I've been working on harness training with Poppy on and off (I'm trying to be more consistent about it now) for a little while. At first, I was using the Avianweb harness, but sort of hit a wall with the underwing strap part because it requires too much messing around with to get it secure and she wasn't having it. It's also a bit bulky for her lil body.
I decided to try a different harness and found an Aviator dupe for super cheap ($7!!!) on Wish. I decided to try it out. The construction quality seems really solid, so I feel comfortable using it. It's lightweight but sturdy and I like the elastic lead.
Well, I ran into the same wall with the wings, but I think I know what the problem is now. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't connect the dots earlier. I was using food as a reward, and Poppy becomes much fussier and doesn't like to be touched when she's eating. Duh!
So now I'm going to try using praise and pets as a reward instead, and harness training will be done during cuddly times. Honestly, this should be easier to do consistently for me anyways. It was a real pain to bring out the training stand, clicker, target stick, etc. and figure out how to hold it all with just my two hands while putting the harness on Pops. Now without all that stress, she might find it more comfortable as well.
As of now, she lets me put the loop over her head just fine, and will ignore it if she's getting pets or eating a treat. She still nibbles it when she isn't being pet though, and if she ends up moving it in a way that is uncomfortable, she wants it off and fast. She allows me to lift her wings and touch under them during cuddle times, so I'm hoping I can branch off of that to get the wing straps on. And I also hope that once it's fully on and secure, she won't feel the need to chew at it too much.
It'll probably take a while, but that's fine. We're heading into winter here, so the cold weather means I wouldn't get to take her out anyway. Hopefully by spring, we can go on some hikes together.
I decided to try a different harness and found an Aviator dupe for super cheap ($7!!!) on Wish. I decided to try it out. The construction quality seems really solid, so I feel comfortable using it. It's lightweight but sturdy and I like the elastic lead.
Well, I ran into the same wall with the wings, but I think I know what the problem is now. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't connect the dots earlier. I was using food as a reward, and Poppy becomes much fussier and doesn't like to be touched when she's eating. Duh!
So now I'm going to try using praise and pets as a reward instead, and harness training will be done during cuddly times. Honestly, this should be easier to do consistently for me anyways. It was a real pain to bring out the training stand, clicker, target stick, etc. and figure out how to hold it all with just my two hands while putting the harness on Pops. Now without all that stress, she might find it more comfortable as well.
As of now, she lets me put the loop over her head just fine, and will ignore it if she's getting pets or eating a treat. She still nibbles it when she isn't being pet though, and if she ends up moving it in a way that is uncomfortable, she wants it off and fast. She allows me to lift her wings and touch under them during cuddle times, so I'm hoping I can branch off of that to get the wing straps on. And I also hope that once it's fully on and secure, she won't feel the need to chew at it too much.
It'll probably take a while, but that's fine. We're heading into winter here, so the cold weather means I wouldn't get to take her out anyway. Hopefully by spring, we can go on some hikes together.
