Puppia Soft Harness

edited April 2009 in Products & DIY
After a week long struggle to find the next harness to try on our quest to find the best, I ordered two Puppia Soft Harnesses off Ebay.

Based on the sizing chart, Kitsune (at 23.5lbs) should fit into an XL, based on his chest and neck girth. Tsuki (at 17.5lbs) should fit into a L.

They came, we tried them on. Beyond the absolute stoic statue pose Kitsu had at wearing this new contraption, at the tightest setting for both, they are still too big on my shibas, esp when they give a slight pull on leash - the polyester really stretches. It seemed very unsafe. The L chest fits Kitsune, but the neck part is NON adjustable and I can barely get two fingers width. I cannot have him walking in that, its definitely a choking hazard. I'm hesitant to buy a M for Tsuki and find the same thing. However, we get a free exchange via our ebay seller and I might at least try it.

I know these harnesses work for many shiba owners, and I wanted them to work for me too, but they don't! I guess every harness is not a work-all for everyone!

We will next be trying a step in harness for Kitsune, and sticking with an adjustable harness by Lupine for Tsuki..

Comments

  • edited November -1
    p.s. should the thick plush hair around a dogs neck be accounted for in the girth measurement?

    p.p.s. Has anyone tried the hemp/fleece harnesses from Planet Dog??
  • edited November -1
    puppia makes harnesses with adjustable necks, not trying to push the brand, just giving you some info,

    there are three different types
    the safety harness: adjustable neck and chest BELTS
    the superior harness: adjustable neck w/just VELCRO, and adjustable chest BELT (not sure how sturdy the velcro is, may not be good for a dog that pulls)
    and the ritefit harness: adjustable neck w/ BELT and VELCRO, and adjustable chest BELT (sounds the safest for an active pulling dog)

    all three types have soft mesh
    I found all three for sale at this site http://www.ipetconnection.com/category_s/82.htm
    you can take a look at them, not sure about the service/reputation of the actual website never bought from them before
    hope this helps
  • edited November -1
    sorry just curious (new owner here)
    I have just a regular harness for my lil' guy....are soft harnesses better/safer for shibas??
  • edited November -1
    I actually have sporn harnesses for all three dogs. I bought it on a whim at petsmart and ended up really liking it.
    http://www.sporn.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=SPUS3

    It's got a sort of martingale action on the harness that prevents Loki from pulling, plus it's adjustable all over. The only pain is getting it on since you have to slip the legs of the dog into the harness. Belle has short legs so it's no issue, and Keiko knows 'paw' so that's easy too... Loki just thinks it's a fun game :oP
  • edited November -1
    Thanks Evan! I'll check that out!
  • edited November -1
    Jen- We have the cozy hemp harness from Planet Dog and they are great. I am not sure of Mookie and Penny's exact girths, but she is 15 lbs and he is 27 lbs and the small size fits them both. Mookie could probably fit in a medium though. The fleece is really nice because it prevents the harness from rubbing all their fur off in spots.

    I would highly recommend them!
  • edited November -1
    Thank you Thank you, Melissa! Thats exactly what I wanted to hear from someone!
  • edited November -1
    Awww Jen, sorry to hear that! We love the Puppias in our house be we also have the standard harness by B&G too. If you want I can re-sell the Puppias for you on Ebay (I have a sellers account). Just let me know.
  • edited November -1
    Thanks kristin! I have a sellers acct too. I'm trying to sell them via craigslist as of last night, and I"ll put them on ebay if they don't go by Weds.

    If anyone here is interested in them, whisper or email me - we can work something out!
  • edited November -1
    Ok, I'm now down to ONE XL Puppia in brown (actually like a grey/black/brown)!
  • edited November -1
    Thanks to this review and many others I found on this website and on the net regarding the Puppia harness, I bought one for Tank and I must say that it really is indeed everything it's made out to be. It's now easier to walk Tank because I have better control over him. There's been a dramatic difference in how he walks with me as well without me having to do or command much. :)
  • edited November -1
    The one frustrating thing I found with the shibas so far regarding sizing for harnesses is that the neck holes in items are always too tight, and the girth on the rib cages are always too generous and the 2 never seem to match up. Shiba are shaped like fish and they have no necks I guess, or really thick short/stocky necks that make sizing hard, and their bodies are usually pretty long and lean/narrow. This seems to always steer me towards adjustable harnesses only, like the Ruffwear harness.
  • edited November -1
    Thats exactly the problem I have too, Lindsay.

    My happy medium was the adjustable hemp/fleece harness by Planet Dog. I love them!!
  • edited November -1
    so which one did you decide on now? the planet dog one? I might try some type of harness too. Right now I use the halti but if I ever don't Mochi tries to pull! (especially with distractions but we're working on it)
  • edited November -1
    I think the adjustable type harness (like the Planet Dog one we now use) encourages them to pull in a way, like a sled dog sort of, but we trained them on an easy walk harness and switched to an adjustable.
    They still pull if they get spooked or see a squirrel/cat/chipmunk/bird...
  • edited June 2009
    ok, with easy walk harness you mean the one where you attach the leash on the front (by the chest) ? I thought about trying it but there is so much stuff out there nowadays! Hard to choose.
  • edited November -1
    Yep, the easy walk is the harness that hooks in front.
    We have a small/medium size for our male who is about 24lbs


    Kahlo wears one that you can clearly see in this thread:
    http://www.nihonken.org/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=3700&page=1#Item_31
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