Taking Aviator Harness OFF

[domyoburk]

I've acclimated Ursula to the Aviator harness and even gotten it on her once. We went outside and she seemed to like it.

 

But when we got back in and it was time to take the harness off... we had a struggle, I got bit for the first time, and I eventually had to towel her to get the harness off. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

I'm loathe to try it again now...

[Christina]

I'm sorry you have had no responses. Hopefully you will look at this. I do agree with you that it is just as hard if not harder to get that harness off than on. Finnigan won't get off my hand, so I have to do it one handed, which is difficult, and like you, she tries to bite me. I do try to give her something else to hold, a favorite treat, she usually tosses it aside, but hopefully she keeps it long enough for me to get the waist of the harness loose. I loosen it all the way so it's a big loop then try to ease that around her wing rather than picking it up. Once, the one wing is done, I reoffer the treat and try the next wing. She will usually pull her head out once her second wing is loose. Lots of tries and a few good bites got us to this routine (which I can hardly call a routine, as she still doesn't much care fo the harness). At any rate that is what I do. I hope that you and Ursula figure out a routine that each of you can live with. Takes some practice, just try to keep it calm. And when she did seem really really upset about it. I stopped trying to take it off, put her on the counter with her harness 1/2 on 1/2 off, and just let her take a bit of a break. I think she felt more in control if we just sat for a minute or two before trying to get the harness off again. Good luck.

[danmcq]

Christina gave excellent advice.

 

I had the same issue with Dayo when getting the harness off the first several times. A peanut or two kept him busy shredding while I quickly removed the harness. :-)