Escape Proof Dog Harnesses 14 January 2020 at 9:42AM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in Pets & Pet Care 12 replies 1.8K views

Mistral001

There are several escape proof harnesses on the market, but some I think are not very well built. My dog is a Labrador cross and needs a large very strong harness.

Most of the escape proof harnesses have three straps going around the body instead of the normal two straps. They have one strap around the neck, one around the chest and another further back. That is probably the one I need. There is also one on the market that only has two straps but they do not have a chest plate and look a bit uncomfortable.

Has anybody tried these escape proof harnesses?

Owain_Moneysaver

If you're looking at items like the Julius K9 range, be aware they're frequently counterfeited and the counterfeits wouldn't hold a toy poodle.

Mistral001

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

If you're looking at items like the Julius K9 range, be aware they're frequently counterfeited and the counterfeits wouldn't hold a toy poodle.

Thanks very much for that. I have just tried to source this locally at a couple of branches of national pet store chains and a local pet shop and cannot get one. Are they only available online? If so, have you any tips on trying to avoid counterfeits?

GBNI

Perfect Fit harnesses are brilliant. They also do wider strapped ones for bigger dogs.

DCFC79

Mistral001 wrote: »

Thanks very much for that. I have just tried to source this locally at a couple of branches of national pet store chains and a local pet shop and cannot get one. Are they only available online? If so, have you any tips on trying to avoid counterfeits?

Buy from reputable retailers.
Don't be sucked in by the cheap price.

Legacoid

We use a model of Ruffwear harness - now called the "Webmaster" - for our Beagles. These have the 3 points of restraint that you described. I'm not going to say they're escape proof - no harness is - but in my experience escape attempts are delayed long enough that you can intervene. To make them truly safe, you can use a police-style control lead and an extra short link that goes from the collar to the extra D-ring on the lead. This doesn't just protect against harness escape attempts, but also defends against clip failure on the lead itself. Here are some shots that hopefully illustrates the setup:

ERM_0339 on Flickr

5D4_1329 on Flickr

If our Beagles got off lead on a long hill walk they'd almost certainly be lost or killed, so we take this stuff very seriously!

Mistral001

Legacoid wrote: »

We use a model of Ruffwear harness - now called the "Webmaster" - for our Beagles. These have the 3 points of restraint that you described. I'm not going to say they're escape proof - no harness is - but in my experience escape attempts are delayed long enough that you can intervene. To make them truly safe, you can use a police-style control lead and an extra short link that goes from the collar to the extra D-ring on the lead. This doesn't just protect against harness escape attempts, but also defends against clip failure on the lead itself. Here are some shots that hopefully illustrates the setup:

If our Beagles got off lead on a long hill walk they'd almost certainly be lost or killed, so we take this stuff very seriously!

Thanks for this. The webmaster is a nice harness. Also those leads with the extra D-ring are a good idea. I worry about clip or harness failure as my dog is strong.

SensibleSarah

I recommended the ruffwear webmaster to a friend of mine with a complete escapologist lab cross and so far (3 years later) it's proved to work well for them. As someone has already said though, you're never going to get a 100% escape-proof one

elsien

Another vote for perfect fit, although mine is less of a Houdini. However I also use a link to attack the lead to the collar so if he somehow does escape his harness, the lead is still attached to him.

Icandothisby2023

Ruffwear Webmaster is one most people know of. The new Ruffwear Flagline also has a front ring which is really useful if your dog likes to pull.
If you need a budget friendly alternative Trixie do an escape proof harness called the Stay harness. It is basic as just webbing straps with an extra strap behind the ribs.
Best to avoid anything shaped with a strap that goes across the chest as these interfere with the natural movement of the shoulder.
Much better to stick with a Y fronted harness (goes down the chest between the front legs)

HampshireH

We have a Ruffwear front harness for our labrador.

36kg of muscle. You can use an extendable lead or a duel ended lead. As it has a metal part on the top for the clip and also one on the chest.

We progressed from a duel lead to an extendable now he is better behaved.

We have used it 2 years now. We used to have a (probably fake) Julius specifically for the dog walker to use but she lost it.. We have a different dog walker now who we trust with the expensive harnssses:rotfl:

It goes over the head and has the front panel and just the clips around the midsection but has never once come undone/off and he rolls a lot.