When Flossie first arrived from Cyprus, I was paranoid about her slipping her lead and escaping. Lost and alone in a strange country – it didn’t bear thinking about. I’d used harnesses before on my previous dog but I wasn’t very impressed with them. However, in recent years, they’ve come on in leaps and bounds. I knew this time I could get a really good one for Flossie which would keep her safe and comfortable too.
Why your dog should wear a harness
People use harnesses for different reasons. Some want help to stop their dog pulling but really a harness is to keep your dog secure. If your dog is a puller, it can be damaging for your dog’s neck if he is constantly pulling on a collar, so it’s better if the dog is wearing a harness. However, a harness doesn’t really stop a dog from pulling. Only patience and training does that.
Flossie can pull, especially when there’s something she decides she wants to get to, like the cat that taunts her on our walk. Then she pulls like a train. I certainly wouldn’t feel that she would be secure in just a collar.
Potential dangers
In fact, in the early days, when she’d grown out of her first harness and I’d yet to find her a new one, we had a frightening experience. We were walking down a lane when she slipped her collar. The collar was, I thought, quite secure, but she somehow wriggled out of it. It was only by luck that I got hold of her quickly and slipped it back on. That would not have happened if she’d been wearing a harness.
If you have a big, strong dog a harness is definitely a good idea. You will feel you have much more control and stability. And, if your dog does decide to pull, you can hold back his whole body securely, rather than twisting his neck round on a collar or if he’s wearing a halti.
It’s also vital that your dog wears a harness if you’re ever using a long line. If you’ve got your dog on a line that’s 10 metres long or more and he suddenly bolts towards something and away from you, he’s going to jarr his neck badly if the line is only attached to a collar. You will probably go flying too.
Escape artists
Some dogs are escape artists and their owners struggle to find a harness which is propely secure. There are all manner of different and complex designs, some which dogs can manage to reverse out of so it’s important to find one that suits your dog. A style that fits a greyhound may not be suitable for a Yorkshire terrier.
Comfort and fit
A good harness should be made from strong, durable material and be fastened with secure clips. It should support the dog’s body but not restrict it.
Most importantly, a harness should fit well. Choose one which fits snugly but comfortably. You don’t want it pinching or rubbing but it does need to be secure.
When Flossie first arrived, I bought a cheap harness from the local pet shop. I didn’t want to spend too much money as I knew she would quickly grow out of it. It did the job reasonably well but I can’t say whether it was truly comfortable.
Once she’d reached full-size, after a few months, our behaviourist recommended a Perfect Fit harness and that is what we’ve used ever since.
The Perfect Fit harness
The Perfect Fit harness comes in three pieces. You can buy each piece in exactly the right size for your dog so you can be sure it fits, perfectly, hence the name! The range of size options for each section means that it can be tailored to fit any type of dog – from a tiny chihuahua to an enormous Great Dane.
There is a soft fleecy top piece, a second ‘V’ section which fits the chest and then a girth piece which goes under the tummy. All three pieces cleverly clip together and do not involve you passing anything over your dog’s head which some dogs find uncomfortable. Once on, there are five places where you can adjust the fit even further to ensure it’s super snug.
Flossie can be a little awkward with things like this. We had a couple of weeks of getting her used to having it put on and taken off, with the help of treats, and it’s never been a problem. I leave it half fastened so I simply place it on her and do up three clips. It takes about five seconds.
Once it’s on she seems really comfortable in it and doesn’t appear to notice she’s wearing it.
Feeling secure
The harness has two D-rings for attaching a lead. one on top of the back and one at the chest. I tend to use the one on the top and then the second one if I’m using a double ended lead for additional security.
There is no way that Flossie would be able to get out of the harness so it feels really secure. The fleecy trim looks really comfy and she can run and jump freely in it.
Her harness has had a lot of heavy use over the years. We go on very muddy walks so it’s been machine washed hundreds of times. It comes up like new each time.
I had to replace the top piece a year or so ago as she did manage to rip the fleece slightly on some barbed wire. However, it was an advantage to only have to replace one third of the harness, rather than the whole thing.
How much does it cost?
Prices range hugely because of the many different size options. To give you an idea, I have priced up what it would cost to replace Flossie’s harness. She is the size of a smallish labrador and weighs around 25kg.
She has a large 20mm top piece at £14.50, a small 20mm front piece at £12.75 and a large 20mm girth piece at £11.75 which is a total of £39. Seeing as I’ve had the harness for four years, with one replacement top piece, that’s cost me less than £15 per year which I think is good value for such a good quality harness.
Prices are taken from Dog Games Shop where I bought my harness. The top piece of the harness is available in over 12 fleece colours. Matching leads and training leads are also available for a really smart look.
Suzy Pope is a certified copywriter and newspaper columnist specialising in pets, business and lifestyle. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.
