Review Of The Perfect Fit Harness

Review Of The Perfect Fit Harness

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First time Jaime wore a Perfect Fit Harness.

I had the opportunity to try out Sally Hopkins’ Perfect Fit Harness and I really like it.  Here are my first impressions:

Vibrant Colours

I just love the wide range of colours that the top piece comes in.  My favourite is the purple, but they have so many rich, vibrant colours to choose from – black, blue, brown, green, pink, purple, red, blue, wine, black reflective, high vis yellow, high vis orange and black fleece with rainbow webbing. The front and girth pieces are only available in black webbing and fleece.

Soft Yet Strong

The fleece is just so soft and comfortable that it makes me want to just rest it against my face. But even though the fleece is soft, it is very strong and durable. The fleece reduces rubbing and pressure points. The nylon webbing is strong too.

Adaptable Sizing

Perfect Fit Harness pieces

Perfect Fit Harness pieces

The Perfect Fit Harness comes in three pieces.  The front is Y shaped and goes around the dog’s neck with the tail piece of the Y going between the dog’s front legs.   It has black webbing stitched on to black fleece with the D-ring front attachment. The top piece has the webbing stitched on to the coloured fleece along with a D-ring attachment at the back. The girth piece also has black webbing where the D-ring is reinforced. This D-ring on the girth piece is where the tail end of the Y-front piece is attached.

Having three individual pieces – front, top and girth piece – is great because as your puppy grows, or if it is damaged, you just buy the piece(s) that you need instead of buying a whole harness.

Sturdy & Well Made

Jaime posing in the Perfect Fit Harness

Jaime posing in the Perfect Fit Harness

This harness is extremely well made – the stitching is neat, the three metal D-rings are smooth and strong, and the plastic adjustable clips are sturdy.

Sizes

There is a wide range of sizes to choose from. It ranges in size from tiny, which could fit a 4 month old Chihuahua or cats, to extra large, which is made for huge Mastiffs or even large pigs. The girth and front pieces have five points of adjustment to make the front and girth pieces smaller or larger.  The D-rings and clips come in a variety of sizes too from small 15mm to extra large 40mm.

Easy to put on

Phew, what a relief!  Harnesses come in different styles and are for the most part a pain to figure out how to put on. I found the Perfect Fit Harness to be easy. Attach the front and top pieces together, attach the girth to the front, put the back and front piece over your dog’s head, slip the girth piece under your dog’s chest, between his leg and then just clip the snaps of girth to the top piece.  Voila!

How it works

You need a double ended clip leash to attach to the front and top D rings, to help with steering.  I also found it easy to control the dog and it helps prevent pulling.  You should not have the leash tight at both ends.

Jaime got used to the Perfect Fit Harness quickly and easily.

Jaime got used to the Perfect Fit Harness quickly and easily.

Tripods

An added bonus to this harness is that it can be adjusted and used for dogs who have had a front leg amputated. There is a video on the website to see how to choose.

Website

The Perfect Fit Harness website is full of useful information from the colour choices, sizing, and a Breed Chart Guideline with lots of videos too.

http://www.dog-games-shop.co.uk/perfect-fit-fleece-dog-harness.html

I have to admit, this is my new favourite harness!

 

Review Of The Perfect Fit Harness

Product Review – Ruffwear Omnijore Joring System

As a dog trainer, you probably spend a great deal of your time teaching dogs not to pull on leash.  But in some situations, pulling is perfectly fine.  However, if you are going to allow a dog to pull with strength, they need to be in a well-fitting harness, and you need to avoid having your arm dislocated.  Enter from stage left: the Ruffwear Omnijore™ Joring System.  The system includes a harness, stretchy towline, and a padded hipbelt for the human half of the fun, as well as a mesh bag for keeping it conveniently contained when not in use.

With the optional rear waist strap

With the optional rear waist strap

Minus the optional rear waist strap

Minus the optional rear waist strap

The Harness

Ruffwear makes superb products, so we were not surprised to find that this set was fantastic.  We’ll start with the harness.  Their measuring guide is spot-on, and if you already have a Ruffwear harness you are safe ordering the same size.  It was a little unwieldy to get on as it has minimal clips, so you have to slide it over your dog’s head and then maneuver their legs through the straps.  Have treats handy if your dog does not enjoy weird handling.  Once it is on though, it’s marvelous.  The straps are incredibly adjustable, in 4 separate locations, ensuring a perfect fit.  The harness goes a little longer down the dog’s back, and then has an extra removable strap that fits at the smallest part of their waist to ensure more comfort for the dog when it is pulling.  Instead of a standard d-ring to attach a leash to, it has cording with a loop at the end so the leash/pressure pull more from behind the dog instead of above it.  This helps maintain a comfortable fit for the dog even when pulling.

Hipbelt and color-coded towline

Hipbelt and color-coded towline

The Towline

The towline stretches from 6.5′ to 8.75′ to provide superior shock absorption.  On one end it has Ruffwear’s patented Talon Clip™ to easily attach/detach the leash to the harness.  It has a handle loop down low near the clip, as well as a standard loop at the top, where it attaches to the hipbelt.  The ends are color coded to avoid confusion.

Notice the padding over all the straps, no buckles touching dog's body

Notice the padding over all the straps, no buckles touching dog’s body

The Hipbelt

The hipbelt is designed to ride snugly and comfortably around your

Notice the mesh for coolness and the thick padding.

Notice the mesh for coolness and the thick padding.

hips, keeping your back safe and your center of gravity lower and more secure.  The hipbelt is very padded and fits hips sized 27″-48″, so it is quite adjustable.  It has removable straps for around your thighs to help keep the hipbelt from riding up.  It has a water bottle pouch and two zippered pockets.  The tow bridle that the towline attaches to gives the line side-to-side mobility or permits you to attach multiple towlines/dogs.  It features a quick release for the towline in case of emergency.

Padded, comfortable design

Padded, comfortable design

Thoughts On The System

I thoroughly believe that some dogs can benefit, both physically and mentally, from being allowed to pull once in a while.  Obviously it is important to get vet clearance if you are going to have your dog pull you, whether on a bicycle, rollerblades, skateboard, or skis.  But most dogs thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to use their muscles.  This

Kit bag includes instructions sewn to inside

Kit bag includes instructions sewn to inside

Ruffwear Omnijore™ Joring System keeps both them and you safe.  The towline very firmly attaches to the harness and stays there until purposefully released.  It is possible to use a regular leash as well if you want something shorter and more practical for regular walks in the neighborhood.  Even when my dog really lunged, the leash stayed securely attached and the hipbelt kept me from getting jolted.  The pockets and water bottle holder in the hipbelt were much appreciated to keep my hands empty of keys, poop bags, water bottle, treats, etc.  The harness, once adjusted, fits beautifully, keeping pressure off the dog’s neck and shoulders and the center of gravity for pulling safely low and back instead of upwards.  As with all Ruffwear products, each component is sturdy and well designed, made to withstand strong forces whilst remaining comfortable for both dog and human.  This package definitely gets a solid, “heck yes and thank you!”

Ergonomically designed to not restrict shoulder movement

Ergonomically designed

Mesh kit bag

Mesh kit bag

The Ruffwear Omnijore™ Joring System can be purchased here.

*This set was given to The Modern Dog Trainer for free for the review. Our opinion of this product was not affected by Ruffwear’s generosity. We participate in Ruffwear’s affiliate program in order to support this blog and our dedicated contributors.

Review Of The Perfect Fit Harness

Review: DogReins No-Pull Harness

DogReins

I was excited when I opened up my package, of two DogReins No-Pull Harnesses, a medium and a large, one with a bright red cozy and the other with a yellow cozy.

The color of the harnesses was all black and came with the “reins”, a long multi-functional leash that clipped on to the rings located on either side of the harness. I liked this leash since it was light weight, thin width (which fit a woman’s hand nicely) and the length adjustable from 4’ to 7’. Another feature that I liked about it is that you can attach one clasp to the two rings on the harness and clip the other clasp onto a D ring, making a handle for you to hold it as a single leash.

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DogReins are Incredibly Easy to Use

I decided NOT to read the instructions that came with it, to see if I could figure out how to put on the DogReins No-Pull Harness, since most are a bit complicated.  Yes, it was VERY easy to do. First indicator was the tag that said “Point To Tail” with an arrow, that’s the Top Strap you put over the shoulders/back. Then the cozy with the DogReins embroidered, that was the Front Strap that went across the dog’s chest, and the last piece went under the girth, behind the elbows of the front legs called the Belly Strap. It was also easy to adjust to fit.

DogReins in Action: How Well Did They Work?

The first dog to try the Medium Harness was approximately 60lbs, an adult Rottie mix female, who never had a harness on in her life. With her prior history of obedience, it was hard to get her to break position and pull. But she responded beautifully to a slight finger squeeze and steering using the reins in one hand as well as in both hands on the leash to change direction.

I then tried the Large Harness on a 1 ½ year old Mastiff mix, 100+ lb male, who was a puller, the owner was using a choker, but the dog was still dragging his owner around. So I said, let’s try this harness instead. He got used to it quickly and while still pulling a bit, his owner found him a lot easier to manage, to stop and to turn. We are still working on loose leash walking with him though. But the owner felt much better about using the harness to walk with him rather than choking his dog and possibly damaging his trachea.

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I’ve tried the harnesses on a variety of doggie clients, most having not had much time to get used to a harness, they adapted quickly and with no fuss to it at all.

When I took off the cozies on both harnesses, I found that the front straps were both crossed; this is how they are designed. They should lay flat not twisted. There is no other way to make the two front straps go to the opposite sides without crossing them. But they covered more surface area on the front of the dog and the moveable part of the strap lay on top of the stationary strap and it kept the straps on the outside.

All of the metal and plastic hardware is strong; the nylon webbing and stitching is smooth, no rough edges, no chaffing. The cozy is easy to put on and take off too, kept in place with Velcro.

Final Thoughts on the DogReins No-Pull Harness

I like how it helps to control dogs easily, that you can walk your dog next to you or in front of you on a loose leash, easy to use the reins in one hand or two, comfortable for both dog and handler, easy to adjust, put on and take off, fits a variety of different shapes and sizes of dogs. And most importantly, the DogReins No-Pull Harness does not restrict nor confine a dog’s movement.

This is a well made piece of equipment and it does work well.

My clients and I are very pleased with it and I’d definitely recommend it!

You can order this harness from their website.

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