Dogster

Tracking Harness for a strangely proportioned beast

Running, catching, leaping; this is the forum to discuss dog sports and agility training with other active pups!

Zephyr

1213425

Barked: Wed Jul 18, '12 4:47pm PST


	So Mo is at the point of needing a tracking harness. I have a few generic harnesses that kind of work but he's so awkwardly shaped I'm unhappy with the fit. The only one that really fits has apparently been tossed by judges before because of insufficient shoulder movement. He's got a very deep chest, but narrow shoulders and he looks like he just fell out of a refugee camp. The boy is skinny. Each harness is either putting the girth right behind his elbows with too short a yoke , or if it's long enough I can't adjust the girl so the harness twists. Short of going custom, which is bound to be pricier than I can afford, does anyone else have a suggestion for a highly adjustablem tracking appropriate harness? What hasn't worked: Kong Harness. It fits his chest but it's too wide at the waist so it twists on him. I thought about buying a second smaller harness and pulling off the girl strap and mix and matching but it seems silly to buy a harness for scrap. Ruffwear Webmaster. It fits him the best strap wise but the actual nylon at the top is comically tiny. It's also the harness that will be tossed for lack of shoulder movement. A few generic borrow harnesses in every size under the sun.

Honorary Kelpie

Barked: Fri Jul 20, '12 1:49pm PST


	I don't know that much about tracking... do you mean that the judges wouldn't let a dog compete because of the harness he was wearing? That blows. I looked up the AKC tracking rule book, all it says is "The dog must wear a harness while tracking. The harness will be constructed of straps of plain, pliable material and will be designed so that there is minimum restriction of the dog’s movement." That leaves it pretty wide open for interpretation, I guess. From what I've seen, custom harnesses don't have to be expensive, though. I really like the one I got for about 30 bucks. It's kinda fancy, but the same seller also makes plain ones (polypro webbing only, no padding or other bells and whistles) that would probably pass muster. Here's a link to it: custom harness There is also the often-recommended Urban Trail harness that is about 30 bucks. Different design, no bands crossing the shoulder here.

I dig in mud- puddles!

Barked: Mon Jul 23, '12 12:32pm PST


	What about a Canadog harness? Or this is not adjustable enough? I've heard good things about these harnesses. If you are at all handy with a tape measure and a sewing awl, then you could make your own custom harness. Buckles, webbing etc should be readily available at most outdoor supply stores.