Ruffwear harness

bluejelly · 04-01-2018 12:13AM #1

Hi,
Just wondering if anyone has experience of the Ruffwear dog harness? I currently use the premier easy walk harness which does a good job but may not be the most comfortable. I have labs(strong labs when they feel like pulling!) so looking for a good comfortable harness that they won’t mind wearing. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

Bells21 · 04-01-2018 12:29AM

bluejelly wrote:

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has experience of the Ruffwear dog harness? I currently use the premier easy walk harness which does a good job but may not be the most comfortable. I have labs(strong labs when they feel like pulling!) so looking for a good comfortable harness that they wonâ€™t mind wearing. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

I recently got the front range harnesses for my 2, I've got a mini schnauzer and and a JRTx who seems to have the same muscle strength as the hulk when he wants to dig in/stop dead. The front range one works perfectly for the mini schnauzer buy not so much for the other lad. He's slipped out of it and it doesn't appear to sit correctly on him(we measured and followed ruffwear's own guidelines, in fairness he is an odd shape). So now I'm looking at the webmaster which is more expensive but has an extra set of straps which we hopeful keep him comfortable. Have emailed ruffwear this morning as they only give the girth measurements on the website but I would like other measurements too before I pay out for it.
I remember here a while back where a regular poster had mentioned a custom fit one but I can't remember the name. Seemingly you take the measurements and it's made to fit your dog.

tk123 · 04-01-2018 11:47AM

The plastic over the front loop has cracked on ours but both still going strong.. However

.. I don't find them great for swimming as they get a bit waterlogged - not so much of a problem in the summer months or winter when the heat is on so they can dry out... and another issue is that if your dog has what we affectionally call Lucy's mallet head

they can be tight to pull over if you don't want to loosen the straps (I did see a thread where somebody added a neck clip to theirs).. SO I got them both fancy custom harnesses from indi-dog.co.uk. Now they also do ready to go ones which are fleece lined - I used one for Bailey for a few months while I decided which would be better for him which are great too and loads of adjustments but they both have fancy vari-fit ones now with all the bells and whistles - neck clips/handles/front rings and neoprene lining for swimming. You can see Lucy's in the pic I posted of her the other day in the pics thread! The only downside is that wait for the custom ones is 3-4 weeks.

Dawney · 07-01-2018 11:56PM

I have the webmaster harness for one of my guys- it's brilliant. He can wriggle out of normal harnesses quite easily but not this one. It doesn't restrict his movement and has a handy handle on the back for any time I might have to hold him for any reason. As it has 3 adjustable areas it's pretty adaptable for all dog types (have used them on lurchers before who can be difficult to fit regular harnesses onto!) My guy an pull like a trooper when he wants (usually on sight of a cat!) but I know he'll not get out of the harness and that it's not hurting him (the areas where the straps are in contact with the body most are well padded).

I've had it for 2 years and although it's a bit faded it's still going strong- our 1st one tore on brambles about 2 months after we got it and I got in contact with Ruffwear and they replaced it straight away, and I got to keep the old one for fosters etc. Have had no issues since.

tk123 · 08-01-2018 06:01PM

tk123 wrote: »

hey both have fancy vari-fit ones now with all the bells and whistles

Actually they're verso ones :P The vari-fit has adjustments everywhere (I couldn't edit my post). They also do a Houdini one for long dogs - I want my friend to get one for her basset :pac:

Bells21 · 08-01-2018 06:41PM

I actually heard back from ruffwear today, they asked me to send on photos of Hoops from different angles(made sure to get a few of his best side lol). They were happy that the xs was the right size for him and that the harness was sitting correctly on him. I've ordered the webmaster so hopefully that will arrive this week but ruffwear said if I'm not happy or other adjustments were needed that they would be happy to help out. Pretty good customer service I thought.

Dawney · 08-01-2018 08:47PM

Bells21 wrote: »

I actually heard back from ruffwear today, they asked me to send on photos of Hoops from different angles(made sure to get a few of his best side lol). They were happy that the xs was the right size for him and that the harness was sitting correctly on him. I've ordered the webmaster so hopefully that will arrive this week but ruffwear said if I'm not happy or other adjustments were needed that they would be happy to help out. Pretty good customer service I thought.

I found their customer service excellent- was a little annoyed that a harness marketed for more rigorous outdoor use had torn on brambles of all things- and I emailed fully expecting a fight for a new one. However all they asked for were photos of the damage- and the serial number of the harness, and they then sent a new one out straight away.. and told me to keep the damaged one.
They are pricey but worth it - am tempted to get the webmaster with the packs to give my guy a bit of a job to do on his walks

tk123 · 08-01-2018 10:00PM

Dawney wrote: »

I found their customer service excellent- was a little annoyed that a harness marketed for more rigorous outdoor use had torn on brambles of all things- and I emailed fully expecting a fight for a new one. However all they asked for were photos of the damage- and the serial number of the harness, and they then sent a new one out straight away.. and told me to keep the damaged one.
They are pricey but worth it - am tempted to get the webmaster with the packs to give my guy a bit of a job to do on his walks

Funny ours are grand after a few years but I saw a few people on FB with them rip apart after only a few months - they were replaced without any pronblems but I wonder if they’ve changed something in their manufacturing? I have a webmaster too - we put it on the basset and when she went on strike my friend lifted her and turned her with the handle.. dog = ‘what just happened to me?!’

Dawney · 09-01-2018 10:37PM

Poor Basset!

My guy hates being lifted by the handle.. not that I do it much.. but came in handy a few months ago when he was swimming in a big stream and got caught on what must have been an undercurrent .. the panic when he couldn’t swim out! Managed to wade in and pull him out by the harness

poor guy has refused to go swimming there since.

Bells21 · 15-01-2018 05:49PM

First day with our webmaster today. Definitely a better fit for our lad than the front range and I really cannot see him wiggling out of this. He also didn't see to be as uncomfortable in it.

stephrousseau · 19-01-2018 05:31PM

I love the haqihana harnesses!

The most important things about harnesses are:

- they should have a y shaped front which keeps the neck free of pressure (sounds obvious, but with a lot of them when the dog pulls, that's still where the pressure ends up), and rather distribute the pressure across the thorax;

- they should keep the shoulders free to move (the ones with a strap across the front inhibit shoulder movement);

- they should allow 5cm clearance behand the front legs (about a hands width) so they don't chaff as they walk.

The only two brands I've found that do this are the Haqihana ones and the Calming Signs ones, although I'm sure there are others that do too!

Ruffwear harness

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