How the heck do I get the harness to fit right?

MorningGlory

Hello all.

I'm hoping that one of you might be able to help me figure out how to properly adjust and put on Willow's harness. Willow is now on her third harness and I'm still having a difficult time figuring out how the thing works. She's the first dog I've used a harness for but collars seem to make her choke and so I'm trying the harness thing instead.

I'm using step-in harnesses since she's less than easy going about getting into the thing. Most of the time in-house I have her in a harness and on-leash since it's easier for potty training (while she's -mostly- potty trained, mostly has some variable to it) and to get her where I need her. We take it off at bed-time or when my boyfriend or I can't watch her.

First, I have a difficult time figuring out which end is the top strap; if there is one. I get the basic part of "legs go in the holes, snap it on top, attach the leash to the clips" but if it'd fit better one way than the other I can't seem to figure out. Fully stretched to their maximum size both ends of it seem the same to me. There does seem to be some circumference built into it but it doesn't add any clarity to the top or bottom. If there is a top strap, is there an easy way to tell which end is which?

Next, I read an article about fitting the harness and while two-fingers seems easy enough a concept, when I adjust the harness that tightly it rubs up in her arm pit areas causing irritation. I'm not sure if that's breed specific due to the longer bodies of basset hounds, or specific to step-in harnesses because of the two-strap idea, but if I tighten the body strap to where it fits snugly then it's super-chaffing her under legs. Yet, if I adjust it to where it's not causing rubbing under the legs, then the body strap (and top part where the two straps come together) is hanging by a lot.

Also the top strap seems like it's always hanging too low. Where I have it now, she can reach down with her mouth and grab and fight the thing...yet...if I raise it or tighten it, then it's so high on the chest/collar area that it's choking her. *sigh*. The end result of trying to fit the thing so it's not rubbing her and not choking her is that it's lose to where it seems like it's going to fall off.

Any help on how to get this thing to work would be much appreciated. I'm confident the one I got was the right size since she had clearly outgrown her other one and this was the next size up, but I can't seem to ever get any of the three she's had to quite fit right.

pawzaddict

I use a step in harness for my pit (I think lol) so let me clarify...this is the kind where there are two straps and a small one that goes down the center right? Basically making two triangles which is where her legs go in? and two rings where the clip is to attach the leash?

Do you mean the part that goes across the chest? If you hold the harness up loosely (do not pull too much) you will notice there is one strap that is longer than the other so it kind of sags...if you hold the correct way it almost looks like a smile...the top will be straight and the bottom will droop, the straight strap goes across the chest the longer one goes under the body and behind the legs (pretty much the part that touches the arm pit).

You need to adjust the two separate parts, my harness can slough to one side b/c I do not want it being too tight so we can avoid any skin irritations

Can you take a photo? 1 of the harness itself and 1 of her in the harness? It doesnt have to be perfect

MorningGlory

Yep can do in a bit. Right now she's busy exploring and freaking out over a new toy =P

MorningGlory

Thanks Paws. Based on whatcha typed I was able to figure out the top from bottom, from there it wasn't too difficult to catch onto.

The one thing I hadn't been doing which occurred to me finally as I was like "Oh! Alrighty then, this part's the top, now let's figure out how this sucker goes on," was I needed to adjust it while she was standing up. I know it seems obvious, but since when she's standing up she wants to go into over-drive mode I'd been waiting for her to be all laying down, which wasn't working a bit.

*embarassed* I just got her the harness that I really liked when I saw it when she was 8-weeks old, and was all excited and then when it didn't fit. SOooooo, whereas with the other ones I was just accepting of it with this one I stood there staring at it like...well...did you ever see that movie 3-men and a Baby...and the scene where they stand there staring at the diaper? Yeah that was basically me, staring at the harness.

frogipoi

Yay!

Criosphynx

...I had to help a couple in petco once that was holding up the harness with the same look....easiest way to show som'one is with a stuffed dog honestly LOL

pawzaddict

Yay glad you figured it out. Its a nice harness. I use it for my pit and my Heinz 57, they walk much nicer in it.