Dog Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Julius K-9 harness - pros and cons?

15K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  AlwaysTomboy 
#1 ·
I'm interested in getting a harness for Mira. I'm mostly worried she'll lunge at something and break out of the collar she has now. It's a hand made collar with plastic clip buckle made by an etsy seller. It's very nicely made but I'm not sure it was made to withstand heavy pulling or lunging.

I'm interested in the Julius K-9 IDC harness because it looks strong and sturdy and I like that it has that velcro section for custom patches and it looks easy to put on and take off, but I'm open to other options. Any thoughts or first hand experiences? Thanks much in advance.
 
#2 ·
I do not personally own one (One dog hates harnesses, the other needs a no pull) but I have looked into them at agility trials. Around me Brilliant K9s are more popular but they are similar (Brilliantk9's strap goes father back around the chest and not right behind the legs). They are easy to put on, I like the handle on the back, and really distribute pressure. The customization patches are a plus too.

I currently use the Ruffwear Front Range on my aussie. I am a huge fan. Ruffwear makes really dependable products and it has all the things I need (front clip and back clip and easy to put on). Not to mention they just came out with a bunch of nice colors.
 
#3 ·
I have one for each of my guys. It is very easy to put on and off, that is probably my favourite part about it actually, way easier than the step-in harnesses. You need to make sure it is sized properly (I would really recommend finding somewhere that sells them so you can try it on) or they move around quite a bit.
The biggest con is that the strap goes across the shoulder, which can restrict movement of the forelimb. I feel there is a fairly big divide on people that like them or hate them. Personally I've never noticed my dogs having a problem in them.
The other issue is that they don't come standard with a chest clip/front leash attachment. There is something you can buy, but it doesn't come with it, I think it is like 10 bucks or something.
That said, I like my IDC harnesses. I rotate fairly regularly between the IDC (usually for training classes/live demos so I can put the "Training" or "Working" patch on), the Ruffwear Front Range, and just a flat collar.
 
#4 ·
Personally I prefer the brilliant k9 harnesses - same basic idea, but it has a bit better strap positioning (the front strap is a little higher, and the rear strap is further back behind the rib cage). I still wouldn't run or exercise my dog in it - but it would be fine for walking to and from places.

For running & heavy exercises, i use the short-type pulling harnesses since they are designed for full range of motions. They a bit more work to get on, but still easy enough.
 
#5 ·
I use a harness for my Aussie. Nothing real fancy but it has the front end built for support. I like it because I use a command called " sniff" this is a release command for her to sniff about. Especially for a potty spot. She gets praise for this too.

The real part is that I took pulling on the leash and made it into a command. Samantha can pull as hard as she wants during the time I allow. This is a good way to exercise the big muscles. Her legs, belly, chest and back muscles are hard as a body builder. She will often pull for a couple miles on our walks even on hot days. I do carry lots of water and take breaks for her.

The counter for the freedom is close order heel or just easy walking but right on my leg. I mix it up with right side heel, follow and lead heel positions. All have uses in our "street wise" training.

I have a connecting link that connects the harness to the nylon flat collar. Samantha used to try to back out of the harness so the connector makes it very difficult to back out quickly. The prevention is to not tighten up on the leash so the dog can turn around and face you. A quick shake and twist and they are out of the harness. But with the connector the collar gets caught on the harness momentarily and gives you another couple seconds to get slack in the leash.

I sewed Velcro strips on the harness for het " support dog" patches, (I have Doctor prescription) and I sewed the lower rear strap loop to the waist band so the harness is much easier to put on and remove.

There are better leather harnesses but most are too big and Sam likes to get wet so harness maintenance is an issue.
 
#6 ·
Thanks to everyone for the replies.

I'm still debating between Julius K9 and Brilliant K9. It really isn't that big of a deal but $50 is a decent enough chunk of money that I don't want to be impulsive. I like that Julius K9 has been crash tested since I also be using it as a seat belt in the car, but the behind the ribs style of Brilliant K9 does seem like it would be less restrictive to the front legs/shoulders. Then again, it'll just be for walking; not long periods of vigorous activity. & I'm having trouble figuring out sizing for Brilliant K9.

I'm also keeping the Ruffwear front range harness on the back burner in case the strap straight across the chest style doesn't work. I like that it has clips on each side so it's a Y front style (or whatever that style is called) but still isn't a step through.

I appreciate all the suggestions. :)

I have a connecting link that connects the harness to the nylon flat collar. Samantha used to try to back out of the harness so the connector makes it very difficult to back out quickly.
Thank you for this idea. Mira doesn't seem like that much of an escape artist but I definitely don't want to take any chances.
 
#7 ·
Wait... who crash tested the julius k9 and where can I find the study? Having seen the construction of it, I would be very skeptical.

If you look at the independently tested designed-for-cars like the sleepy pod and the ruffwear load-up, you can definitely see the difference - there is a lot more chest support and wider straps to distribute the pressure and the connectors are a lot more heavy duty.
 
#10 ·
Yea, I don't think the design would lead to a good result in a crash test since the pressure of a crash wouldn't be displaced throughout the body, just in the main 2 spots (across the top of the check and around the bottom of the chest/stomach are). From what I've noticed from looking at the harnesses that are crash test certified (sleepypod, ruffwear's car harness, etc) the biggest feature to them (and downside for my dog who hates harnesses) are that they cover a lot of surface area down the chest so that in the event of an accident the pressure is displaced down the dog's body and not just in 1 area.

That being said, a strong fabric is important. I've seen both the Julius k9 and the Brilliant k9 in person and there is no second guessing they are good quality made harnesses. Both are strong and secure. It's just the design and the price that you have to decide if you like.
 
#11 ·
Just posting a follow up. I found a place offering free custom velcro patches with the purchase of a Julius K9 IDC Harness and they had the color I want in stock in Mira's size so I went with that brand and got custom patches that say "Afraid of Dogs". I ordered the reflective side patches shown in these photos from another place since I like those better than the one's that say "Julius K9" that came with the harness.

(Not sure it's okay to post links to online shops, but happy to share here if appropriate or through private message otherwise.)

If anyone is curious about sizing, Mira weights about 60 lbs and has a 29" chest circumference and I got the size 1 harness which seems to fit her well.

Size 1:
Chest measurement: 26 - 33.5 inches / 66 - 85cm
Weight: 50 - 66lbs / 22,5 - 30kg
Breed examples: Australian Shepherd, small German Shepherd, small Golden Retriever, Weimaraner, Husky, small Boxer, Pointer, Malinois


Obligatory photos:

This was minutes after I put it on her the first time.
Disclaimer: I was bribing her to stay still for the photo with a chicken nugget and I think it was the chicken nugget that prompted the vigorous tail wagging. She didn't seem to mind the harness at all, though. Prob. too focused on yummy nuggets to care. :p



She's worn it every time we've gone outside since getting it. These were taken about a week later.





I know it's not meant to be a no pull harness, but I feel like she walks much nicer and pulls much less in the harness than she does with leash attached to her collar. Not sure that makes sense since I'd expect a harness with a wide chest piece to be more comfortable for the dog when pulling and would encourage the dog to pull even harder than when the dog has to pull against a neck collar and pulling harder means choking and difficulty breathing, etc.

Maybe when she pulls, the force is more distributed so it doesn't feel like she's pulling as hard even though she is? Maybe she was taught to walk nicely in harness by her previous family? *shrug* No idea, but no complaints from me either way!
 
#12 ·
Ahhhh I LOVE that second picture. "LOOK AT MY NEW HARNESS"
 
  • Like
Reactions: AlwaysTomboy
#13 ·
I don't like them, although I love how they look on my dogs. I bought two (one pink and the other one blue), and I'll never buy them again. For a normal owner of a dog, not a police agent, they are completely useless, and they aren't cheap. Besides, my two dogs hated them, they were extremely uncomfortable, and they're horrible for Summer, because they're very hot.
 
#14 ·
Thanks much for the reply. I appreciate the alternate point of view. :) I've only been using it a few weeks but so far, I don't have any complaints. It's also the only harness I've used in quite a long time, so I don't have anything to compare it against yet. It may be that another brand or style will work better for me, but for now, this is meeting my needs very nicely. *fingers crossed*
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top