Henri's new Buddy Belt
 

As some of you may know, Henri is a little "Houdini" dog. He can get out of practically any harness, so in desperation I purchased a Buddy Belt hoping he wouldn't be able to get out. It arrived this weekend when I wasn't home, when I finnaly got to home I was delighted to see how sophisticated the BB looked and immediately put it on him. I played around with which hole to use and tried to see if there was anyway he could get it off.
Middle hole, came right off over the head.
Next hole (towards the O ring), same thing.
Final hole (next to the O ring and smallest it can go), wouldn't even buckle because it was too tight.

I am so confused, I followed the sizing chart. I measured and weight Henri right before I bought it and he fit into a size 3.5, so that's what I ordered. Now I am debating on exchanging it for a smaller size or just returning it. I'm afraid the smaller size will be too small and I hate to have to give up such an attractive looking harness. I am so frustrated :(

Talk to Kristin. She can work with you to figure out the right sizing and if you need to exchange or try something else.

Contacted and waiting for a reply.
I swear this dog, Henri should be hired for harness testing :rolleyes:

Daisy is 18 inches around. The BB sizing shows her at the top of size 5 and the lower end of size 6, if I remember correctly. I ordered her a size six online and it was big even in the last hole. The size 5 ended up being a better fit for her since she can wear it in the center holes. Looks like there will be plenty of room for winter coats and sweaters too. I found the sizing for her confusing but Kristin helped us get the right size.

Hi Alora,

My Teddy is slightly smaller than Henri. You wrote to me that Henri is 9 pounds with a 14" girth. Teddy is 8 pounds, 12 ounces with a 14" girth. He wears the Size 3.5 on the middle hole. The 3.5 is the correct size for Henri.

Here is Teddy on the right with the Size 3.5:

Attachment 391785


When you put the harness on Henri, is the buckle to his left paw? The harness is supposed to fit directly against the body without cinching the skin.

If you could video tape what Henri is doing, maybe I can help you figure out what is wrong.

Thank you,

Kristin

Here are more pictures to help with how to put on the BB:

Attachment 391786

First, thank you for getting back to me so quickly!:)

Yep, I'm putting it buckle to the left paw.

Unfortunately the minute I brought the camera out he wouldn't do it. I tried for at least an hour to get him to do his sneaky little trick. He is not a huge fan of the camera unless it's his idea.
I tried the middle hole again, held onto the back of harness and tugged a little to make sure it was on right. While I was still checking and holding on, he stood up on his hind legs without prompting and backed out. My sister saw it and said try the next hole, now this is a little embarrassing as it seems like I was kinda putting it on wrong after all, I buckled it and she (my sister) then gave the strap a good tug downward. Just as we finished the cat walked by and it all turned into chaos. The most awesome thing happened though! We had already attached the leash and when he saw the cat he ran after her, he was stopped by the leash so he tried to do his trick to get out of the harness and couldn't. He tried about three more times to get out but couldn't. Now he is mad at me.

Thanks Kristin for the help and great customer service!:D
I'm sorry I hadn't realized my mistake before posting this thread :embarasse

I should add that the bolded part was my second try at getting him to get out of the harness, we took 10 minute break between failed attempts.

I think many of us have put it on wrong. Heck, one time I actually realized Mandie's leg had come out after I buckled lol.

I knew Kristen ( and trial and error) would figure it out :)

...sorry Henri is mad at you now. lol

LOL, I am very happy that all is working well now! The harness really should hold your little Houdini. When Teddy was younger, we joked that he was double-jointed. Despite his amazing efforts, he never escaped the Buddy Belt.

I have been using the Buddy Belt for over 4 years and I have to admit, I have put it on wrong -- and put the wrong one/size on the wrong dog. I've put it on upside down, one leg sticking out. (this was in the morning, before my second cup of coffee) :D

I have totally harnessed my two and taken them on walks with one leg sticking out of their BB. I'm glad you figured out what you were doing wrong. Now how about some pictures?!

Same with Jackson... according to size chart he would've been a 6, but the 5 fit him much better.

I have done the old one leg out trick with the Buddy Belt many times, Sophie Kate never tells me (I think she is going for the 80's look when we wore one pant leg rolled up).

They can be tricky to put on, the way I tell people they can tell if it is on right is when you hold up the Buddy Belt position it so it looks like glasses, that is how it goes on the dog.

I think Henri may have met his match with the Buddy Belt, good luck.

Alora when you put the harness on do you have Henri on a counter? I find it much easier if I put Lola on a kitchen counter height surface. This way I can see what I am doing better and Lola does not escape or move as much, plus at my advanced age it's easier on my back:D

:thumbup::thumbup:

We put the doggies on the counter to stop them from wiggling, and so that their hair falls in the right place. I also relate to the advanced age issue. :D My bifocals don't stay in the right place if I bend over to try to put things on the dogs.

too funny:D

also make sure that you don't step away from the counter or let go of the dog when you first start doing this, when Lola was a puppy, I moved to the end of the counter and in a split second she walked off it and fell to the floor:eek:, boy was that scary but thankfully she did not get hurt.