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alternative to puppia

Emcannon

Active member
I was all set to order a puppia harness for my pup, but after reading some of the threads on the site I am very hesitant. I currently have a step in harness for Summer but she doesn't seem to crazy about it and walks much slower in that than she did when I just used her collar before I had the harness. She isn't a puller by any means I just want the harness to avoid any pressure on her neck. Can anyone recommend either a brand or type of harness that I could try for her? I live in a downtown area so am just using a 4ft leash but am wondering if I should have a longer one on hand as well. Thoughts?
 
Just out of curiosity -- what about the Puppia harnesses did you read that appeared negative?
 
Rose has a HugaDog harness: http://www.doxidelight.com/hugadog.htm

They are custom made (you fill in the measurements, pick your style and color, and be sure to tell them the breed- some of the pics look high in the neck, but Rose's is just right on her). We have the white mesh with brown trim. Rose is not a lover of her other harnesses of the past, but with this one she acts like she doesn't have it on- running, sleeping, playing, etc.

P1080961_zps378e46dc.jpg
 
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A lady posted that her dog was able to get out of its harness on a walk when spooked by something and many others responded that they too had issues with their cavaliers being able to get out. The thread was from several years ago, so perhaps something has been improved in the design, but since we walk in an area with lots of people/dogs and cars I want to find the most secure thing I can for my Summer but still want her to be comfortable. The step in harness I have is from etsy, I got a matching collar, leash and harness which are really cute, perhaps I just measured incorrectly and the fit isn't the best and that's why she doesn't like it.

Thanks for sharing the hugadog harness that Rose uses. Definitely one I will seriously consider ordering!
 
My first reason for looking into the Hugadog harness was because Rose is a harness escape artist! She has not gotten out of this one, and the bonus is how comfortable it seems to be :) ; but, I still have a martingale collar and a small dog dual walker strap that I attach to her leash, harness and the collar, just in case. Paranoid, I am, lol ;) .
 
A lady posted that her dog was able to get out of its harness on a walk when spooked by something and many others responded that they too had issues with their cavaliers being able to get out. The thread was from several years ago, so perhaps something has been improved in the design, but since we walk in an area with lots of people/dogs and cars I want to find the most secure thing I can for my Summer but still want her to be comfortable. The step in harness I have is from etsy, I got a matching collar, leash and harness which are really cute, perhaps I just measured incorrectly and the fit isn't the best and that's why she doesn't like it.

Thanks for sharing the hugadog harness that Rose uses. Definitely one I will seriously consider ordering!

That makes sense. Skippy has never gotten out of his Puppia, but then again 1) he has never tried, and 2) if anything it is a little on the smaller side for him (we were not expecting him to balloon to the 'giant' he is now) so there isn't much room for him to do so.
 
My first reason for looking into the Hugadog harness was because Rose is a harness escape artist! She has not gotten out of this one, and the bonus is how comfortable it seems to be :) ; but, I still have a martingale collar and a small dog dual walker strap that I attach to her leash, harness and the collar, just in case. Paranoid, I am, lol ;) .


Do you have a photo you could share of of Rose hooked up with the dual walker strap attached to everything? Is this the type of strap you are referring to? http://www.dogidcollar.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?prodid=5132838&showprevnext=1
 
I've used the puppia with Gracie for over a year now and I've never had a problem with it. She isn't a puller either. I like the soft mesh material and it's easy to put on and take off. Even if she gets spooked and tries to stay still or retreat instead of moving forward, she's never come close to coming out of it. I used to use it with Lady but she pulls too much so I switched to the easy-walk.

I also use the coupler (like you linked to above) to walk both dogs on one lead. Even though Lady uses and front-clip and Gracie a back-clip, the coupler works really well so that there is no tangling.
 
Fletcher is FINANCIALLY learning to walk without pulling. I still use the EZ harness (which helps with the pulling) but I also have a Coastal harness like this:


http://www.carealotpets.com/products/coastal-comfort-wrap-step-in-adjustable-harness__16201b.aspx


I don't know where you live but Coastal guarantees their products and Care-O-Lot pet store will replace ANY Coastal product for free. Even if your dog chewed the leash or your sweet little niece takes a pair of scissors to one:mad: This happened to my shorter 4 foot leash, I walked in with the leash in 2 pieces walked out with a brand new one within minutes.

Someone bought us a Pippia harness for Fletcher when he was younger, the only problem I had with it is that it does not adjust much so fit was a problem.
 
Pardon my dog who realllly needs a bath, lol.

P1030420_zpsc2a2dd2b.jpg


And I added a ring to the front for when she's in a pulling mood- if I use this, I hook the leash to it instead of the back of the harness. If you request this, Hugadog will probably be able to add it like they do the seatbelt loop and other things.

I run the leash through the middle ring on the black extention. The D ring above the hook doesn't fit through the middle ring, so even if the hook fails, the lease is still attached to the harness (the things one can come up with when you have a "runner", *sigh*). The only thing I was unsure of before I ordered it is that the Hugadog harness looks like it comes up high under the neck, but Rose hasn't had any issues laying flat with her head on her front paws, etc. with it, and it doesn't come up into her throat. I also realized that it has to be a bit higher than other harnesses so she can't get a shoulder (and then the whole dog) out the top.

Front hook:
P1030424_zps9273e0ec.jpg
 
Thanks so much for those pictures! I am such a visual person this really helped me "get it!" I'm not sure if I will need to go to those lengths for my Summer, I don't think she is the Houdini that your Rose is! Glad to know this is an option though should she prove me wrong and I need it! Thinking about getting a hug-a dog fleece as well for the winter!
 
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