What specific features do YOU look for in a harness?
 

Hi guys! I'm looking for specific feedback. Not general comments like: "I like this harness" (sorry if I'm being picky). I'd like to know exactly what features you look for when choosing the proper harness for your baby. Or what would make you not buy one! If you have the time and would like to help in my research I'd appreciate it!

I'll start: I will not use harnesses that attach with Velcro. It wears away after time and Baby has gotten loose from one I had once. She escaped on me and once on mom!

I like Buddy Belts bc my dogs seem to like them. They buckle up snuggly and don't put pressure on their necks. They are hard for dogs to escape from, although one of mine did, so I adjusted it a bit tighter and all's been fine since. Also, they don't seem to get as matted as they do with other harnesses I have tried.:D

I like Buddy Belts...easy to put on,comfortable soft leather, easily adjustable with the buckle and works well with our without clothing. I don't like harnesses that use velcro either.

So buddy belts are step in harnesses with buckles?

That is now my biggest concern with any harness. I used a Puppia step-in harness and ZoE escaped from it. I thought maybe is hadn't put it on right or fastened it tight enough, so the next time I paid special attention to making sure it was on right, and she still escaped from it! I've not had a problem with the regular over-the-head Puppia style or the Buddy Belt, so those two are my favorite, although completely different styles.

Yeah you also have to be careful with the cheaply made step ins with poorly made plastic adjustable buckles. I bought some off eBay years ago not realizing they were crap. We were at a dog convention. She slipped right out of it bc the plastic buckle wasnt tight enough. Thing was, it wasn't my fault, it was just really loose to begin with!

I don't know if I'd like the metal belt buckle type on a harness. I like the snap in kind.

What I look for in a harness:

It must allow Charlee full range of motion in her front legs...i.e. it cannot be restricting her shoulders from moving easily. It needs to be made of a material that seems to cause as few mats as possible (leather - buddy belt, choke free or silk - Chattie's mom's step in harness made of duponi silk) I prefer a harness that has a good size clasp, so its not too "fiddily" to do up, i.e. the buckle on the buddy belt, or velcro/d-ring on the choke free harness. I haven't found the "perfect" for all occassions harness yet...but that's ok, because I kinda like buying them :D I use the buddy belt over clothes (because I find it seems to tear/rub her coat and cause breakage), the silk harness when it needs to stay on all day, or under any of her coats...and the choke free for easy set-up and go...if we are heading out for a walk.

Happy harness shopping!

I always pinch my skin with the plastic kinds, plus with the strength Tink pulls with, I'm always worried that they'll break or pull apart....

Features in a harness that I like (and grandpa likes):

* safe: inescapable
* does not put pressure on neck, choke-free
* easy to put on and take off quickly, does not go over head (like our first one)
* comfortable
* durable
* enables me to "helicopter" (lift and pull away) the doggies from bad things
* stylish

For those with doggies who have escaped the Puppia, was the harness too big maybe? I haven't tried one yet with my guys. It seems like they would be fitted tightly enough to make them inescapable.

I see now that you did tighten down the Puppia. ZoE is a Houdini escape artist! :p

1. Adjustable to a wide arrange of sizes. So, it fits as she's growing, over clothes, and under clothes.
2. Comfortable enough so she can wear it for long periods of time.
3. Step in
4. I like the style where theres the plastic buckle, and then the two D rings. It makes me feel like it's extra secure. (and I put her ID tag on the D ring).

I have two that I use the most, but have others as well.

Buddy Belt -

Attachment 361662
Attachment 361665

I have been using this one the most lately. This is our harness typically when we are going to be out and about in public because it looks really nice! It's by far my favorite in terms of looks. Jackson does not seem to mind it so it seems comfortable enough. It's real easy to get on and I like that it's a belt-style, so if for some reason it needs to be tightened (if we added a shirt, or a jacket, or took OFF a shirt or jacket, etc), then it's easily done without any adjusting. I feel it's the most secure, so for being hooked into the car, it's nice and I feel it's safe. I would trust it to be able to pick up even 16lb Jackson easily if I had to swing him up in the air to get him out of trouble. It's a really nice leather but not real heavyweight. I guess my only cons would be - I don't want to really get it dirty, so if he's going to be near water, or sand, or lots of mud, it won't be my choice as I don't want to mess it up since it's so nice. But I did get a leather protector on it when I purchased it. So we use this for our regular walks, and walking around downtown, or visiting local stores and pet shops, etc.

Puppia Original Harness -
Attachment 361664

is our other "go-to" harness. I find it super easy to put on and off, as Jackson does not really mind it going over his head. I think it looks adorable, always get compliments on it. Oh, and love all the colors. We've had black, red and camo, but the camo one got thrown away by accident, and the red has been lost for a while :confused: LOL... The mesh is "breathable" so it doesn't seem too terribly hot. I don't care if it gets dirty, because it's really easy to throw it in the wash. It does seem to stretch out over time. But it's still in good shape and we've put it through the wringer, as it's been through rain, snow, dirt, sand, etc, etc. I also don't mind leaving this harness on him ALL day if need be, as it seems super comfy and almost just like wearing a shirt or a little vest.

We also have just a regular ole' nylon step-in harness from Petsmart... we use this as our "cheap" harness, so when we are going through the woods and farm fields exploring, I usually put this one on him as I don't give a crap how dirty and nasty it gets. It's just so that he can drag his leash behind him and run around and if need be, I can step on the leash to stop him.

Oh, and we do have the ChokeFree leather harness -
Attachment 361663
got this one before the Buddy Belt and was happy with it but since we've gotten the BB, I haven't used it really at all. I did not find the velcro to be a problem as the d-ring comes through, so there's really no way for the velcro to come loose. But yeah it's not extremely adjustable which kind of sucks and why I've preferred my BB over it. I will say it's a lighter leather and seems a bit more comfy than the BB.

That's a great description, and I've had to do that a couple of times with Joey, just a quick tug and he's in my arms and safe.


I love the buckle, it's not only looks cute, it's so easy to do, and you can wear the harness under or over clothing without a bunch of adjusting.

I was going to say soft because Teddy Bear won't walk if he feels anything touching the back of his front leg. And something that doesn't come near the neck. Maximo covered everything I look for. I got one from GW Little that looks like the Buddy Belt but was a lot cheaper. It has held up great and it is soft enough that it doesn't bother Teddy Bear's legs.

Wow you guys are awesome! And britster, pics and everything! Thank you!
:hug::notworthy

I agree about the buckle. It is so easy to put on over a thick coat or without a coat with no adjusting necessary. I didn't think I would like the buckle at first but after using it I love it.

Daisy jumped off of a wall and into a lake when we were on vacation and it was easy to pull her out of the water with her harness on, and she weighs 17 lbs.

Oh wow, how scary! The harness is so strong, I don't think there's anyway they could slip out of it. Glad it worked out for you and Miss Daisy the Diver!

I've never had to do the helicopter move on Baby, thank God! Whew that must have been scary!

Jackson has slipped out of his regular nylon step-in too! That's why I typically only use it when it's not a big deal if he's not on leash or slips out of it (like our farmfields, etc).

You know those carnival rides with the chairs hanging on chains that are spun on a central axis? I had to do that with Max and Teddy when we encountered a large, angry dachshund. The boys were almost 2 feet off of the ground as I swung them round and round, one in each hand, with the doxy chasing them. We looked like a circus, lol!

I do like the looks of Puppia and the fancy Susan Lanci designs.

Ha, ha, maybe you should go on the road with your act!

The harness was the right size & fit, I just think it's a bad design for dogs with large chests.

I'll explain what happened & hopefully it makes sense: There was no problem as long as ZoE was in front of me, facing forward. The problem occurred when she was sniffing things & turned around. With her turned to face me & the leash taught, she backed up and the harness slipped right over her head and off her legs, and she was free! This happened in our front yard & we live on a main road, so I was freaking!!! Like I said, I thought maybe it was my fault in how I fastened it, so the next time, I paid special attention, and then took her in the back yard and she was able to easily escape again, doing the same turning & facing me & backing up thing. Once she figured it out how to get it off, she just kept doing it. I threw the harness (and another just like it) away!

I love your "helicopter" terminology :) That's what I want to be able to do too in case of emergency. Could you imagine getting her halfway up and slipping out the harness??? So glad I threw them out!

I'm so glad nothing happened to ZoE!

My boys know the word "helicopter" because when they are into something naughty on the side of the road, I warn them, "You're gonna get helicoptered" and they move along. :p

The first thing I look for is a step-in harness. I don't like for anything to go around my little man's neck. He pulls if he sees something exciting like a squirrel, and I dislike any pressure around his neck.

I also prefer a lightweight harness without a lot of bulk. Honestly, our favorite harness is just a simple lightweight nylon one. Goes great under clothes that have the pull-through for a D-ring, and also fits over clothes that don't allow for the harness to come through.

Also, comfort. Could Levi wear it for an extended period of time, if necessary? I feel comfortable enough leaving the house with Levi in our favorite harness without worrying that it will get caught on something, or that he will be uncomfortable.

I don't like harnesses that velcro, and I don't like harnesses that are hard to put on.

I like a harness that is okay for it to get wet or muddy, and is easily washed up.

Buckle in on that snap - in attachment

Front legs are very free to move

Easily adjustable to go over clothes and wrapping jacket.

I would like to find one with reflector strips on it.

It was so scary. We were walking an an unlit walkway in Branson and we wouldn't have been able to see her in the dark if we had to try to save her. Daisy jumped up on a small wall that was about a foot high and fell right over it and into the lake. I dread to think of the outcome if she hadn't had the harness on. You just never know what might happen when you least expect it. She had barely hit the water when we yanked her right out. I about had a heart attack.

Here are the reviews of the harnesses we have had. We have had several other harnesses step-ins and standard harnesses from PetCo, but these are my favorite harnesses:

1. Buddy Belt

I just got my Buddy Belts in the mail, so I do not have too much to say about them.

Positives: Very attractive, made of leather (so it should be durable), buckle enclosure is easy to take on/off

Negatives: stiff when first purchased, sits differently than other harnesses

2. Bessie and Barnie Harness


I ordered these online from Poochieheaven, and I LOVE the look of them. They are absolutely adorable and you can customize the piping and fabric on them for your dog. They have held up amazingly well and still look brand new after over a year.

Positives: Very cute, soft, size can be adjusted around the ribs,

Negatives: Goes around the neck more than I'd like, not easy to take off/on, has to go over the head to be put on.

3. Chattiesmom Step In Harness


I got Couver a step-in harness from Chattiesmom and it was great! I loved how lightweight it was and it was easy to take everywhere. However, he got ahold of it one day and chewed it up... so we no longer have it :(

Positives: Easy to take on/off, very light, easy to clean, inexpensive

Negatives: Easy for dog to chew (lol Couver ripped his up)

4. Mesh Harness (Wal-Mart)


This was the first harness I ever purchased. They were inexpensive and came in various colors. They are a good fallback harness to have around the house in case you can't find the others :p They seem comfy and light, but would be good for escape artist dogs. They have plastic snaps and velcro.

Positives: Very light, easy to clean, inexpensive

Negatives: Not super secure (wouldn't be good for escape artists), not particularly attractive

Overall, I look for security, something that is easy to take on and off, and something that looks nice. I want something that they can wear with and without clothes because they are always wearing something during the winter.

Here are the rest of the pictures :)

Thanks Couver's mom for all that info and the pics! So cute! My aunt loves the Chattie's mom's harnesses. Zoie never chewed them off. I haven't been able to get a hold of her, though.