More and more dog owners choose to use pet harness. It’s now common to see dogs in obvious discomfort in poorly fit harnesses that interfere with their movement, even when they are walking without pulling. More and more dogs are affected and hurt by the poor quality harness. Some veterinarians and veterinary physical therapists say they have seen an increase in dogs who have suffered injuries or chronic pain from these poor quality harnesses. It is very important to choose a high quality pet harness for your dog.
The characteristics of the dog harnesses
All the harnesses we reviewed work reasonably well to mitigate pulling by putting tension on the front of the dog’s chest. Many also offer back clip options. These quality pet harness can be used with a leash that has clips at both ends. The handler can use pressure on the back attachment point to guide the dog when she’s not pulling, and control her pressure on the front attachment point if she begins to pull.
How to determine whether the harness is appropriate
All of the harnesses slipped sideways to some degree when pressure was applied. But some slipped significantly more than others, increasing discomfort and chafing for the dog. In addition, the front straps on some of the products sagged significantly. We found this to be particularly true of the models with straps that cross the dog’s chest horizontally. Reportedly, straps that sag are a major source of injuries to dogs’ forelimb tendons, due to interference with the dog’s natural gait. Sagging chest straps can be reduced to some degree by clipping the leash to the dog’s collar as well as the front ring. This remedy can reduce the effectiveness of the harness to mitigate the strength of the dog’s pulling.
The harnesses with straps across the shoulders generally do a better job of reducing pulling. But we acknowledge that this advantage may not be enough to offset the concern for physical damage to the dog. At the end of each review, we provided dog harness pros and cons to help you find the best quality pet harness for your dog.
