Freedom No-Pull Dog Harness
The Freedom No-Pull Dog Harness wasn’t known to me until one of the regular people at the park highlighted it with her Bernese mountain dog. Turns out they’re quite popular among people with large and medium breeds. Although she had tried several other no-pull harnesses, she had found little success. However, she moved over to the Freedom No-Pull Dog Harness, she’s sold and now uses nothing but.
Design
Design-wise the Freedom is a little unorthodox compared to others on the market, but that’s not a bad thing. It has a 
fairly unique shape and it has clearly been designed with dogs that pull foremost in mind. A martingale loop on the back which tightens (not aggressively) around the dogs chest when pulling.
The harness is primarily made up of straps. Now, there’s a fine balance here. We’ve seen harnesses with pure straps which can pinch and wear into the dog, particularly under the legs. We’ve also seen harnesses with a great deal of padding which for some dogs which pull can cause them to slip and therefore not offer the control you may need. The Freedom harness uses a soft Swiss velvet lining which seems to find a happy medium between the two. It’s strong, comfortable but stays stern when the dog starts to pull.
This harness has both a front and back clip for attaching a lead. The back clip is for standard walking and the front clip is for a second attachment to a lead. This is the key difference we found with this harness and why we believe it works for some owners where other harnesses have failed. With a lot of front clip harnesses, the clip is normally located on the chest. This one is a little higher up running parallel to the back clip. This higher connection brings control and training a little closer to the front of the dog.
A lot of the options for this harness include the lead, although you can buy it as-is. However, with all front clip harnesses – standard dog leads will not suffice (a double ended leash is required). If you’re looking for an alternative lead (essentially the lead has two clips) then many handlers (including ourselves) and trainers use a HALTI.
Summary
It’s easy to see why the Freedom no-pull dog harness has been so popular as an alternative to other no-pull harnesses. It is fairly unique in its design, doesn’t slip and offers a different sort of front clip control than its lower counterparts. This is a great harness though could be stronger. It also may not work for every dog, but sometimes these things are all about trial and error. If it does work for your dog and it makes a huge difference, it will be well worth the investment.
