Remi Is scared of his overhead harness, how can I put on / desensitise him?

[Accidentalglixch]

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Any tips on how to get Remi to not be afraid of his harness?
We've let him sniff it as well as me trying to put it over his head, getting him to sit and with treats but he gets scared and tries to chew it, runs around the living room with it, tries to bite me or he just gets agitated.

I've included the image of the harness we have.

 

[JudyN]

You'll need to go very slowly. Don't try to put it over his head, but instead hold a treat so he has to put his head into the head loop himself - again, you may have to do this gradually, starting with him just having to move his nose in the right direction. When he will put his head right through the loop (and thinks this is a great game), you can let it rest for a moment on his neck, and progress this gradually.

Jasper really hated things being pulled back over his head, so I taught him 'back', then I'd hold the harness and ask him to go back, so effectively removing it himself.

You might also need to desensitise Remi to the click fasteners - start off by clicking them when he's not wearing the harness, then maybe while holding the fastener right next to him... and so on.

Having said that, we did give up on J's over-head harness and bought a step-in one instead, which he preferred.

 

[Pascalina]

You'll need to go very slowly. Don't try to put it over his head, but instead hold a treat so he has to put his head into the head loop himself - again, you may have to do this gradually, starting with him just having to move his nose in the right direction. When he will put his head right through the loop (and thinks this is a great game), you can let it rest for a moment on his neck, and progress this gradually.

Jasper really hated things being pulled back over his head, so I taught him 'back', then I'd hold the harness and ask him to go back, so effectively removing it himself.

You might also need to desensitise Remi to the click fasteners - start off by clicking them when he's not wearing the harness, then maybe while holding the fastener right next to him... and so on.

Having said that, we did give up on J's over-head harness and bought a step-in one instead, which he preferred.

 

[Pascalina]

I had the same with our puppy when we got him a year ago. I did do the above tryng to desensitise him, this worked successfully with our last dog but sadly not with jasper. I purchased an additional clip from ebay and created another opening, so no longer goes over head. He still has a tiny moan but sorted really. The desensitisation recommended by vet, definitely worth trying .

 

[PupC]

You'll need to go very slowly. Don't try to put it over his head, but instead hold a treat so he has to put his head into the head loop himself - again, you may have to do this gradually, starting with him just having to move his nose in the right direction. When he will put his head right through the loop (and thinks this is a great game), you can let it rest for a moment on his neck, and progress this gradually.

Jasper really hated things being pulled back over his head, so I taught him 'back', then I'd hold the harness and ask him to go back, so effectively removing it himself.

You might also need to desensitise Remi to the click fasteners - start off by clicking them when he's not wearing the harness, then maybe while holding the fastener right next to him... and so on.

Having said that, we did give up on J's over-head harness and bought a step-in one instead, which he preferred.

I was going to suggest the same game as Judy as this worked for our pup although she was not becoming aggressive just uncertain.
treats each time she moves toward and lots of praise - I stepped back so she wanted them move with me to play. good luck with Remi