We’ve had it over a year now, and it was the third harness we bought. It’s very sturdy and we bought it because our other harness was irritating her arm pits and we didn’t want anything too close to her throat. Most people think she’s a working dog when she wears it, so we get away with bringing her in stores quite a bit! I found it super handy for agility as it has a handle and when hiking and helping her up from embankments, rivers etc. we have several friends who have bought their own dogs one after trying ours. I will say that Quinn is not a huge fan of it, I think because it has to go over her head, but she also disliked her step in harness. She’s fine once it’s on. It’s also good for use in the car with the seatbelt attachment. I would recommend waiting until your dog is close to full grown before investing in one though, as the main part isn’t adjustable, just the bands. We bought ours when she was 11 months, and adjusted as she bulked up a bit over the past year.
We sometimes use one when we're hiking with Holly. It's a very solid harness which is easy to put on and allows very free movement. The handle in the middle of the back is extremely useful for helping her over stiles.
Never used one, but I do love the way they look from a "my dog's in the SAS" sort of way I think the handle could be extremely useful in some situations. I wouldn't use one because the thought of all the snow that would get trapped under it in the winter and how hot it would make my dog in the summer means it's not suitable for us, but that doesn't apply to most members of the forum. I think my biggest concern (not having looked at them in any real detail) is that because they're so bulky, they may be less readily accepted by the dog than a more minimalist harness. But I have nothing to base that on other than my initial impressions.
We use one but it is bulky and Maisy does not like it, when it is on she is fine but I think because it is bulkier than her last one she feels a bit restricted. I used it once in the car but she would not sit down all the way, also she does not sit at the kerb with this on but does with just her collar. She can sit in it and it is not tight but I don't think it is comfortable to do so. Apart from that, it is really well made and sturdy, the handle on the back is really useful but- most importantly - there are attachments to put a torch in which is really cool!!
We have 2. They are great. Very well put together. Lime green gives great visibility. Only think to avoid is allowing dog to run free in forest whilst wearing it. There is of course a risk of a collar getting caught on a branch but the risk is higher with the handle on top of the harness. You can lock it down with the press studded flap but it still isn't perfect. No hesitation in recommending this harness.
I've never used one but they are THE preferred harness in the area where I live in Germany. It's very popular to get custom embroidery labels made to stick on the velcro on the sides. Sometimes they say very strange things: "Non-tax payer", "Crumb sucker", "Short and grumpy" are all ones I've actually seen. The only downside for me was that people are so used to seeing them here that they would assume Brogan's assistance dog cape was just another Julius K-9 "joke" and laughingly ask me what he assisted with. Not that that's a bad thing, but it kind of defeated the purpose of the cape to some extent. On the other hand, dogs can generally go everywhere (shops, restaurants, public transport) here anyway, so it didn't really matter so much! So I guess the only useful thing for you in all that rambling was that if you do get one, you can also get custom signs to put on it.
I have used this harness for 4 months now and am very pleased with it. Unlike previous harnesses she cannnot wriggle out this one! The handle on top is very useful, I have used it to heave her out of a river when she was too tired to scramble up the bank & also handy lifting her into the car boot. It’s very comfortable and she keeps it on whilst on off-lead walks. Would recommend it.
Thanks for everyone’s replies. I was talking about it with my boss and she had bought a ruff wear one for her dog but it didn’t fit so she gave it to us! So we may get a Julius k9 one in the future but this one seems good for now and was free. I thought we’d have more issues putting it on but after a couple of days of lots of treats he’s accepted it quite happily. He looks like he’s in mountain rescue or something Gone are the days of choking himself when he sees another dog. Now to persevere training him not to pull!
Where would you buy one? Do you have to order online or can you get them at a pet store in Canada or the U.S.?
I don't know about your side of the pond, but in the UK and Europe, you can buy them in most pet stores.
@JYB if you go to their main website Juliusk9.com you should find a link to the store for the USA. Also available through Amazon.com - not sure about Canada but would guess that they would be available via Amazon
I’ve never seen them in a pet store here (Ontario, canada) but they are always at pet/dog expos with a booth or online.
I just purchased this harness. Although our boy knows heal quite well, he gets excited when humans and other dogs walk by us. He's pulled me off my feet and he pulled my husband so hard he broke a wrist and a chest bone. We're good if we're alone but that's never the case. Hoping it works. Taking it for a test run tonight. Like others, regular harnesses irritated his skin big time.
Does the Julius harness have a chest fastener? If so, then you should have good control. I use a front-fastening harness on my very powerful boy - I have complete control in emergency situations (eg bitch in heat).
You raise a really good point, and it reminds me of what we've been thinking lately. Many of the well-meaning folks advise you to use a harness, for fear of damaging the dog's neck/throat. We followed that advice religiously to begin with and hopefully did all the right things - stopping immediately when the boy pulled, doing 180° turns, using treats to encourage him to go in the "right direction" alongside the walker. Winter arrived and the world is suddenly an ice rink. Many days we have to wear studded shoes just to walk solo up our countryside road. The boy pulls hard sometimes, hard enough to even pull me over (and I'm 190cm, not a small guy), never mind Mrs. Snowy. I whole-heartedly intended to use a harness "forever", but there comes a point where you wonder what happens if the breadwinner gets pulled over on the ice, and takes a crack on the head. Enter a flat collar and the pulling is greatly reduced, but it is still there. My advice: The Julius K-9 harness is great, well put together and we own two. But if your dog gets big enough that it has the power to pull you over and cause injury, you might want to politely ignore the advice of the well-meaning folks and consider a flat collar.
A dog lunging in a collar will pull the same as a dog and harness and pull you over just the same. Labs are prone to LP so I won't take the risk of a flat collar. I train nice walking a much as I can and we're getting there. I have some physical problems so using a harness whilst walking my youngest dog is much safer for us both.
I'm in the same situation as you, in the snow and ice a lot, wear studs most days and sometimes even snow shoes on the road. When I first came back to Andorra from Spain, I had to deal with a 30kg hugely excited puppy brain with that. 30kg might not be the biggest dog, but I only weigh 50kg and Squidge is exceedingly strong, far stronger than either of my other two ever were, something I put down to her conformation being far better. Any lunging towards another dog, person or snowflake had me skidding down the road and, yes, I was pulled onto my face more than once, not doing anything more than cosmetic damage but being painful and scary nonetheless. This was on a flat collar because that's generally what she's walked on, but I went back to walking her on her harness until she calmed down. It's a Perfect Fit harness, with front and back attachments, to which I attached a double-ended lead. I held the lead with both hands, one closer to the front and the other closer to the back and I instantly had so much more control. When she did lunge, she didn't have the traction and so didn't have the power to pull me over. After a couple of weeks, we'd done enough work to being back on the flat collar, but there is absolutely no doubt that a properly-fitted double-point harness will reduce the dog's pulling power over a flat collar.
