car harness & extender lead required.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Looking for recommendations for a decent extender lead & car harness.

Never bought any of these before, so haven't a clue what's good or what's bad.

Fridaycat

I have this harness for my Bengals:



As long as you ensure it fits well, they can't wriggle out of it.

I would avoid this type of harness as cats in my experience can easily get out of them:


I just then attach a normal dog extender lead - mine is 5m and is the one suitable for small dogs.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Sorry, I should've said it's for my dog.

Fridaycat

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Sorry, I should've said it's for my dog.

Ooops! Been up since 4am as been at a cat show all day and I see now it says "car" harness, but I read your title as "cat" harness :rotfl: I obviously have a one track mind, having been in the company of 300+ cats today :rotfl: Sorry

rising_from_the_ashes

I had one of these for Ben http://www.amazon.co.uk/RAC-racpb13-Car-Harness-Medium/dp/B000AYYOSA - it's worn really well and there is padding on the straps around the chest to make it a bit comfier (it does come in different sizes).

Extending lead - I really don't like these (personal opinion) but I do have one as there are a couple of wildlife places near here where you have to keep the dogs on a lead. I've got one which has a handy wee torch on the top and a space for a couple of poop bags to be carried. TBH I find them quite difficult to hold as I've arthritis in my hands and they're not that strong - reason 1 is the handles are quite big on them (although I guess this depends on the size/weight of your dog) and once the dog gets in front of you, their pulling power becomes a lot more.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Fridaycat wrote: »

Ooops! Been up since 4am as been at a cat show all day and I see now it says "car" harness, but I read your title as "cat" harness :rotfl: I obviously have a one track mind, having been in the company of 300+ cats today :rotfl: Sorry

Ah no worries lol.

krlyr

I've used the RAC car harnesses before. I then got some EzyDog harnesses and ended up using them for the car too - they have a wide, solid chest plate and my thinking was that any impact would be spread over a greater area this way. Then when I bought their Ruffwear harnesses, I used them for a similar reason - they cover a large area of the back and then have 3 straps over the body so a large area to spread any force over. Though I now have custom made guards in the car so don't actually tether the dogs to anything.

Re. extending leads - they sometimes have their place but I'm not that keen. You lack some control (since you can't reel them back in when they're extended), the locking mechanisms have been known to fail, if you drop the handle then the dog can panic having this large object whizzing towards it as the lead retracts, and the constantly tension on the lead can teach a dog to pull. I prefer using a longline/lungeline - you can get them quite cheaply from Ebay or equestrian stores. If you do go for an extending lead then get the tape variety as they're less likely to cause nasty rope burns or cuts, and don't rely on them to walk a dog down a road - keep a short lead for road walks and only use the extendable lead in areas the dog can't accidentally run into a road or similar.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I like the look of the ezydog harness. In fact I'm thinking about ditching the collar & using this for both walking & in the car.

Actually, just thought on..can't use a dog coat and harness at the same time.

elsien

A small word of warning on the car harness front - it has been known for a restless dog to tie itself in knots with the harness and seatbelt then eat the seatbelt to try and escape. For some dogs a cage on the back seat /boot might be a better option.

Re extending leads, I always had the flexi leads which are very durable, but as krylr says get the tape one.

krlyr

You could fit the harness over the coat rather than the other way around - we did this for the rescue doggies at kennels I volunteered at when it was really chilly outside (the kennel environment meant cold walks were better than nothing at all - helped warm them up by getting them moving as well as breaking the day up for them). Or some coats have holes for harnesses (if you're any good with a needle you could adapt a coat to do the same)

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I'm looking at the Danish design 2 in 1 coat. However, I'm now seriously considering a harness for walking & car use. Just want a good quality one. Also, need ideas how to find the right fit.

He gets really excited when he sees his collar and lead, so harness would have to be easy to put on.

My dog is a Bedlington/Whippet cross.