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
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
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.
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.
After thorough surveying throughout online communities, we discovered the five most popular dog harnesses for training.
The first three harnesses are front attachment harnesses which have a ring on the back across the shoulders and another ring in the middle of the chest piece of the harness. A double ended leash can be attached to one or both rings. This gives handlers better control of the dog, so when a dog pulls he is turned sideways which reduces or prevents pulling.
Please note – this is not an inclusive list nor is it necessarily an endorsement; these are some tools I personally use and have heard from other trainers they use and like. Additionally, some of the links here are affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase through them, helping us continue offering great advice for your dog training business; we only recommend products we believe in, and we value your trust.
Some trainers say that this is the best harness they have used since they like the 2 stainless steel rings. This harness is also very adjustable so it fits well and the chest strap is lined with velvet, which helps prevent rubbing and chaffing. It has a control loop on the back of the harness, which tightens gently around the dog’s chest to discourage pulling. Some trainers don’t like this martingale effect though. 2 Hounds Design is the exclusive manufacturer of the Freedom Harness and is made in the USA.
This is another highly recommended harness, which was invented and made in the UK. It has three pieces – top, front and girth which clips together and can be swapped out so that any combination of size or colors can be used. What is also nice is the high quality soft, washable fleece padding which helps prevent rubs from the webbing straps. Another great feature is that this harness can be customized to fit front legged amputee dogs.
Made in Great Britain, this is another 2 point harness, (chest & back) which is adjustable within the size range and comes in a variety of colors and a padded double ended lead. Some people think that the vertical strap behind the front legs is a little too close to the front legs/elbows though.
This harness is different from the three above in that it is a side attachment harness and comes with a protective sleeve for tummy strap, a leash and instructional DVD. When the dog pulls forward it is guided round to face you.
This harness is made by a company which specializes in high-end Schutzhund products. The Julius-K9 IDC Powerharness comes in lots of colors and adjustable sizes. It is well-known for it s comfort, fit and quality. There is a neat handle on top which can be used to lift dogs. The chest belt, edges and the Julius-K9 tags are reflective. There is also a loop on the top to attach a mini flashlight for those walks at night.
Whatever you choose, make sure the harness fits the dog properly and does not restrict his movement, rub or chaff him. Harnesses are a better option than a regular collar because it won’t damage a dog’s throat when he pulls. But the best way to get a dog to stop pulling is to train him using force-free loose leash walking training techniques.
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