Dog Harness - Opinions?

ABajaninCork

I've been thinking about getting my Shih Tzu a new harness for a while now. He's got a terrible habit of pulling with excitement when he first goes out, but gradually settles down as the walk goes on. We've tried EVERYTHING to stop him pulling, but my boy has the attention span of a flea!

He's got a Sporn which is nice and light, but does nothing to stop the pulling. He's also got an EZ Walker which was very good, but we had to stop using as it cut into him terribly. Halti's and Dogmatics are no good either as the dog is a brachycephalic breed.

DBB recommended this which looks good. I've e-mailed asking for prices and shipping costs.

My husband also came across a chap with two JRT's that uses a Julius K9. He probably likes this one as it looks macho! :P I think it might be a bit too bulky for our fella, myself.

Finally, I found the Feel Free Soft Dog Harness on Zooplus as well.

All have good reviews, but I also wondered if any other dog owners has used any of these and could weigh in with their opinions.

TIA

Knine

I have the Julius K9 and they are great little harnesses. My small dogs would be very narrow terriers. However they are trained not to pull and walk along beside me. The reason I use them is that the D ring at the top makes it less likely for leads to get tangled in legs. (one of the dogs is a pet for a child with special needs).

I would not recommend them for dogs that pull as don't think they would be any use. They are also handy as there is a little handle for picking up the dog if you wanted. The little removable labels are fun for the kids and you can get your own made. They do look lovely on the dogs.

paultf

+1 for the julius k9

I got some recently. My dogs wouldn't be aswell trained as they walk in front.

They start to pull sometimes depending on the reaction we get from any dogs we meet. When this happens the harness holds up well. I walk two at a time - one in each hand. They are definitely a step up from the basic step-into nylon harnesses we always had.

(I found the best price on zooplus.de - zooplus only have black/red - amazon uk/de had a variety of colours.)

EDIT: when I ordered I thought they might be too bulky but no, they are light but strong - they don't take up much space on the back. Very easy to put on and take off. I have cockers but they are slim so I ended up ordering sizes MINI-MINI and MINI.)

Knine

Julius K9 in action

ABajaninCork

Hahahaha! Just wait there while I bring you down!!

tk123

Hpp.ie do fleecey XtraDog harnesses similar to the perfect fit and also waterproof ones (this is what I use)- they're usually at shows so you could try one on etc. The Julius ones are going to give your dog more pulling power..well maybe if you have a small little dog it might give you more control as the harness is sturdier but if you have a strong dog go for a front attach. You could maybe get a front attach and work on training then once the dog is walking better graduate to the Julius one?

BTW Maxizoo sell the Julius ones so you can try them on etc

Knine

I had the fleecy ones but unfortunately they stretch after use and then often the size is incorrect.

The little Border Terrier makes the big fella look small but he is actually very large and she is tiny!

4th horsemen

Harnesses are good and relieve the stress on their neck from pulling but it Won't stop pulling,
I've found it harder to control dogs in harness than on the collar, as it makes it easier for them to pull when in the harness.

The best thing is training and being consistent, it's the best thing to stop pulling.
I Have an Alaskan Malamute who is 48kg (the opposite to your fella ) and trained him not to pull, which was hard work but so worth it as we enjoy our walks now as apposed to when he was a puppy pulling my arm off!!

I'd recommend a dog trainer or dog obedience classes to sort out the pulling.

PS is your dog excited just before you leave to go walking? If so, you need to wait till he is calm and relaxed and then go out, makes a big difference if he is calm before you start your walk

ABajaninCork

Done all that. Dog went to puppy and dog classes. No difference!!

He loves going out and showing himself off - he's a real showman. Dog is well socialised and will happily play with all sorts of dogs. He does play me up (not my husband so much) when I reach for his harness and collar. All I do is put him in his basket and ignore him until he calms down. Once the harness is on, he goes mad pulling for about 10mins. He settles down eventually, but the pulling drives us mad...

Thanks for the opinions so far.

Inexile

I have a small collie who can pull like a train and I use a senisble harness on her. It eliminates half the pull. Its a front leading harness so unlike some other harnesses it means she cant use the harness to pull harder!
I got them of some website - sorry cant remember which one but they should easy to source, relatively cheap and can be thrown in the machine.

tk123

Knine wrote: »

I had the fleecy ones but unfortunately they stretch after use and then often the size is incorrect.

The little Border Terrier makes the big fella look small but he is actually very large and she is tiny!

The ones I'm talking about have a nylon strip/strap on them so don't think they'd stretch although I have a fair idea of the ones you mean! Fleece wasn't really an option for us because my guy is a water baby so went for the water repellent one - it's like raincoat material covering foam if that makes sense. Suits us anyways also it has both front and back attaches so extra control when needed
http://hpp.ie/product_info.php?cPath=147_148&products_id=497

Knine

tk123 wrote: »

The ones I'm talking about have a nylon strip/strap on them so don't think they'd stretch although I have a fair idea of the ones you mean! Fleece wasn't really an option for us because my guy is a water baby so went for the water repellent one - it's like raincoat material covering foam if that makes sense. Suits us anyways also it has both front and back attaches so extra control when needed
http://hpp.ie/product_info.php?cPath=147_148&products_id=497[/QUOTE]

Mine have the nylon strap. I got them at the shows but they definitely stretch. So what seems like a perfect fit when you try on may not be a few mths later.

However the dogs have used them in water and also the Julius K9 and no problems.

tk123

Knine wrote: »

Mine have the nylon strap. I got them at the shows but they definitely stretch. So what seems like a perfect fit when you try on may not be a few mths later.
.

Oh that's a bit crap isn't it - they're not cheap? Well the waterproof one def doesn't stretch - I can safely say that because ours has gotten a bit tight - a combo of coat and dog getting thicker:p

DBB

ABajaninCork wrote: »

DBB recommended this which looks good. I've e-mailed asking for prices and shipping costs.

Just an observation or two, if I may!
If you go for the Perfect Fit Harness that I recommended, make sure you get the front-connection option.... It's no more expensive, but just gives you more control over the shoulders.

As for the fleece harness that tk and knine have discussed, I got one of these for my Cocker x Shih Tsu. It drove me mad! The fleece padding which goes under the tum kept twisting around on her so that the strap was against her skin, and the fleece facing outwards uselessly. Although I didn't use it for more than a couple of months, I suspect knine is right that they stretch over time, which is going to be a nuisance. However, I am pretty confident that the Perfect Fit harness won't stretch too much (I know people who've had them for years), but critically, even if it does, every strap can be tightened to maintain a snug fit, unlike the fleece one which I ditched. Plus, the Perfect Fit harness is made up of 3 parts: the chest piece, the back piece, and the girth. Each individual piece can be replaced if needed, without having to replace the whole harness.
My Cocker x Shih Tsu is now wearing a Perfect Fit Harness, and just like my GSD, it sits very nicely on her, and doesn't twist. They're a really nice bit of gear, well worth the money I think!

ABajaninCork

Yes, thanks for that. I did mean to say front connection was the option I'd prefer, but left that off the OP.

DBB - do you have any idea of the prices for the Perfect Fit??

DBB

ABajaninCork wrote: »

DBB - do you have any idea of the prices for the Perfect Fit??

I can't remember the exact price, but I think the smaller harness for the Cocker x Shih Tsu was somewhere in the region of Stg £30ish, incl postage.
They do a breed chart for sizes which I'm sure you've seen, I'm assuming it factors in the wide Shih Tsu chest!

DBB

Actually, if you click on the different sizes on the breed chart, it brings you to a box where each part of the harness is listed with its price. One to fit your fella will actually cost £30 before postage! I see there's a bit of a range of sizes which might suit a Shih Tsu... Good luck with that! :-)

tk123

DBB wrote: »

, the Perfect Fit harness is made up of 3 parts: the chest piece, the back piece, and the girth. Each individual piece can be replaced if needed, without having to replace the whole harness.

How would work then for a pup - the back piece would stay initally and neck/girth pieces would be swapped out as it grows?

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

How would work then for a pup - the back piece would stay initally and neck/girth pieces would be swapped out as it grows?

That's one of their selling points on the website. Have to say though, it's a bit expensive to be replacing bits left right and centre if your pup is a large breed! There is a reasonably amount of leeway with the straps though.