To choose a dog harness for your pup can be a complicated task since every dog breed has different characteristics and body type. Thus what might be perfect for one dog might not be the right choice for the other. A lot of pieces put together create the perfect harness.
Therefore before choosing a dog harness for your pup, do read our detailed guide on How to Choose a Dog Harness.
How to Choose the Perfect Dog Harness?
Below are the characteristics to keep in mind while purchasing a dog harness. These characteristics will help you determine what suits best for your dog and what doesn’t.
1. Choosing the Type of Dog Harness
Firstly, you need to determine the type of dog harness that your dog needs. There are multiple types of harness available in the market. These types are based on the design and the purpose of the harness.
- No Pull/Front-Clip Harness
The no-pull harnesses are designed to train the stubborn puller dog of yours.
The back clip dog harness is for those dogs that are well-behaved and obey to master’s command.
It is used for service and working dogs.
The head harness is a muzzle type of thing that fits on the head of the dog. It allows handling ill-behaving dogs with ease.
These harnesses are used for paralyzed or injured dogs. There are specially designed harnesses available for the dogs that have lost a limb too.
Therefore, you must look out for what your dog needs in order to choose a dog harness.
2. Torso
All the breeds have different size of the torso. Some of the breeds like the boxer have a larger size of rib cage than dogs of other breeds of the same size. Same way all the breeds have the different body type. Variations in the size of waist, rib cage, fur are there. Same way some breeds are fluffy and plumpy while some are skinny.
Thus, the shape of the torso plays a crucial role to choose a dog harness.
3. Easy to Clean
Dogs are playful and lively creatures. They love to roll on the ground, they like to burrow and they love to nest. Such behavior is only going to make them dirty every chance they get to fulfill their fantasy.
Thus a dog harness must be easy to clean. As the dog is obviously not going to ask for your permission before rolling on the ground, is it?
Make sure that the harness is machine washable. If not, you will have to hand wash it. Which, obviously is a tiresome task. Also, seek for easy to clean materials on the harness.
4. Adaptability with Dog’s Body Movement
A dog harness should fit on the dog’s body ideally. And what this ideal fit refers is that the dog must be able to move freely. Also, there should be enough space between the dog’s body and the harness. So that the dog would get enough airflow in order to stay cool and would not sweat much.
5. Quality of the Material
The quality of the product plays a crucial role in making the brand recognized in the market. Here, the quality material plays a vital role as the harness is going to get scraped in the mud, dirt and much more. It is going to face a lot of hardships while being on a dog’s body.
If the harness is not made with quality materials, it will not last long for sure. Thus keep an eye on the quality materials when you choose a dog harness.
6. Handling Comfort
A good dog harness allows the master to control the dog effectively. As whenever a dog makes up its mind to chase something, it is hard to control. And if it gets out of control, there is no point in investing in such harness.
A good dog harness will let you control your mighty beast effectively and will resist your muscles from getting damaged from the pulling.
7. Airflow and Sweat Control
Sweat control is often an overlooked feature on the dog harness. Same as humans, dogs sweat a lot. Therefore the harness material must be able to absorb the sweat effectively in order to keep the dog healthy and clean. If not, then the sweat is going to just stay there for a long period and will cause infections.
Thankfully, there are a lot of dog harnesses available with mesh padding underside the harness. It absorbs the sweat and also allows enough airflow towards the dog’s body.
8. Moisture Resistance
In a humid climate, there is a lot of humidity in the air. Such humidity gets absorbed by the dog harness. Needless to say that most harnesses do not dry out quickly. And in a humid weather without the sun, it can be hopeless.
If a harness is not resistant to moisture, it can cause skin infections and bacteria.
Thus look out for moisture resistance in order to choose a dog harness.
9. Ease of Putting On and Off
An ergonomically designed harness is easily put on and off which can save a lot of your energy and time.
10. Cost
The cost of the product does not determine its quality. Rather than focusing on the cost, look for good craftsmanship and materials in order to choose a dog harness.
11. Safety
You must go with a product that is not only finely built but also safe to the dog’s body. A low-quality material can cause toxic smell and may damage the skin of your tender pup.
Also, there are products that come with LED mount, light reflector, dog id pocket etc. just to make sure that the dog remains safe and sound.
12. Style
Almost everything looks adorable on a dog. Also, there are plenty of color and pattern options in order to choose a dog harness that is perfect for your dog. Yet you must not ignore the design aspect of the product because it is also a significant feature that will highlight your dog’s presence.
Thus choose a dog harness that compliments your dog.
Conclusion
This was petlovesbest’s detailed guide on how to choose a dog harness.
We hope that it helps you to choose the right harness for your puppy.
Meanwhile, if you have any queries, just shoot. Because at petlovesbest, we are always determined to help you and your pup!