a realistic Shepherd shaped stuffed dog could potentially be used for controlled practice if he reacts to the silhouette, although a real dog at a safe distance is ultimately a much better training setup.
And with a 110–120 lb dog, I’d personally prioritize management and secure equipment alongside training. Whatever harness/collar setup you choose, you need something that fits correctly and that you can physically control if he does have a reaction. I wouldn’t rely on any piece of equipment to fix the reactivity itself.
Don’t judge progress by “how close did we get?” Judge it by “how well was my dog able to cope?” Sometimes creating MORE distance is actually the better training decision.
I’m definitely still learning with mine too, but changing my mindset from “how do I stop the reaction?” to “how do I keep him in a state where he doesn’t need to react in the first place?” has probably helped us the most. ❤️
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u/kayb-rown 8h ago
thank you for the well thought out post, I am positive it’s going to help a lot of people who come across it :’) we’re set on the training and management (he’s had professional training since he was a puppy), just looking for secure tools and brand recommendations since we’re buying a whole new set up for large dogs so if you have any, please let me know!
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u/SnowLancer616 2h ago
A Great Pyrenees is not an apartment or city dog. Him being reactive to other canines is literally the job he was bred for. Its going to be incredibly difficult to train him out of breed specific traits.
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u/kayb-rown 2h ago
I’m not asking for help training anything out of him. I’m actually not asking for help with his breed, instincts, or anything similar. I’ve had him for seven years, we understand him and his breed. I’ve worked with his breed in shelters and with working pyrenees on farms, canine reactivity is not part of the job they’re bred for lol.
As I said, he is not a working dog. We also will not be in an apartment or city. He did live in an apartment with us and did really well because we changed our lifestyle to fit the needs of him. We are moving back into town, as in, not on as much acreage but a house with a large backyard.
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u/BuckityBuck 1d ago
Your setup was the same as mine, except that I clipped the martingale's and the Freedom's front clips together.
A lot of reactive dogs to not like head collars. If your dog does well with those, great.