If you are wondering what the best dog harness is, how to choose it and why, you should read these dog harness reviews.
Although I’m often free, Mom sometimes ties me up with a harness to ensure my safety.
In this article, I will tell you:
- Which is the best dog harness for your needs.
- How to choose between collar and harness.
- How to choose the harness.
- How to put it on.
Best Dog Harness Comparison Chart.
| Harness’ name | Activities | Dogs | Reflecting | Customizable | Waterproof | Easy to put | Note |
| Julius K9 | All type | All type | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4.6 |
| Rogz Alpinist | Walking, hiking, playing | Growing | No | No | Yes | Average | 4 |
| Rabbitgoo no pull | Walking, hiking, playing | Special anti traction for recalcitrant dogs | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 4.4 |
| Rabbitgoo tactical dog | Work | Tactical dog | No | No | Yes | Yes | 4.4 |
| Pet Artist | Pulling | Working dog | No | No | ? | No | 4.2 |
| Bestia | Walking | Medium and large dogs | No | No | No | Yes | 4.8 |
| Ruffwear sac à dos | Hiking | Large dogs | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | 4.6 |
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FAQ on Dog Harness.
You can use a dog harness for most activities: walking, playing, running, military and police exercices, pulling; but also in order to teach your dog not to pull and walk the right way.
Yes, and that’s why it is important to measure the size of your dog the right way.
Yes. If it is not the right size and if it is not put correctly.
It distributes the pulling forces, preventing the dog from choking.
What is the Best Dog Harness? Julius K9 Harness.
The Julius K9 dog harness is the reference. It is also the champion of sales, as it’s versatile.
Characteristics of the Julius K9 harness.
- Customizable: choice of several colors and some are sold with customizable tags (dog’s name and owner’s phone number). Hence the interest to order online rather than in store.
- Many sizes, depending on the dog’s chest, ergonomic and comfortable.
- Water resistant, breathable and soft material.
- Highly resistant leash attachment and fastening ring (traction up to 350kgs in tests).
- Chest band, customizable stickers and reflective stitching.
- Folding handle for carrying or holding the dog.
- Possibility of attaching bags to larger sizes.
- Easy to put on.
For which kind of dog?
The Julius K9 harness adapts to all dogs thanks to its many sizes, and to all types of activities (walking, dog club, sport, professional).
Small Dogs or Puppy Harness.
For small dogs, I recommend the Julius K9 above.
However, for growing dogs, the H-harness is a better choice for the beginning. This is the kind of harness I always have because I am rarely tied up and it was enough for me until now. Now that Mom has bought a canicross belt and has a new car to protect from my dirt, that’s why she decided to go for a new harness, the Julius K9.
I recommend the one we used until now, the Rogz Alpinist.
The Rogz Alpinist harness is suitable for walking, hiking, playing. For transport by car, it is sufficient, provided that a basket-shaped car cover is used.
It’s not as easy to put on an H-shape harness as the Julius K9: you have to slide the front legs into the harness, and I often tend to wiggle the time Mommy attaches it to my back. One leg can quickly come out…
What dog harness is best to stop pulling? Best No-pull Dog Harness.
The no-pull dog harness is specially designed for the dog that pulls.
If you can’t teach your dog to walk, have adopted your dog with bad behaviour or are having trouble being obeyed, the anti-traction harness is for you.
Although the Julius K9 harness is well suited for learning to walk, some large dogs can be much more difficult to train.
The anti-traction harness I recommend below has a “no pull” system. By attaching the leash to the front karabiner, the dog is turned over when pulling and cannot continue forward. Little by little, he understands that it is no longer useful to pull…
Tactical Dog Harness.
The tactical harness I recommend below is both for working, tactic, hunting, hiking dogs. It is perfect for police or military dogs.
It has pockets to put water bottle or tactical gears. It’s a special military material.
Personalized dog harness.
There are other customizable harnesses that are “more fun” than the Julius K9. Be careful though: the quality is not necessarily there and the sizing system can be random.
Soft Harness.
The advantage of the soft harness is that it is fun and can be used for other small animals (cats, rabbits, iguanas…). Below, I’ve put a selection of the funniest ones. Click on the pictures to order and read customer reviews.
Dog Running Harness.
You can use the Julius K9 or the Rabbitgoo (anti traction) for the canicross.
Ruffwear Dog Backpack.
Yes, for large dogs and hiking, you can opt for the backpack harness, which allows you to store your dog’s things in saddlebags!
Best Harness for Pulling.
The Pet Artist harness below is designed for working dogs. It can therefore be used for many traction activities without injuring the animal: sledding, canicross, tobogganing, ski-joring, weight.
Leather Harness.
There is a large choice of leather harnesses. I find that those of Bestia brand are of great beauty and quality. Obviously, they are chosen more for their aesthetics than for their practicality, since contact with water should be avoided.
Click on the pics or links to read more reviews and order
Dog Harness Vest.
Coats with integrated harnesses are also available. Here again, they are chosen more for the fun side than the practical side, unless you have a breed that fears the cold. The westies, on the other hand, love the cold!!!
Click on the links below or pics to read reviews and order.
Can any dog harness be used in car?
Julius K9 and the no-pull Rabbitgoo can be used in a car. In case of sudden braking, the dog does not risk strangulation of the collar.
However, some harnesses are especially designed for car.
Below is one of the most suitable harnesses in the car, especially by a medical firm, the pet pharmacy 1-800 PetMeds.
Click on the link or on the pic to order
Deluxe Vehicle Safety Harness X-Large
Dog lifting harness.
Dog lifting harness are useful if your dog is impaired. It allows you to help your dog, by lifting him and taking some of the weights off your dog off.
It can be used for negotiating stairs, hopping into the car, going for a walk, helping your dog to go outside to pee or poop…
You can find several ones on 1-800 PetMeds website. Click on the pic or the link below to see a choice of lift harnesses.
Full Body Dog Lifting Harness 35-70 lbs
Other quality brands.
Apart from the brands Julius and Rabitgoo, which are great qualities for multifunctional harnesses, you can also rely on the brands Truelove, Petsafe and Eagloo.
Harness or collar?
The harness has many advantages over the collar:
- It teaches the dog to pull less.
- It distributes the pulling forces, preventing the dog from choking.
- It is suitable for animals with fragile health or malformation.
- If the dog is on a car seat and falls suddenly, it prevents the collar from strangling.
- When the dog is well accustomed to it and does not pull, he has a greater feeling of freedom.
- It allows you to hold your dog firmly in case of need, without pressing on the trachea. The pressure is exerted on the chest.
- For learning to walk, the dog is more easily controllable.
- It can be used for sports.
- It preserves the dog’s normal respiratory cycle.
The rare times when Mom uses a collar with me, I am always confused and it’s as if I didn’t know how to walk with her anymore! On the opposite, I feel totally free with my harness.
The risks of the necklace.
- Strangulation.
- Intraocular pressure.
- Risks for the cervical vertebrae.
- Hypothyroidism.
Contra-indications to harness.
- My former vet used to say that the harness sent the dog the message to pull. This has never been the case with me and, as mentioned above, with a harness, the dog tends to pull less. In the worst case, there are “no pull” systems.
- The harness can injure the animal or be uncomfortable if it is not the right size, poorly adjusted or poorly designed; hence the importance of reading the users’ ratings, relying on the safe values and measuring your dog properly.
- The harness must be appropriate for the intended activity.
How to choose the size of a dog harness?
Refer to the specifications for each harness. They are clearly indicated in the description. It is usually sufficient to measure the chest circumference (the circumference of the body, just behind the front legs).
If a harness recommends a weight instead, don’t buy it. Depending on the breed, dogs are more or less muscular. It is the chest size that will allow you to adjust the harness.
How to put on a dog harness?
The easiest harnesses to put on are those that are put on by the head. In contrast, H or Y harnesses must be put on by the legs first, which is not so easy.
Conclusion.
Thanks to this guide on the best dog harness, you should now be able to choose the harness perfectly adapted to your dog’s morphology and your needs.
Do you have other tips to share or another model to recommend? Do you own one of these models? What do you think about it? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below!
For more advice on the best accessories for your dog, you can consult this section
This article contains compensated links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Consult the disclaimer on the site for more information.