Ensuring your dog’s harness is properly fitted is crucial for their comfort and safety. A well-fitted harness helps prevent issues like harness chafing and rubbing off fur, offering both support and protection. This guide will walk you through how to measure your dog for a harness, how to fit a puppy harness, and what to look for to achieve a proper dog harness fit. These general principles apply to all types of dog harnesses. For details regarding different harness types, please check out our article on how to choose the right dog harness!
By understanding how to measure and fit a harness correctly, you can avoid problems such as a dog harness being too small or too big.
Introduction to Dog Harness Functions and Anatomy
To ensure your dog’s harness functions effectively, it’s important to understand its design and how it should fit. By knowing how a harness should be fitted and the role of each strap, you can avoid problems such as the harness being too small or too big. This understanding not only helps in selecting the right size but also ensures a secure and enjoyable walking experience for your pet.
Key Functions of a Dog Harness
The key functions of a harness are as follows:
- Preventing Straying: A dog harness keeps your pet securely leashed, reducing the risk of wandering off.
- Supporting Pulling: It helps manage pulling by evenly distributing the load, minimizing strain on your dog’s body.
- Ensuring Ergonomic Comfort: Designed to fit your dog’s unique size and body shape, a proper harness offers both comfort and effectiveness.
The next section will walk you through the components of the harness that allows the abovementioned functions to be achieved.
Anatomy of a Harness
To achieve a proper fit and avoid problems like harness chafing or rubbing off fur, it’s essential to understand the components of a harness. The screenshot below illustrates the different straps that are standard across dog harnesses.
In this article, we’ll focus on the horizontal straps which includes the following:
- Chest Strap: Often combined with the Shoulder Strap, it distributes force across the chest, which is vital for comfort and avoiding chafing.
- Back Strap: Runs along the back, providing stability and ensuring the harness doesn’t shift.
- Belly Strap: Primarily used for sports pulling and may not be necessary for everyday walks.
Understanding these components and how they work together will help you fit a harness correctly, ensuring it prevents chafing and provides a comfortable walking experience for your dog.
Note: We will not cover the parallel straps in detail, as those are not load bearing straps. The parallel straps mainly serves to connect the horizontal strap to support and ensure that the load can be effectively transferred evenly to all the horizontal straps.
Ensuring Proper Fit: Harness Load, Comfort, and Measurement
In this section, we will cover how to measure your dog for a harness, fit a puppy harness, and ensure a proper dog harness fit. We will focus on the load transferred to the chest, shoulders and trunk (based of the study on Pressure distribution under three different types of harnesses used for guide dogs by C. Peham“. By following these steps, you’ll be able to have a meaningful conversation with your harness fitter to ensure that you obtain a harness that is suitable for your dogs.
Chest Girth (Chest/Shoulder Strap)
The steps to measure your dog’s chest girth is as follows:
- Have your dog stand naturally on all fours.
- Locate the central part of the chest just behind the front legs.
- Measure around the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs. The tape should be snug but not tight. Record this measurement.
- Ensure the chest strap aligns with the sternum for even load distribution.
See the screenshot below for a mental model of where the chest girth is located, and how we can proceed to measure it.
Why Proper Chest Fit Matters
A correctly fitted chest strap distributes the load evenly across the chest. If the chest anchor point is too high, it can put excessive pressure on the spine and neck, causing discomfort or potential spinal issues. Conversely, if the anchor point is too low, the harness may shift excessively, leading to chafing and impacting your dog’s gait.
Over time, improper gait can affect development in puppies and may lead to movement-related health issues in adult dogs. A correctly fitted chest strap also prevents the harness from shifting, which can cause chafing and affect the dog’s gait. Long-term gait issues can impact development, especially in puppies, and result in movement-related health conditions in adult dogs.
Chest Depth (Chest/Shoulder Strap)
Chest depth is crucial when identifying the anchor point of your harness. This section will detail on how we will measure the chest depth for a dog. See the screenshot below for the main points of interest when measuring chest depth.
The steps to measure your dog’s chest depth are as follows:
- Position Your Dog: Begin by having your dog stand naturally on all fours on a flat surface. Ensure they are calm to get an accurate measurement.
- Locate the Sternum:
- Find the Sternum: Gently palpate the chest area between the front legs to locate the sternum, which is a bony structure running vertically down the center of the chest.
- Identify the Anchor Point: The chest strap of the harness should be positioned just behind the sternum. This placement ensures optimal load distribution and minimizes discomfort.
- Measure Chest Depth:
- Place the Tape: Use a flexible measuring tape and position it at the base of your dog’s neck, where the harness will sit.
- Measure to the Sternum: Extend the tape down the side of the chest, from the base of the neck to the sternum. This measurement is crucial for determining the harness’s depth to ensure it fits comfortably and securely.
- Record the Measurement: Take note of the chest depth measurement. This helps ensure the harness will fit correctly, avoiding any pressure on the sternum or restricted movement.
- Check Alignment:
- Fit the Harness: After obtaining the chest depth measurement, make sure the chest strap aligns with the sternum.
- Adjust for Comfort: Adjust the strap so it fits snugly but comfortably, allowing for even pressure distribution. The harness should stay in place without shifting or causing irritation.
Why Chest Depth and Sternum Placement Matter
- Even Load Distribution: Accurate chest depth ensures that the harness distributes pressure evenly, which reduces the risk of discomfort and injury.
- Prevent Chafing: Proper alignment with the sternum helps prevent issues like harness chafing and rubbing off fur by keeping the harness in the right position.
- Comfort and Mobility: A well-fitted harness allows your dog to move freely and comfortably, without interfering with their natural gait or causing strain.
By following these steps, you ensure a well-fitted harness that supports your dog’s comfort and safety, promoting a more enjoyable walking experience.
Shoulder Fit (Chest/Shoulder Strap)
The steps to measure the distance between your dog’s shoulder blades are as follows.
- Position your dog standing straight.
- Locate the prominent bones at the top of the shoulder blades.
- Measure from the base of one shoulder blade to the base of the other, ensuring the tape is level and not pressing down.
- Check that the shoulder strap sits just behind the shoulder blades, with about two fingers’ width between the strap and the shoulder.
But more importantly, we should ensure that the harness does not cross over the dog’s shoulder blades (as would be explained later in this section).
Why Proper Shoulder Fit Matters
The shoulder strap helps distribute force between the chest and shoulders. Incorrect positioning can cause concentrated pressure on the shoulder blades, leading to potential injuries such as muscle strain or joint inflammation. This can disrupt your dog’s gait, causing developmental issues in puppies and exacerbating movement-related health conditions in adults. Pressure on the shoulder can result in injuries like muscle strain or joint inflammation, which can affect your dog’s gait. A disrupted gait can cause developmental issues in puppies or lead to health problems in adult dogs related to movement.
A positive example of how harness should be fitted around the shoulders can be seen below:
A negative example of how harness should not be fitted (across the shoulders) can be seen below:
Front Inner-Legs (Parallel Belly Strap)
The steps to measure the distance between your dog’s inner leg are as follows:
- Have your dog stand with their legs parallel.
- Measure between the base of the front legs, ensuring the tape is level and snug.
- Allow about two fingers’ width of space between the belly strap and your dog’s body.
However, it is more important to measure the distance between the edge of the harness strap to your dog’s inner lag (as would be explained later in this section).
Why Proper Inner-Legs Fit Matters
The belly strap distributes load across the torso. Proper spacing prevents pinching and rubbing, which can cause chafing. An inadequate fit may restrict movement and create pressure points, leading to discomfort and affecting your dog’s overall comfort. On top of that, the discomfort can alter the dog’s walking gait, which could result in a long-term health condition if not corrected.
The screenshot above shows a positive and negative example of harness width against the inner foreleg of your dogs.
Back/Belly Strap Fit
The step to measure the girth of your dog’s belly is as follows:
- Position your dog with all four legs evenly spaced.
- Measure around the widest part of the belly, just behind the rib cage. The tape should be level and snug.
- Ensure the back strap fits snugly, with about two fingers’ width of space between the strap and your dog’s body. The harness should not shift up or down.
Why Proper Back/Belly Fit Matters
The back and belly straps secure the harness and ensure even load distribution. A snug fit prevents shifting, which can lead to discomfort and disrupt your dog’s gait. An improperly fitted harness can create pressure points and chafing, affecting movement and overall comfort
Why We Caution Against Front Clips
Front clips are generally not recommended due to their potential health implications. While they may initially reduce pulling, they can create a dependency on the tool. Pulling behaviour should be managed through training rather than relying on no-pull harnesses, which can sometimes have aversive effects.
If Using a Front Clip:
- Position the clip at the sternum to redirect your dog’s movement effectively.
- Ensure it is not too low (which could cause tripping) or too high (which could put pressure on the neck).
The illustration above serves to help you understand where a front clip should be located (if you choose to use it). However, we emphasise that we never had to use front clip to treat leash-pulling behaviour, and we’ll provide our reasons for why this approach is not recommended in the subsequent sections.
The Case Against Front Clips
Using a front-clip harness may cause your dog to associate pulling with discomfort, leading to temporary behavior changes rather than a lasting solution. Once the harness is removed, the pulling behavior may return if not addressed through proper training.
Front clips can also have aversive effects, potentially leading to other behavioral issues. Some no-pull harnesses tighten when the dog pulls, which can be uncomfortable and may result in additional problems such as reactivity or anxiety. We advise against using such harnesses.
Conclusion
A well-fitted harness enhances the walking experience for both you and your dog. By following the guidelines in this article, you can ensure that your dog’s harness is comfortable, safe, and effective. This guide provides insights on what to look for in a harness and how to communicate your needs to your harness provider.
FAQ
Does a harness cause more pulling?
No, a harness distributes pressure and load evenly, reducing the risk of injury and discomfort. A properly fitted harness can actually help manage pulling more effectively than a poorly fitted one.
Can I use a no-pull harness to reduce pulling?
Yes, but relying solely on a no-pull harness may create dependency. Effective training involves reinforcing walking near you as a desirable behavior and teaching commands like recall and “leave it.” These skills help address pulling behavior more comprehensively.
Does a no-pull harness cause injuries?
Yes, if used incorrectly, a no-pull harness can cause injuries. For example, a front clip positioned too low can cause tripping, while tightening harnesses can lead to aversive effects and additional behavioral issues.
How do I stop my dog from pulling?
Off-leash training is a more effective approach to address pulling. Reinforce desirable behavior, teach foundational skills like recall, and encourage self-control. This comprehensive approach helps establish better walking habits.
What is the best harness for small dogs?
As long as the harness fits correctly, it will perform its function. While there are no specific harnesses based on size, more active dogs may need more durable harnesses with additional features. Extremely slim dogs, like greyhounds, might require custom harnesses to prevent escaping.
