Instead of a collar, using a harness for your dog can be a beneficial change for his well-being and behavior. It reduces unnecessary stress on the neck and allows him to walk naturally and stress-free if correctly adjusted.
For various reasons, we use harnesses: for behavioral purposes, for safety, for guiding or pulling gear. Regardless of its function, it is a simple task to adjust a harness. Yet it is essential to take the time to do it well to ensure your dog’s safety and comfort.
We will discuss in 6 Steps how to tighten a dog harness correctly.
Step 1
Before placing it over your dog’s head, make sure that the harness is on the right side. It should generally be on the outside of the harness that has a label. This shows the proper way. The front ring for the leash should be on the front, too.
Step 2
Place the harness’s front loop over the head of your dog. For specific harnesses, the strap loop may need to be hooked through the buckles. If so, hook it up to its buckle and then put it over the head of your dog.
If correctly placed, to allow movement, one side of the strap should be on the back of your dog, behind the neck, and the other part on the front, against the chest, above the muscle of your leg. The front should contain the ring for the leash.
Step 3
Sit comfortably over your dog’s chest and back, place and adjust the straps as necessary for this part of the harness.
Step 4
Underneath your dog, slide the belly strap without buckling up. When attempting to buckle it up on the other side of the harness, see whether it will be too loose or too tight. Adjust the top and bottom straps as you see necessary by pulling and sliding through the adjusters until it comfortably fits the torso of your dog.
Step 5
One last time, adjust the strap’s front (on his chest), now that the other parts have been adjusted. Make sure that the adjustments allow your dog to sit and lie down comfortably. Please make sure there are no restrictions on his movement.
Step 6
Make sure you can put your fingers between the harness and your dog’s body under any part of the strap. It is too tight and needs to be loosened if it is so snug that you can not fit your fingers under it.
Without pinching them, you need to make sure the straps are flush against the skin of your dog. Do so by gently pulling the belly strap up and tightening the straps around the two front paws of your dog. The harness should be secure but not cut into your dog’s skin.
Also Read : How to put on a padded dog harness
Table of Contents
5 Common misconceptions regarding how to tighten a dog harnesses
There are so many misconceptions about how to use a dog harness properly. You will have a happier, healthier dog if you can separate fact from fiction.
1- When They Wear Harnesses, Dogs Pull More
The opposite is true! When wearing harnesses, dogs pull less as their weight is more evenly distributed, and the owner has more control.
2- There’s no wrong way for a harness to tighten
You should make sure that it’s not too tight, even though you want the harness to be snug. Improperly tightened harnesses can cause your dog to pinch and hurt.
3- More likely dogs are to escape from harnesses
Dogs are less likely to escape from harnesses that are securely tightened and adequately used.
4- You can leave your harness all the time on the dog
Although most harnesses are comfortable, we should take the harness off at night to let the skin of your dog breathe. If they are left on for too long, some dogs will tear their harnesses. It’s challenging to get harnesses on dogs.
5- Harnesses are just as comfortable as collars are to get on dogs
Before attempting to get it on their bodies, the trick is to keep your pet calm and position them properly above the harness. Anything can be comfortable if your dog is happy with you.
Why a harness ?
There are a range of reasons you choose a harness over a collar, but choking, training, and lifting are the big ones. When a dog pulls, traditional collars tend to choke, but harnesses distribute the weight through the chest.
Harnesses also give you lots more so you can avoid the leash in the dog’s legs and use these other leash attachments for training. For example, attaching the leash to the D-ring of a harness in the chest area will make it impossible to pull a dog. If they try to pull, each time he pulls, this configuration will result in the dog being turned around, getting him nowhere.
Finally, when you’re trying to lift older dogs, harnesses give you different places to grab or give your adventure dog a hand over some rocks while hiking or extracting them from water while boating.
How can you choose the right harness size for your dog ?
The next thing to figure out is how to get the correct size for your dog once you’ve decided to get a harness.
There are a few different measurements you should get to begin with:
Chest: Measurement with a flexible cloth tape measure around the dog’s body. You’re supposed to start at the bottom of the rib cage and go back and up and then back down to where you started.
Neck: Wrap the tape around and take that measurement around the thickest part of the neck of your dog. On top of his shoulders, the part is right, not where it would typically wear his narrower collar.
Weight: Although estimating chest and neck is the most precise way of adjusting a dog, many harness service providers use weight to guide their size. If you find it challenging to get your furry friend on the scale, first weigh yourself, then pick up your puppy and weigh the two of you together. The difference will be your dog’s weight.
Hope you liked this article about how to tighten a dog harness correctly. As i am also a dog lover and have pets. Taking care of them and making them comfortable should be our top priority. We would appreciate if you have any suggestions for us.
No Responses