****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This harness is bright, has reflective thread for early morning/night, has a handle on the back (awesome!!), is fairly lightweight, and looks great - I've been given at least a dozen compliments on these harnesses in a few weeks. It's a great harness. I've tried a few different types of harnesses and brands as I think most dog owners do, but have finally found a harness to satisfy my requirements. I have two large dogs with different chest types/shapes, fur types, and harness needs. Both of them are wearing size LARGE.Our first dog (currently 10 months old, adopted at 9 weeks old) is a 52 lb, sheltie, boxer, mutt mix, with a deep and narrow boxer chest. He is very athletic and needed something comfy that he can run in. He has black, fine, fluffy long fur- the harness hasn't pulled fur or caused any balding. He doesn't normally pull too bad, but the chest ring is still nice for intown when he's excited to get into the dog park, it reduces the pulling.We usually walk in the country/on trails and he is OFF LEASH 90% of the time, but still wears his harness for safety and convenience. The bright color of this harness (Orange for him) lets me feel secure knowing he'll be spotted and recognized as a family pet if he strays a bit too far from us (as he usually does to scout out the trails ahead). He always wears a collar (embroidered, no tags) but it's hard to see because he has a huge mane of fur, the harness however is easy to spot.Our second dog (currently 9 months old, rescued at 6 months old) is a 65 lb Husky/Spinone mix with a round barrel chest, that at times can pull very hard. This harness (neon yellow) fits her very well, is comfortable, and helps reduce the pulling by at least 75% (no harness stops all behaviors/pulling 100%- that requires training, and patience).While in town or on neighborhood walks we hook it on the chest ring, this is when she normally pulls the most. When we're out in the country or on nature trails we use a longer lead and hook it to her back/top ring since she doesn't pull as much during these types of outings. I feel she is very secure in this harness. She is powerful and has escaped out of collars several times before (talk about heart attack!). This harness hugs her body perfectly and gives me a lot of control all while knowing she feels no discomfort.WATER/SWIMMING & WASHING IT: Both dogs have swam and gone mudding in these harnesses and I haven't noticed it weighing them down in any way or preventing them from swimming in deep water properly. The harness does absorb some water especially where it's padded. Hang to dry or pop in the dryer on a low heat setting. I have left it out to dry each time so far and it seems almost completely dry the next evening. Mine have been stained with mud, I just wash it on delicate cycle warm/cold and they come out fine.SEATBELT/CAR RIDES: Right off the bat with our first dog we knew we needed to strap him in after a few car rides, so this is another thing I spent time and money on, trying out different options.Our concerns were: dog loose in the car and flying into things when we hit the brakes or accelerate, dog distracting you while driving by getting up front or blocking your view, dog jumping out of the car the instant you open the door, dog jumping out the window, or the dogs overcrowding each other's space.The best thing we've found so far is (Etekcity 2-Pack Pet Car Seat Belt on Amazon- 2 for $10) adjustable doggie seat belts that snap in like regular seat belts on one end, and then have a dog leash clip on the other end to clip it to your dog's harness.The harness works great to keep them comfortably strapped in and braking fast or accelerating doesn't do any harm to the dog. They are accustomed to waiting until we unclip them and then say "Okay, Zane" or "Okay, Zoey" which releases them to jump down from the vehicle. We usually clip the doggie seat belt to the handle or the back ring of the harness.Another tip- we have an SUV and put the back seats flat often so the dogs can lay down and stretch out in the back, and there are no seat belts to clip into when you lay the seats flat, so we've clipped a carabiner to the doggie seat belt and then attach the carabiner to the (built in) metal bracket on wall of the inside of the car behind the back door where the seat would snap into place. Make sure you use a good carabiner, and not a flimsy keychain one.NOTE: We used to attach the seat belt leash clip directly to the dog's collar, this is dangerous. Before they got used to being strapped in a few times they jumped out of the car as soon as the door opened and got their necks yanked. Another time I braked hard, my dog flew forward, the seat belt tightened yanking his neck which caused him to let out a choking sound, never again. After that point I only attach a seat belt to a harness. I know sometimes it's not as convenient to put a harness on if you're just taking a quick car trip, but it's much safer.I give this harness 5/5 stars, as it is everything I wanted in a harness. You won't regret choosing this one. The only thing I can think of that would improve it is having more color options, I'd like to put pink on my girl. That being said, the available colors are nice.
