Dog Harness

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Last post 08-17-2007 5:58 AM by janet_rose. 8 replies.

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08-16-2007 4:04 PM

papillon64
Joined on 05-23-2007
Wisconsin
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Dog Harness

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I think Jester is starting to get a little bit arthritic because he is becoming increasingly hesitant to jump on the couch or into the car. I was thinking of getting him a harness that he could keep on during the day. I would want one with a handle on the back so I could just lift him up. I also want something that supports him well, because he tends to kind of squirm when he is first picked up. Does anyone have any harness recommendations? It would need to be squirm-proof, because he's wiggled out of ones I've put on him in the past. I know someone will probably tell me to just pick the dog up, but he doesn't like to be picked up very much, he acts like it hurts him, so I am looking for something that would more evenly support his weight and would allow anyone to lift him, not just me.

Thanks!

~Erin

"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."
--Douglas Mallock

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08-16-2007 4:29 PM In reply to papillon64

papillon64
Joined on 05-23-2007
Wisconsin
Posts 306
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RE: Dog Harness

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Does anyone have any experience with these? They certainly look nice, but they're expensive!

[linkhttp://www.altrec.com/outdoors/paddle/petgear/dog-harnesses/]http://www.altrec.com/outdoors/paddle/petgear/dog-harnesses/[/link]

~Erin

"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."
--Douglas Mallock

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08-16-2007 5:34 PM In reply to papillon64

Pwca
Joined on 09-10-2006
Dallas, Texas
Posts 1,327
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RE: Dog Harness

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I don't have that particular harness from Ruffwear, but I love everything I've ordered from them (some collars, some toys, a backpack that I ended up sending back because it was massively overkill for daypacking). You can order directly from the company and they've got GREAT customer service.

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08-16-2007 5:55 PM In reply to papillon64

tzu_mom
Joined on 09-10-2007
midwest
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RE: Dog Harness

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Many small breed dog owners use the Puppia harness----maybe that would work.
[linkhttp://www.puppiaworld.com/]http://www.puppiaworld.com/[/link]

I know a few members on this forum use them, maybe they can chime in.

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08-16-2007 5:59 PM In reply to papillon64

melindar
Joined on 09-10-2007
Savannah, GA
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RE: Dog Harness

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I don't have any experience with the type of harnesses that you are looking for, but I had another suggestion. What about doggy steps? This way he isn't uncomfortable by being picked up. Like this:ath=cDOGproducts%23%23%2D1%23%23%2D1%7E%7Eq7374657073%7E%7EncDOGp89%23%233%23%23s>http://www.dog.com/search.asp?query=steps&hits=96&

ath=cDOGproducts%23%23%2D1%23%23%2D1%7E%7Eq7374657073%7E%7EncDOGp89%23%233%23%23s
The ones on dog.com seem a little pricey, but I did find this one that's way cheaper.http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/doggy_steps.html

Hope you find what you're looking for. BTW the ruffies harness looks pretty cool.

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08-16-2007 6:00 PM In reply to papillon64

Sunshinegirl
Joined on 05-03-2007
Florida, USA
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RE: Dog Harness

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OMG those Papia harnesses are adorable!! And they look really comfortable and easy to put on and remove. I need to get one for each of my girls!!!!!! Thanks!!

Sunshine Girl

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08-16-2007 7:53 PM In reply to papillon64

stardog85
Joined on 09-10-2007
South Carolina, USA
Posts 1,493
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RE: Dog Harness

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I like Ruffwear harnesses - I don't have any for my girl since they aren't designed for pulling and that's what I use ours for, but I really like the handle and extra support it appears to give.

Erin, the Amazing Maggie Mae, and Super Puppy Ziva

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08-16-2007 11:19 PM In reply to papillon64

calliecritturs
Joined on 09-10-2007
Central Florida
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RE: Dog Harness

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Sorry -- those puppia harnesses aren't going to be something you can lift the dog with.

Your best bet is to take a bath towel and cut it lengthwise as wide as he is long. (measure him from just behind his front legs to just in front of his penis).

Fold over an inch and stitch on each end (this would be easy on a machine or you could hot glue it if you use something like canvas instead of terry).

Then stick a dowel thru each end and make a loop for a handle on each end.

Put that under him like a sling -- it will fully support him (the problem with picking him up is that it will cause stress on ONE place in the spine -- and that's likely to be the very place he's hurting). Make it long enough so YOU can stand up comfortably to give him support while he's walking. But it needs to be far enough forward so he can pee and also so he can hunch to poop.

But anything with a strap or band under the belly is going to be very uncomfortable to pick him up. You need to support the full length of him.

Have you thought about giving him something easy like Knox Nutra Joint as a supplement to help the body repair the cartilage?? That can make quite a permanent difference (it's not just a hydrator like glucosamine/chondroitin).

Ramps are far better than steps. Steps still make "impact" -- it's essentially still small jumps. For a small dog like that you could make your own ramp pretty easy (you can get pre-cut stuff at Home Depot and they'll make a couple of cuts in it for free if you ask) -- and just use spray glue and glue some carpet on it for traction. That would help him get in and out of the car, up and down steps, etc. Even piling pillows on the floor in front of any furniture he's allowed on can be a big help to reduce that impact.