Harbour City Dog Gear

Harbour City Dog Gear We help you find the perfect harness to fit your dog's physical, behavioural, and lifestyle needs.
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Thanks so much for the great photo  The    harness looks great on you!
27/10/2024

Thanks so much for the great photo
The harness looks great on you!

Sweet Coco in Moonglow  harness and matching lead.
22/10/2024

Sweet Coco in Moonglow harness and matching lead.

Eddie in  Comfort Walk Air ... so handsome! ๐Ÿ’™
22/09/2024

Eddie in Comfort Walk Air ... so handsome! ๐Ÿ’™

16/09/2024

Over the last few days, it feels like a firestorm has been unleashed. Itโ€™s clear that outdated dog training practices will no longer go unchallenged.

The release of a study using shock collars (cited below) has sparked unprecedented backlash and even made national headlines, and triggered a major reckoning within the dog training community. The study, seen by many as politically motivated, appears to have put dogs in harm's way to prove a point.

Professionals across the field agree that it should never have been approved by the ethics committee - and their fears were substantiated, given that every single dog in the shock collar group is documented to have yelped in pain while receiving shock collar โ€œcorrectionsโ€.

The outcry continues to build as more people in our field demand accountability and transparency. Reputations are being hit hard, institutions are facing scrutiny, and balanced trainers like Ivan Balabanov have been fully unmasked, revealing the harmful and outdated methods still being promoted under the guise of expertise.

This glaring evidence underlines what weโ€™ve known all along: pain and fear have no place in professional dog training.

Let this serve as a stark reminder to those in our field who continue to promote outdated methods and deny the overwhelming scientific consensus. The community will no longer remain silent. The evidence is clear and we are moving beyond these harmful practices. Trainers who continue to use pain, fear, and intimidation in their methods do not deserve legitimacy in this field.

Ivan Balabanov, once considered a leader among "balanced" trainers, now faces intense scrutiny following his involvement in this study. It is now scientifically verified that 25% of the dogs he and his mentee worked with in the shock collar group could not be trained effectively, and 100% of those dogs yelped in pain.

This once again undermines the narrative propagated by many trainers who use shock collars and falsely claim that their methods "donโ€™t hurt."

The reality is, the tools they promote rely on pain as a teaching mechanism, and better alternatives exist that teach dogs to comply enthusiastically without the need for fear or discomfort, and without the risks associated with using pain and fear to change an individualโ€™s behavior.

For too long, the welfare of dog trainers has been placed above the welfare of dogs and the public. This has got to stop.

The campaign to expose outdated training methods, like those Ivan Balabanov will likely promote in his upcoming UK workshop, is gaining momentum. Even members of his own community are stunned by the facts that have come to light in this study.

This is not an effort to embarrass an individual but to stand up for the public and make it clear that the propaganda surrounding shock collars is just that โ€” propaganda.

Below is a newly published article from Psychology Today that lays out the facts on the recent shock collar study. For those who think this is about social media โ€œcloutโ€ or personal opinions, this article should clarify that our advocacy is rooted in concern for public and canine welfare.

Iโ€™ve always said, donโ€™t take my word for itโ€”look at the evidence. This article does just that: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animal-emotions/202409/is-balanced-training-fair-to-dogs-or-is-it-a-cop-out

And here is a link to the study in question: Johnson, A.C., & Wynne, C.D.L. (2024). โ€œComparison of the Efficacy and Welfare of Different Training Methods in Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs.โ€ Animals, 14(18), 2632. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182632

Based on the reaction to this study, another major domino has fallen in support of aversive dog training methods. This so-called "landmark study" will likely be remembered not for the efficacy of shock collars, but for exposing the unnecessary use of pain in dog training as a legitimate strategy.

We are prepared to provide support and education to those willing to update their methods in the interest of public health and safety. But make no mistakeโ€”those who refuse to be unequivocal in rejecting pain-based methods will face increasing scrutiny.

The livelihood of trainers promoting harmful practices is not our concern when it comes at the expense of dog welfare and public trust.

The time to end the misrepresentation of science-based training and to uphold welfare and ethics in dog training is long overdue. We are standing together for a better future for our industry, our dogs, and their guardians.

06/09/2024

โš ๏ธ ๐‘พ๐’‰๐’š ๐‘ฐ ๐’˜๐’๐’'๐’• ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’‚๐’‘๐’‘๐’†๐’‚๐’“๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’๐’ ๐‘ซ๐’๐’ˆ๐’” ๐‘ฉ๐’†๐’‰๐’‚๐’—๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ (๐‘ฝ๐’†๐’“๐’š) ๐‘ฉ๐’‚๐’…๐’๐’š

Yesterday, I received the following email from a researcher for the TV programme *Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly*:

"๐‘€๐‘ฆ ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘  (redacted) ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘˜ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘‡๐‘‰ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ค โ€˜๐ท๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘  ๐ต๐‘’โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” (๐‘‰๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ) ๐ต๐‘Ž๐‘‘๐‘™๐‘ฆโ€™.

๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘  โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘ž๐‘ข๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘š ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘š ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘๐‘’๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘’๐‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘ค๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘’๐‘’๐‘˜ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐ฟ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ ๐ฟ๐‘ฆ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘š.

๐‘Š๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘‘๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘‡๐‘ข๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘‘๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ 10๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘†๐‘’๐‘๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘š๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘˜๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘’๐‘ฅ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘š ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘› โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘“๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘›. ๐‘Š๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘œ๐‘˜๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘“๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘™๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ก ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘Ž ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘™๐‘’๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’.

๐‘Š๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ฆ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘“๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘ค๐‘› ๐‘‘๐‘œ๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘š๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘ก๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘›-๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘๐‘ , ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘™๐‘ฆ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘”๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ .

๐‘ƒ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘’ ๐‘™๐‘’๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘’ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘ข ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘˜ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘›. ๐‘‚๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘’, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘ฆโ€™๐‘‘ ๐‘›๐‘’๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘š๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž, ๐‘๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘–๐‘ก ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž ๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘ฆ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘–๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘˜๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ !"

My first thought was to delete the email. I'm not a fan of Graeme Hall. I've watched a few episodes of his show, and in my opinion, he seems to make things up as he goes along, relying on outdated training methods.

However, I was puzzled. Was the โ€œcravatโ€ unwell, and they needed a stand-in? I'm a nobody โ€“ why on earth would they want to film me training a dog when there are so many high-profile trainers out there? Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to give the researcher a call.

I'm still in shock as I write this. The researcher explained that they wanted to invite me to Lytham with my Border Collie to "demonstrate" to Graeme Hall how I would train my dog not to respond to a phone ringtone.

Graeme would then take my training method and use it to teach the Border Collie of the family seeking help โ€“ all while filming it for his TV show!

WTF ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜ณ

I decided to dig a bit deeper and reached out to the force-free dog training community to see if anyone else had experienced something this bizarre.

It turns out that many trainers had also been asked to attend filming sessions to show Graeme how to train dogs before the cameras rolled. Most reported that they refused because of his methods, but a few had shown him and his team how to train a dog, only to be dismissed without any credit for their expertise.

I then did some open-source research on "The Countryโ€™s Best Dog Trainer," as the *Daily Telegraph* calls him. He has no formal training in canine behaviour or training. Heโ€™s essentially winging it with the help of whatever trainers are willing to show up and assist him.

According to his website, he charges ยฃ875 per session ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ˜ง

Now Iโ€™m not someone who normally criticises other trainers. I prefer to let my clients decide if Iโ€™m the right trainer for them based on how I work with their dogs.

However, I couldnโ€™t let this pass without making it public knowledge.

If you're looking for a dog trainer, please avoid this programme and this man. You have no idea whose techniques heโ€™ll be using week to week, and given that most qualified and accredited trainers want nothing to do with him, the quality of training youโ€™ll receive is questionable at best.

Instead, do your own research and find a local trainer who aligns with your own dog training ethics. Organisations such as The IMDT or APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers can help guide you to qualified & accredited trainers in your area.

๐‘ท๐’๐’†๐’‚๐’”๐’† ๐’…๐’๐’'๐’• ๐’‘๐’–๐’• ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’…๐’๐’ˆ๐’” ๐’Š๐’ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’…๐’” ๐’๐’‡ ๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’“๐’๐’‚๐’•๐’‚๐’๐’”!

06/09/2024

Coco came to the studio in search of a harness and she chose an .de Fun, which looked beautiful on her!
06/09/2024

Coco came to the studio in search of a harness and she chose an .de Fun, which looked beautiful on her!

When you try a harness on a dog and you just know.This is a  Fun Run harness, size 3XS!Come see us if you are struggling...
24/08/2024

When you try a harness on a dog and you just know.
This is a Fun Run harness, size 3XS!
Come see us if you are struggling to find a well-fitting harness for your dog - we are harness specialists ๐Ÿถ

01/08/2024
01/08/2024

Opening a bit late today.
Apx 3:45pm

Emails and orders may take a little longer for a while.
29/07/2024

Emails and orders may take a little longer for a while.

Chezzy couldn't wait to go outside to test out his new Grossenbacher 'Fun Run' harness. He waited mostly patiently! It w...
19/07/2024

Chezzy couldn't wait to go outside to test out his new Grossenbacher 'Fun Run' harness. He waited mostly patiently! It was super fun to have him in the studio.

If you are struggling to find a harness that fits your dog, please let us help you. We have over 16 different styles, and they are all designed around what is best for dogs.

Mixing it up with some new studio treats from  ... pups who visit for a harness fitting will be able to sample these yum...
18/07/2024

Mixing it up with some new studio treats from ... pups who visit for a harness fitting will be able to sample these yummy treats.




local



Gorgeous Raven showing some of her tricks in .de 'Safety' harness ... medium, blue/black.
14/07/2024

Gorgeous Raven showing some of her tricks in .de 'Safety' harness ... medium, blue/black.

Poppy ๐Ÿ’ฎ Vizsla, 2yrsGrossenbacher Proguide harness
11/07/2024

Poppy ๐Ÿ’ฎ
Vizsla, 2yrs
Grossenbacher Proguide harness

"I gave thee mine before thou didst request it."Beautiful Romeo in .de Fun M-L, petrol-brown.
06/07/2024

"I gave thee mine before thou didst request it."

Beautiful Romeo in .de Fun M-L, petrol-brown.

We are closed from 12 to 18 June for the Pet Professional Guild Australia 2024 Conference.Orders are suspended during th...
11/06/2024

We are closed from 12 to 18 June for the Pet Professional Guild Australia 2024 Conference.
Orders are suspended during this time and will reopen on 19 June.
Emails will be addressed in order of receipt when we are back on deck on 19 June.
Jenny

Conference website is now live, with registrations to open soon.

Take a browse at the speakers & topics. Which workshop streams will you choose??
https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/conference/home

LEARN, GROW, INFLUENCE

13/05/2024

Awesome ... NBN down and AUPost Business site down. Double whammy.

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Sydney, NSW

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