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"After 23 years as a dog behaviourist, I have to confess something" — Why I recommend something different to my clients today

As a dog behaviourist, I was convinced that leash pulling was primarily a training issue. Until the day a client arrived for her second session with a completely changed dog. What I understood that evening, and why I should have seen it much sooner.

Written by Bram van der Meer

Dog Behaviourist | 23 years' experience

In my career, I've trained over 4,000 dogs. German Shepherds, Labradors, Chihuahuas, Great Danes. Aggressive, anxious dogs, dogs that had driven their owners to despair. For 23 years, I told owners: "Pulling on the leash is a training problem. With the right technique and perseverance, you'll succeed."

Last week, I received a lesson in humility. And honestly, I'm almost ashamed that I didn't understand it sooner.

The leash hung loose. Rocky walked beside her.

It was a Thursday afternoon. Private lesson. Roos came in for our second session with her Golden Retriever, Rocky. 35 kilos of muscle. What we call a "puller," constantly pushing forward. During our first session, I had told her: "In 6 to 8 weeks, he'll be walking at heel."

But something was off. Rocky was walking beside her. The leash hung loosely. I thought he was having a good day. Then a dog appeared from behind a fence.

Normally, Rocky would have exploded. This time? He pulled for a brief moment... and his body automatically turned sideways. He looked at the other dog, then at Roos, and kept walking.

"What did you do?" I asked. Roos smiled, a little awkwardly. "I bought a new harness. A friend recommended it to me. I hope you don't mind." - "Mind? Why would I?" - "I've had it for three days. And he doesn't pull anymore."

What 23 years of schooling never taught me

That evening, I sat in my office staring at the wall. 23 years of career. 4,000 dogs. And a client solves in three days what I charge for weeks of lessons. My first reflex was rejection. "Impossible. It's a placebo effect." Then I thought of all the clients who had told me: "It works during the lesson, but at home, it's hell."

I started researching. And I stumbled upon something called the opposition reflex. A primal biological mechanism present in almost all mammals.

The principle is simple: when pressure comes from behind, as with a classic back-clip harness, the dog automatically pulls the other way. It's not stubbornness. It's pure biology.

For 23 years, I had tried to "train" this reflex. It's like trying to teach a person not to blink when you blow in their face. Impossible. You can only circumvent it.

The Alto™ anti-pull harness with front attachment in action.

Thanks to this chest ring, the dog is gently turned to the side when pulling, interrupting the opposition reflex. There is no longer anything to "push against". The dog understands within minutes: pulling is useless.

The Alto™ anti-pull harness is based precisely on this principle: a chest attachment that bypasses the biological reflex instead of fighting it.

"Bram, what kind of scum is that?"

The next day, I called Roos back. She came by again to explain the principle to me. Front attachment. When the dog pulls, it is mechanically turned to the side, towards its owner. No backward pressure. No opposition reflex. It was the Alto harness.

The following week, I ordered ten of them for my most difficult cases. A Bernese Mountain Dog that dislocated its owner's shoulder. An Australian Shepherd whose owner had to go to the osteopath. A Great Dane that the family could no longer walk outside. The results astounded me. During the evaluation, Roos said:

"Thank you, Bram. I would never have succeeded without you." — I shook my head. She had found the solution. I would have spent another six weeks teaching her useless things.

— Roos, with her Golden Retriever Rocky

What I'm telling my customers today

I am still a dog behaviorist. Training is important, connection is important. But from now on, if a client comes to me with a pulling problem, I will ask one single question: "Where is the attachment on your harness?" If the answer is "on the back," we'll talk about the harness before we talk about training. As long as the equipment works against the dog's biology, everything else is secondary.

From now on, I will recommend the Alto™ harness to all my clients who struggle with pulling. For three reasons:

Front ring on the chest → no opposition reflex
X-shaped pressure distribution → no chafing, no choking
Breathable material → ideal, even for long walks

I am not telling you this to advertise. I am telling you this because I made a mistake for 23 years. And I don't want you to make the same mistake.

My advice for you

Before you spend hundreds of dollars on lessons. Before you despair. Before you wonder if you have the "wrong dog": look at his harness. Where is the attachment point? If it's on his back, you now know why he pulls. Not because he's stubborn. It's because his body biologically can't do otherwise.

I wish you and your dog relaxing walks!

Bram

⚠️ Important: Alto™ is exclusively sold through the official webshop, not through bol.com, Amazon or Marktplaats. Products offered there as "Alto" are fakes, without the breast ring technology.

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