My Favourite Front Clip Harnesses

Gretel sports a Front Range while Ginny looks snazzy in her Perfect Fit.

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Front clip harnesses are awesome.

The first time I saw one I thought it was a gimmick, and they sort of are. No magic piece of equipment will stop your dog from pulling without training. I've seen dogs choke themselves, pinch themselves etc just to get to a tree that they really want to sniff.

No matter what equipment you have, you still need to teach your dog that you don't intend to be pulled. Refuse to move unless your dog is willing to move in a cooperative fashion (see - Dog Walk A Drag?).

But if your dog is a 180 lb mastiff and you are a 90 lb teenager, there are going to be some problems with this. If your dog can literally pull you right over and drag you along like a roped steer, you need some help. Plus the neck is a terrible place for leash attachment - both vulnerable and muscly all at the same time!

Harnesses are generally considered safer and more comfortable, but if you attach the leash to the back clip, you might as well be a sled and your dog Balto.

A front clip harness is just what it sounds like - a harness that clips on the front, on the dog's chest.

1. There is no pressure applied to the dog's neck when they hit the end of their leash or when their human tightens their leash up. This is important especially for small breeds, who are prone to developing a collapsing windpipe, but also for big breeds, who could damage their own thyroid gland.

2. When the dog and you are entering a tugging contest, the dog is pulled sideways, which gives you some torque against them. If they hit the end of their leash hard enough I've seen them spin right around to face their owner - and boy, do they look surprised.

Not All Front Clips Are Created Equal

There are some downsides to front clip harnesses. Some brands come over the dog's shoulders, which could cause shoulder injury or joint problems if the dog is dragged around on a tight leash too much.

These types of harness include the Easy Walk, The Sensi, Halti, and many other brands. They have a belt that goes around the thorax and a band that goes around the shoulders and over the chest in a U.

When the dog pulls, their shoulders are squeezed and compressed by the U shape strap, and if your dog does this habitually, it's awfully hard on their body.

Instead a T shape is better.

Popular brands which rate highly on ergonomics include the Blue K9 Balance Harness, and the Petsafe 3-in-1 harness.

These consist of basically a collar, a chest belt, and a connection on the top and bottom. They are both adjustable enough that the chest strap should be well away from your dog's armpits, to avoid chafing or discomfort, and they allow free shoulder movement.

The ones I like best, though, have an X shape design, to make it really hard for the harness to slip or twist much. Usually they have webbing in the front, too. This makes them bulkier, of course, but in my brain they just SEEM more secure.

My favourite of these, and the one I use for my Bernese Mountain Dog, is the Ruffwear Front Range harness.

While the Ruffwear harness has a prominent and sturdy back clip, not everyone realizes that the front clip is intended for leash attachment as well - that's because it's a soft fabric loop, instead of a ring.

Don't let it fool you - this loop is extremely strong.

Gretel's loop was not even frayed after a year and a half of her massive bulk hitting the end of her leash excitedly whenever she saw another dog.

The front loop never showed signs of detaching

That's another thing I love about these harnesses: not only are they super-durable, but they are very adjustable.

I got the one pictured above when Gretel was a teenager at 60 lbs or so. I sized the medium down as small as it could go, and by the time I had buy a large nearly two years later, she had surpassed 100 lbs. As it was she could still get the medium on, but it was snug.

There are only two down sides to this awesome harness.

1. Since the medium can fit a half-grown to full grown Bernese mountain dog, the XXS size is still pretty darn big. A Frenchie or pug could fit it, but not a Chihuahua, min pin, or other dainty breeds.

2. It only has buckles around the thorax, not around the neck. That means your dog has to stick their head into the neck hole to get dressed, and a lot of dogs HATE having things go over their head. It can be enough to make them hide from their owner no matter how badly they want to go on a walk. Once the harness is on everyone seems comfy enough, but it's can take some training and patience to teach your dog to "get dressed" and put their head in the neck hole.

That first problem can be solved with Kurgo's TruFit harness, another sturdy alternative which goes down to smaller sizes. Even better, it comes with a seat belt attachment and - unlike a lot of seatbelt harnesses on the market - it's actually crash tested!

But sadly, the TruFit also has to be put on over the dog's head.

So that brings me to my next favourite, the Perfect Fit.

The Perfect Fit harness lives up to its name. You can adjust the length of nearly every strap, some in multiple places. With the Perfect Fit, I was confident that my cavalier, Ginny, wouldn't get chafed armpits or sores, so she wore it 24/7 in place of a collar.

(Cavaliers often have a problem where part of their brain leaks into their spine - thanks, inbreeding! - so I'm not taking any chances)

In the six months she wore it, before she outgrew it, never once did it cause any chafing or irritation to her skin. No bald patches, no calluses, no redness, no itching.

It also has buckles around the neck, too, so your dog doesn't have to put their head through anything when you're dressing them.

The downside is that Perfect Fit doesn't guarantee the strength of the front ring. It's intended to be used in combination with the back ring, although I used it front-ring only and never had any problems. Then again, my dogs don't do THAT much pulling. Occasionally hitting the end of their leash in excitement is the most that happens. Plus Ginny isn't exactly Miss Muscles.

Conclusion:

If your dog is not spooky about collars going over their head, and if your dog is on the large side, my prime recommendation is that Ruffwear Front Range harness. If you don't love their bright colours, or if you'll be doing a lot of driving, you can also consider the Kurgo TruFit.

If you're looking for something a little slimmer, consider the Blue K9 Balance Harness.

If your dog hate putting their head through the neck loops, look at either the Perfect Fit or the Petsafe 3-in-1, both of which have buckles on the neck portion so you can find a way to put on the harness without stressing your pup too much.

Now - time to go for a walk!