Sunday, July 28, 2013

PRODUCT REVIEW: Thunderleash

Does your beagle pull on the leash?

When I first got Lulu, she would pull to the point she was pretty much crawling across the ground to get at what she was smelling.

She's on an Easy Walk harness now, but sometimes she'll still yank when she really wants to get at something.

That's why I decided to give Thunderleash a try.

Thunderleash was created by the same company that brought us Thundershirt. We did a week long review of the Thundershirt earlier this year.

Unfortunately, we aren't as much of a fan of the Thunderleash as we are of the Thundershirt.

The Thunderleash is designed to prevent pulling. The leash converts to its no pulling design by wrapping it around the dog's body and clipping it to a safety clip.

There are buckles that allow you to keep a small amount of slack around the leash, and another that stops the leash from going any further.

There is a lot of room for user error, so read the instructions carefully. You need to make some adjustments on the buckles to make sure there is just enough slack. Too much slack and the harness aspect is useless.

If it works right, each time the dog pulls it should provide gentle pressure around her chest so that she stops pulling.

Now I typically don't use a harness that clips at the top because Lulu will pull through that like it's nothing.

But as you can see, she was pulling hard. Even with the Thunderleash around her. Lulu was able to keep pulling me, even moving the leash around on her body.

Now, as with the Thundershirt, not everyone has the same experience. Lulu is driven by her nose, and she can be tough to deal with. A dog that would rather choke than not pull is not going to have any problem with the gentle pressure of the Thunderleash around her chest.

So it is possible it will work with your dog, even if it didn't work with mine.

And remember, if it doesn't work, you can always take advantage of the company's guarantee.

Something else to consider -- any "no-pull" harness is really no substitute for training your dog not to pull. This is one of those places where Lulu doesn't do well at home, but does elsewhere.

The Thunderleash is $30 and comes in two sizes: small for dogs 12 to 25 pounds, and large for dogs bigger than 25 pounds. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a free Thunderleash to try out from Thundershirt.

7 comments :

  1. I totally understand how hard it is to stop a beagle from pulling when there nose has been "activated" by smell. Maggie is a pretty good walker, knows how to heel etc. However as a scent hound when a smell catches her attention her other senses like hearing and visual go out the window. Thanks for the review, I agree, there is no magic product that will fix a dog who has not been trained properly.

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    1. I just wish I could get Lulu to stop the antics at home. She does well on a leash in other places.

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  2. Haha, your description of Lulu pulling is so familiar to me. My parents have a Beagle, Copper John, and he likes to shout from the rooftops when he gets on a leash and then pull my mom to all the bushes. He has terrible allergies and when he comes out of a bush, his eyes are bright red and puffy. It's the most adorable thing.

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    1. Sounds like a beagle! They don't care they might get hurt as long as they get at that scent!

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  3. Hello, I am DoggBoss, and I invented the Zipp-n-Go dog leash with the adjustable Kushee Collar and grips. I will not say the leash stops pulling but it sure does help with training and walking for a lot of dog owners. Plus easy on and off and safe. Check out the reviews and try one for yourself. The Kushee's on the collar portion and grips help a lot. See this leash at and our other dog training supplies at http://www.doggbossgear.com/zipp-n-go-leash/
    DoggBoss

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  4. I tried no pull harnesses with our littermates when they were young and they did really great until Rodrigo slipped his harness and went tearing down the Centennial Trail after a bike. He came back (good recall that day) and a week later he'd chewed up his harness (I should have pulled it away) and I didn't bother buying another.

    Today, all of our dogs are great walkers. They pull at the beginning because they're excited and this can be frustrating, but I just relax into the walk and keep turning around so that eventually they slow down.

    Thanks for the review.

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  5. Interesting. You're exactly right that dogs need to be trained and owners not rely on a product. My dogs might benefit by something like this, since they pull, but aren't scent hounds. Then again, it sounds like work.

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