I'm going to try Kristian with a training lead, and wonder if anyone can recommend a suitable harness? I'll also use it for him inside the car when I have another dog in the hatch boot. Thanks
A walking harness and a car harness are two very different things. A car harness should be safety tested. If I were buying one now, it would probably be the Sleepypod Clickit. For a walking harness, there are a million different ones, depending on what you're after. The Perfect Fit is popular and has both back and front rings - although I don't rate it for the front ring, and I imagine you wouldn't need that anyway - if I remember correctly, Kristian is an ex Guide Dog, so I assume he doesn't pull!
Oh. My. Word. I just googled perfect fit harness on Amazon...lets just say some of the results are more 50 Shades of BDSM than Labrador...
I bought a Perfect Fit, really like it. There are so many combinations of the three parts that it fits really well, and soft and padded. The odd thing is, when he's wearing it on a free run, he seems to be more obedient and stays nearer to me. Don't know if he thinks he's in Guide Dog harness.
Thanks for the recommendation. I am thinking of getting one for Harley but I have to order it online, there doesnt seem to be any available in South Africa. Harley doesn't pull often, it is more intermittent when she sees something exciting but at the moment she has a very simple, plain, normal harness and I feel the webbing is too thin for her size.
Look on the website, the sizing guide is excellent. They also have a video for measuring and fitting.
If it helps.... Kris is a full lab, 32kg but ideal body shape. His measurement around his chest just behind his front legs is 80cm. I bought, front piece large, Medium front and large girth. All three are adjustable. All the 40mm strap width.
I think Harley is a similar build to my two. I had to exchange some parts because the size guide didn't tally with real life. I have to go into a meeting now, but I'll look up when I get back and let you know what I bought, and what it was replaced with.
According to the size charts, I ordered: Top L Front M Girth L However, they were too big at this size. I changed to: Top M Front S Girth L And they fit fine now. I assume Harley still has some growing to do - at least a bit of filling out as her muscle develops - but this size has plenty of adjustment in either direction for my two. Hope that helps!
The debate about head collars is ongoing and fascinating. I've read some very interesting articles on both side. And the figure of 8 lead described by our new member, is a form of head collar. But, the question at the top of this post was not about head collars The question was So I think it is very important here to stress that a training leash or long line, should only ever be attached to the back ring of a body harness. Never to a head halter of any kind. And nowadays the general thinking is that they should not be attached to a flat neck collar either. If we are going to debate head collars, then starting a new thread might be a good idea. Pro trainer Jo Laurens has reviewed body harnesses on the main site.
Absolutely agree. I would only ever use a training line with a back-fastening attachment on a well-padded harness. Good idea. To avoid confusion, I have moved the posts about figure-8 leads to here: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/figure-of-eight-lead.19876/ I hope you continue to contribute in the new post, @colc08
Hi, We're newbies here and wondered what you opted for in the end? I'm currently having the same quandary about harnesses for my boy Kevin... He's now just over 3 years old (where did THAT go?!) but he's still a bit of a monkey when it comes to walking. He doesn't pull like a train so much anymore (we're persevering with the stop/start method) but he can still be very reactive to other dogs and when he catches a whiff of something he is known to lunge something chronic (he's a big 29.5kg lad and I'm only tidgy) so we do tend to have to go out to the same few places we're familiar with/that are quiet enough that get a bit dull if I'm honest but it means we can walk in peace and I'm not left with another Kevin-related injury. Anyhow, we started off with a harness and figure of 8 slip lead in addition (on the advice of his first trainer) and I really don't know who hated that more, even though I did feel more in control I don't think I'd go down that route again.... We moved on to the halti harness (not the one that goes round the face) but after he'd been with his first dog-walker a while she suggested we get the happy at heel harness. He's been happy enough in this, but lately even with the padding round the girth it's been rubbing his underarms, and I found a scab last week from the front part which I'm assuming has rubbed as well - poor fella. So now I'm on the hunt for a new harness that won't rub, doesn't involve anything on his face, aren't escapable, and means we're not both in life threatening peril on the off chance he lunges/pulls to get a cat I haven't spied in advance!!
How about the Perfect Fit? It comes in 3 separate pieces so you can get a perfect fit, with an option for a front ring attachment to give you extra control with a double ended lead. It's a nice, fleece lined harness. My 31kg boy wears a Haqihana - it's a simple webbing type, but it's very comfortable and well fitting, it does only have the back attachment though and he will lunge occasionally and if I'm caught unawares by that cat....
Hi there, I've been happy with the cosy dog harnesses, they are all fleece lined, adjustable, clipped on in seconds, no rubbing around the shoulders or rib cage and you can get a front ring attached, which while not perfect and don't think should be used for long periods, can help you out of really excitable situations. If you use a double ended halti lead which I personally think is the best lead anyway, you can leave the front attachment slack for much of the walk, but if they do suddenly pull they can only really step round to the side. It doesn't replace training for loose lead walking but much better than a head collar which can hurt them. It's been through the wash at least 20 times already . Some photos to give you an idea of what it looks like:
