How to Put on a Dog Harness
Walking your dog should be trouble-free for you and pain-free for your dog.
Predominantly there are 2 types of harnesses you can buy; ones that are put over your dog’s head and the ones that require your dogs to step into.
The type of harness you choose should depend on your dog’s build.
How to measure a dog for a harness?
1. Take a measuring tape and measure the narrow part of your dog’s neck or right above its shoulders where it normally wears a collar.
2. Measure the widest part of your dog’s chest or the bottom of its rib cage. Do not take the measurement from right under its armpits.
3. Don’t forget to measure its weight as well, because sometimes weight matters when choosing the perfect harness.
How to put on a step-in harness?
1. Command your dog to sit. If the dog doesn’t want to, get someone to help it stay in place.
2. Lay the harness on the ground and ease the dog’s left and right front legs into the two loops of the harness. Some harnesses have left and right labels for each paw. However, most harnesses can be flipped and worn. If you have a dog harness vest, make sure to place it face towards the outside.
3. The loops will be tightened around the dog’s belly once you push it upwards. Then you can clip the straps till you hear the click.
4. Now adjust the straps in order to make sure they are not too tight or not too loose. You can check if it is an escape-proof dog harness by putting two fingers in between the straps and the dog’s body.
How to put on an Overhead Harness?
1. Just like for the step-in harness, command your dog to stay or get help from another person.
2. Look for the neck hole that will resemble a circle and is usually the smallest hole. Slide it over the dog’s head. Don’t position it around its neck. Place it around the dog’s shoulders.
3. Make sure to place the vest or the comfort shield’s outer fabric facing away from the dog’s body.
4. These types of harnesses have a leg loop on one side. You can lift and put the dog’s paw inside the loop, strap it, and clip the buckle.
5. Take the remaining strap and clip it over the dog’s back while looping around the leg.
6. Finally, adjust the straps to make it fit comfortably.
How to attach a leash?
1. Typically, the leash clip, in basic harnesses, is placed in the back. However, the leash clip is placed in the front on training or no-pull harnesses. No pull dog harness is the best choice for your dog to have a comfortable walk without straining its neck.
2. The leash clip looks like a D ring. You can clip the leash on the back of the harness especially for small or calm dogs that won’t pull. If you need to train your dog, put the leash on the front.
3. Unlike front-clip leashes, back-clip leashes won’t tangle around your dog’s legs.
After putting on a harness, reward your dog with a treat. When you make a habit of this, your dog will look forward to putting on the harness. Choose the correct harness for your pet, regarding its size and behavior because your #1 priority should be the comfort of your buddy.
Cover Photo by Niklas Weiss on Unsplash
Photo 1 by Jordan Holmbeck on Unsplash
Photo 2 by Luke Jones on Unsplash
Photo 3 by Dead Angel on Unsplash
References
- https://www.businessinsider.com/best-no-pull-dog-harness
- https://www.wikihow.com/Put-on-a-Dog-Harness