Vest Harness

[goforette]

Chris and I were thinking about investing in some mesh/fabric vest harnesses for the girls. There are lots of different ones out there - and were wondering if any of you have tried them or have ones that worked or didn't work out well.

[Tracy A.]

Since my boys are still big chewers or Cairnators, I buy heavier harness/collars that can withstand a little 'Cairnation'. LOL

[Nikki]

I like the step in harness but scotty has chewed off like 5 of em now. So as of right now I cant use them or buy them. Tracy what kind do you buy that they can't chew off?

[mrskti]

dori has eaten 6 harnesses, we dont mess with them.

[Nikki]

Scotty wont eat the one he's wearing he eats the one Angel's wear lil S*$%

[Toby23]

Bitter Apple applied isn't deterring the chomping of the harness ? The one I use with Toby, I don't leave on, I only put it on when he is on a leash, but I do like it quite a bit. The "D" ring to hook the leash on is in the front-chest area.

[Tracy A.]

I like the step in harness but scotty has chewed off like 5 of em now. So as of right now I cant use them or buy them. Tracy what kind do you buy that they can't chew off?

I have found that putting the Harness only when your going to use it, and removing when you come back in is the only real way to keep it from being Cairnated. I buy mine at Walmart, since they are open 24/7-

Bitter Apple applied isn't deterring the chomping of the harness ? The one I use with Toby, I don't leave on, I only put it on when he is on a leash, but I do like it quite a bit. The "D" ring to hook the leash on is in the front-chest area.

Bitter apple doesn't even slow my two down. Dish soap does work if I keep applying it to surfaces, but doens't work on fabric. They Harness style I have has a 'D' ring on the back- I buy the figure 8 style, but have purchased the 'step through' style too.

[Amber and the zoo]

Is a harness easier to train them with or is it just better control?

[Tracy A.]

Is a harness easier to train them with or is it just better control?

I do not use a Harness for training, but a martingale or a choke chain collar during training. Harness I use for everything else other than training.

I find that a Hareness is great when i'm going on a walk, and I know that they boys will be distracted, keeps them from choking and great if they get into the bushes and I need to haul them out. Also great when they are in hunting mode! My vet loves it when I bring the boys in wearing a Harness, he uses it like a handle!

[Darcy's Folks]

Stacy,

I found these harnesses at a higher end petstore in Denver. Here are some pictures... amazingly, I had all of these in my photo files. It's called VestHarness. Here is their website. http://www.caninefriendly.com/vestHarness.html

WE SWEAR BY THIS PRODUCT!!!!

What's nice about it is the red part of Darcy's harness you can see goes down to her chest... so no rubbing. That is why we switched to this brand.

- It slips over the head (the neck opening)

- It has a dual click in system so you can snap them in around their mid section This way you do NOT have to fanagle any legs through any openings

- The D-ring where you hook up their leash lays on their back

- And it's adjustable on both of the side for the mid section

- And really funny to mention, it also serves as a "handle" so when your dog is getting a little too worked up, you can pick them up with the handle.

The red part is made of a sturdy nylon material and the lining is a thin fleece. The black strappy parts has a little elastic for some slight "give" so when these rough & tough Cairns run and reach the end of the leash, they don't get jerked around as hard.

Darcy wears a Small and weighs 16.5 lbs with plenty of room to grow if needed

Bailey wears a Petite (or XSmall I think) and weighs 12.5 with penty of room to grow around the tummy, it's a bit of a sqeeuze over his head, but it works.

I'm probably not giving this product nearly enough justice with my lame explanation, but we LOVE it!!!!

PM me if you want to know where I found them in Denver.

Kate

[Will&Grace]

Kate, Thanks for the info on the VestHarness. I am ordering one today. I have been looking for months and this looks like just what I had in mind. Thanks again, Linda

I want one mainly for strapping Will in the car. Hooking him by the neck just seemed as crazy as leaving him loose to me.

Oops, I thought I could order it from the site provided but apprarently I can't, do you know where online they can be ordered? I'll keep looking in the meantime.

[goforette]

Thanks Kate for the info - I just sent a PM - as I'd love more info - that's exactly what I had in mind... thank you

[Hagar]

It's not a harness, but I have had great luck with an EZLEASH that I found at Petco their website is www.ezleash.com. It is similar to a choke collar, but is padded. I slip it on over his collar with tags with no problem. When I grab it off the hook, Renny is right there to let me put it on, since he knows it means "Walk time".

It is available as a collar/leash assembly in one unit, or as a collar only that snaps to your regular leash.

Hagar

[Darcy's Folks]

Hi folks...

Just did a little researching online.... Here are a few websites I found that apprear to carry the VestHarness.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/3-i...ess/190009.aspx

http://gear4dogs.com/product_info.php?cPat...;products_id=89

http://www.theloyaldog.com/safetyharnesslead.html

Enjoy!

Kate

[Will&Grace]

Kate, thanks so much for finding those websites. Your searching netted much better results than mine. I spent about 45 min. googling and only found 1 site and it was $38.00 plus s&h. The sites you found are priced more than $10 less! So thanks much. Linda

[Barney's Mom]

Hey, that vest harness is pretty neat! I have a heavy adjustable harness for Barney, but when tethered he can back out of it! Also, when we are at the beach, I like to keep him on a harness, but the sand gets under it and rubs his little arm pits raw. His neck gets rubbed raw too, where the pieces come together in the front. This vest harness may be the ticket! Gosh, I am afraid to look and see what it costs....

[AllAboutPetey]

Can anyone who uses this confirm that it "buckles" or snaps on and doesn't just use velcro? I've only seen them with velcro and just didn't trust it. Belle can't wear a collar or anything tight on her neck because of her trachea problem and she does tend to chafe with a regular harness, so this looks promising if it truly is secure. Thanks!

[goforette]

Can anyone who uses this confirm that it "buckles" or snaps on and doesn't just use velcro? I've only seen them with velcro and just didn't trust it. Belle can't wear a collar or anything tight on her neck because of her trachea problem and she does tend to chafe with a regular harness, so this looks promising if it truly is secure. Thanks!

The ones that I've seen on other dogs are not velcro but lock into place on the back only - so it's fabric on the neck and tummy and the metal latch on the back... and the ones I've seen so far are loose on the neck - because they are not adjustable so it looks super comfortable. I seen one while I was sipping coffee at Starbucks with my mother on a small dog and knew I had to research it - so it was great to find Kate (Darcy's Folks - also a Colorado resident) who seen them in a store here - they look secure and comfortable...

[Darcy's Folks]

AllAboutPetey:

YES!!!! For CERTAIN it is a snapping/buckling device (double snaps for that matter). There is NO velcro! This product is highly reliable!!!!! Darcy is the hardest dog to walk. She tugs and tugs and tugs.... with absolutely no damage to her harness or any rubbing/scabbing from the device.

- Kate

[kjwarnold]

Darcy's Folks --

Love the red plaid purse in the background of your Vest Harness shot! Looks like a Cairn on it -- too cute!

[aubreyea]

This looks great! I may have to get one but I do have a question.

My guys love to play in the pond and go swimming. How good is this in the water? Will it dry easily or soak up the water? Obviously it's not a cheap thing and I don't want to buy it and not be able to use it.

Thanks so much for the pictures and the links they are wonderful!

[AllAboutPetey]

hmmmm.... I'm thinking it might not dry very fast. The lining is a very soft fleece fabric that I think will not dry fast. I'm going to throw Belle's in the washing machine today, and then I will air dry it and report back on how fast it dries. It will definitely look dirty after playing in a pond or stream, but it is washable (the lining is a very light color).

[Darcy's Folks]

Yes, it does retain water. When we have them on our pups in the snow they definitely get wet. We usually hand wash or machine wash ours and then leave them on a door knob to air dry. They usually dry within an hour... however if it's pressed up against the pups chest, it will stay wet.

[drtrevorspinks]

It's not a harness, but I have had great luck with an EZLEASH that I found at Petco their website is www.ezleash.com. It is similar to a choke collar, but is padded. I slip it on over his collar with tags with no problem. When I grab it off the hook, Renny is right there to let me put it on, since he knows it means "Walk time".

It is available as a collar/leash assembly in one unit, or as a collar only that snaps to your regular leash.

Hagar

Thanks for the recommendation.

[Murphy's Mom]

When she doesn't need her harness coat I use a Doggles harness vest for Murphy from Fetchdog.com. A good harness vest is a must for us because I not only use it to strap her into her car seat but I have to yank her sometimes when she gets stubborn or in hunt mode and I know the vest harness puts equal pressure on her chest and doesn't choke her.