# Sledding Harness Fit?



## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Denali's harness came in today!! I'm not sure if it fits her right and I've never played with harnesses before so I want to get some opinions. The "X" part seems pretty loose to me, but I'm not sure if it's kinda loose and then when they're really pulling it fits better? It fits her neck perfectly- she's really just that poofy that it looks like it must be choking her. I can fit a couple fingers under comfortably when she's pulling a little. It seems to fit around her legs well too, but maybe a touch too loose? She was pulling a bit in the pics, I tossed treats on the floor. Let me know if other types of pictures would be better to tell.

Low angle, pulled straight back









Little higher


















harness from www.blackicedogsledding.com


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

When the dog is pulling the back loop is pulled down and back not up like you are holding it, take some more pictures of that.


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## Nazca in Breck (Mar 25, 2010)

I think it looks like a pretty good fit, but I'm not an expert. I have a harness like that one for my dog. Are you getting into skijoring or is the dog going to be pulling a sled?


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I bike with her. I don't plan on doing sledding, but we'll see.
She's 11 months now so she isn't actually pulling yet but I wanted her comfy running in the harness.

Better angle? It looks like it fits much better that way. I was thinking higher since biking the line is higher.. but no. Haha. Looked at other pics I have and it's pretty low.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

yep looks pretty good to me, hopefully she doesn't grow much more lol


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Hopefully! I really don't know if she will or not. I was planning on waiting a few more months so I wouldn't have her growing out of a harness, but she's been 40lbs since she was 9 months old.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Where did you get your harness? we need a new one


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Katie lou these harnesses are for pulling only, it's too easy for dogs to back out of them if your just doing walks. but she picked up hers from black ice dog sledding supplies.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Keechak said:


> Katie lou these harnesses are for pulling only, it's too easy for dogs to back out of them if your just doing walks. but she picked up hers from black ice dog sledding supplies.


Yes i know we bikejor.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Yep, Black Ice! Thank you Keechak, I believe it was you who recommended them (if not, thank you to whoever did!)

I got the regular X-back with the extended padding option.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

katielou said:


> Yes i know we bikejor.


well then I need to see some pictures! you've been holding out on us! lol
'


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Keechak said:


> well then I need to see some pictures! you've been holding out on us! lol
> '


We are going for a big ride this weekend with my husband for the first time so i will make sure to get him to take some pictures.

Our harness currently looks like its about a hundred years old so we will be calling for a new one tomorrow!


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

It looks perfect, Sibe!! Good job measuring her!! When a harness fits right and when the dog is pulling, the end of the webbing ( not the loop that connects to the gangline) should be at the base of the tail. 
I love Black ice!! I don't order much from there anymore but I got my first sledding equipment from there and it all worked really good and lasted a long time! I am still using a lot of it.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Thanks for the reassurance!! I must have measured her at least 6 times lol. I'm taking her for a quick ride tomorrow and we'll see how it goes.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

I agree with the other posters, it looks good, especially since she is still growing. It may end up a little tight in the elbows/armpits so just watch that... it looks a little tight there. Just keep an eye on her as she continues to grow, and re-evaluate the fit if need be. The area under the armpits is a common area to see rubbing, so keep a close eye on that. 

Here are some guidelines to help you check the fit... it's hard to check from just photos.

The end of the nylon webbing on the harness (where it meets with the rope loop) should touch the base of the tail. My preference is for the end of the webbing to go just a hair PAST the tail base.
See the place where the collar portion of the harness is sewn together, under her neck? That little diamond sewn pattern should rest just about on her breastbone, you should be able to barely insert a finger under that diamond and feel the breastbone resting underneath, almost completely covered but not quite.
The webbing on the sides of the harness should clear (or almost clear) the dog's last rib (i.e., the harness shouldn't pinch the ribcage in any way).
The strap that goes from the bottom of the collar, underneath the dog between the front legs is called the breastplate. The breastplate should extend from the breastbone mentioned above, to the center of the chest, basically in line with the elbows.

Hope that helps!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Thank you nekomi!!

Went biking again today. Unfortunately while riding it's pretty much impossible to get a picture myself of how it's fitting. Especially with all her poof poking through. (More pics in the pic area of doggy butt  )


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Oh wow, beautiful shot! She looks fantastic; nice tight tug and she looks focused. Her trot looks REALLY nice from this photo!

I'm looking forward to seeing more pics of you guys


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

I've been trying to order a harness for the past 4 days and had no answer, no call back ect.

Anyone have any other suggestion for places to buy?


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

A little deceptive as she's not actually pulling. I use a flexi lead for now until she's more grown and can pull. It keeps the lead tight and from not getting tangled up as she's learning. I really wanted her used to the harness, the bike, commands for go/stop/right/left, ignoring distractions, etc. before we got into pulling. Today she made me so proud when she kept going though there was a dog fence running next to her and barking.

She typically has her ears moving all around and often pointed back to listen for me (as in the photo), for which I tell her good girl, good Denali, good hike! and she gets all excited and happy.

She also swings her butt to the right a little, you can tell on her left side that her back foot is right up next to her front foot. Not sure if that's anything to worry about, but it seems odd she doesn't always keep straight. It's not always crooked either, she mixes it up.

Here are the other pics from today 
http://www.dogforums.com/dog-pictures-forum/89754-bikeventuring.html


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

katielou said:


> I've been trying to order a harness for the past 4 days and had no answer, no call back ect.
> 
> Anyone have any other suggestion for places to buy?


Which store were you trying to order from, Katielou?

There is a list of some suppliers I've used on my website:

http://www.hoofandhowl.com/links.html


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

katielou said:


> I've been trying to order a harness for the past 4 days and had no answer, no call back ect.
> 
> Anyone have any other suggestion for places to buy?


You can try Alpine Outfitters http://alpineoutfitters.net/Secure/Scripts/ProdList.asp?idCategory=16
Moutain Ridge http://mountainridge.estoreadvanced.biz/index.php?p=catalog&parent=2&pg=1

I hope others will post more as I'm still a newb lol.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Sibe said:


> A little deceptive as she's not actually pulling. I use a flexi lead for now until she's more grown and can pull. It keeps the lead tight and from not getting tangled up as she's learning. I really wanted her used to the harness, the bike, commands for go/stop/right/left, ignoring distractions, etc. before we got into pulling. Today she made me so proud when she kept going though there was a dog fence running next to her and barking.
> 
> She typically has her ears moving all around and often pointed back to listen for me (as in the photo), for which I tell her good girl, good Denali, good hike! and she gets all excited and happy.
> 
> ...


Thanks for clarifying  She still looks good - it's AWESOME that she ignored a dog that was running next to her. IMO, that is the most difficult thing to teach a new sled dog - how to pass distractions cleanly! So you are well on your way to having a nice sledding partner.  

How old is Denali now? From what I've learned, sled dogs can begin light pulling around 10 months of age. I started Tempo in a full team at 10 months, and canicrossed with her starting from 12 weeks of age.

Not tracking straight is called "crabbing" in the mushing world. It's actually very common. It can be due to poor harness fit, the dog's build, or sometimes nothing at all. Typically, I check the dog's harness over if there is crabbing, and make sure there isn't any rubbing or sliding going on. If that looks OK, I'll thoroughly check all four feet and make sure there isn't any soreness that might be causing it. If all looks fine, it's safe to say it's just part of what the dog does. Most mushers feel it's not a cause for concern unless there are other issues also present. It can sometimes be worthwhile, though, to try a completely different style of harness if the crabbing seems really severe or constant. There are harnesses out there that have a wooden "spreader bar" that helps distribute the pulling load more evenly across the hips. That might be something to try if it worries you.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

nekomi said:


> Here are some guidelines to help you check the fit... it's hard to check from just photos.
> 
> The end of the nylon webbing on the harness (where it meets with the rope loop) should touch the base of the tail. My preference is for the end of the webbing to go just a hair PAST the tail base.
> See the place where the collar portion of the harness is sewn together, under her neck? That little diamond sewn pattern should rest just about on her breastbone, you should be able to barely insert a finger under that diamond and feel the breastbone resting underneath, almost completely covered but not quite.
> ...


Great post, thanks for that


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

When we're approaching dogs on the path that are headed the other direction I can tell if she's REALLY interested and want to say hi, which at this point I do let her briefly. There is often no way to go around them and at this point it's too much to ask her to ignore them completely. When we're overtaking people that are walking their dogs the same direction, she typically trots right on by like "Oooh look at me, I'm passing you! I'm so awesome!!" and usually doesn't want to say hi. Plus, I like to bring her in close and slow down and get a foot down when coming up on people to avoid having the line get caught around them. I go on the sidewalks frequently and respect that other people have the right of way and shouldn't have to move for us, so we move for them and I'll step off or stop a moment if needed.

Even when she's running around "naked" at the dog park, she is crabbing sometimes. Just something she does I guess, but I'll make sure to keep a close eye when we're biking and watch for if it's getting worse. Thanks 

She just turned 11 months a few days ago. She has never really pulled anything as I refuse to be dragged around by her on walks, and when the leash does catch while we're biking she slows down and turns to look at me like "what, 16' isn't enough for you to keep up with me? silly human." I need to teach her that it's ok to pull and to KEEP PULLING when the leash catches. She also learned the sound of the flexi lead clicking when I partially press it and will slow down and look at me for direction (I usually do this when we're coming up on a stoplight and telling her "woooah" and bringing her in closer). She learns too quick sometimes! I think I'm going to hook up a chunk of a 2x4 board or something to start and call her to me and give her lots of treats and such so she gets used to pulling. Then I'll work with my husband when he's back from deployment (or friends), she LOVES to chase daddy when we're biking so I think it'd be a good way to encourage her to pull. Any other ideas?


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

nekomi said:


> Which store were you trying to order from, Katielou?
> 
> There is a list of some suppliers I've used on my website:
> 
> http://www.hoofandhowl.com/links.html


I was trying from black ice


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

*bump*
I'm not sure I'm loving the X-back. Maybe it's because she isn't actually pulling yet so it's not staying tight and fitting the way it's intended? It looks like it bunches up a little without the pull on it and seems too small. More importantly it seems to hurt her back or be uncomfortable; after longer rides I unclip her and she scoots along with her butt down for a moment (not more than a few steps) which I assume is because of discomfort.. or is it just walking funny after a run like I walk funny for a few steps after getting off the bike? She seems perfectly fine while we're running.

Should I maybe try an 'urban trail' harness, at least until she's pulling? I also like this one because it is adjustable.
http://alpineoutfitters.net/Secure/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=189


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

From the pictures of her harness it should fit her right. The only thing is since she isn't pulling then it will look like it is to small because there is no resistance on the harness. For an X back harness to work right the dog has to be pulling. If you are just walking or running ( as long as she isn't pulling) her right now then just a standard walking harness would be fine. The urban harness would be fine as well but since the dog isn't pulling then it would be much cheaper just to get a walking harness from Walmart or something.


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

I have 2 urban harnesses, and love them. one is adjustable and the other one isn't. I like the one that's not adjustable better, but I needed something that would work with my fosters...and since they are all different sizes, I went with the adjustable one. If you're not planning on sharing it with other dogs, I would just get the regular one. 

We spend money on a cheapy from petco, and all it did was cause some serious burns/fur damage to the underside of my dogs. If you want something that you can walk or pull with, I would suggest trying to urban harness....We use it mainly for the springer attachment.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

> We spend money on a cheapy from petco, and all it did was cause some serious burns/fur damage to the underside of my dogs. If you want something that you can walk or pull with, I would suggest trying to urban harness....We use it mainly for the springer attachment.


Yes if the dog is pulling then a walking harness would not be a good choice. There is no padding and since the webbing is not as wide as the X back harness then the weight is distributed over a smaller area of the body which will hurt the dog. 

I want to stress that I do not use the walking harness for any kind of pulling, just walking or running.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Each dog is different, so if Denali is having problems with a regular x-back, there are many other options to try. Definitely look into the Urban Trails harness - lots of folks use them and love them. I started out with them, but switched to x-backs as my guys weren't that comfortable in the UT harnesses.

You might also want to look into Howling Dog Alaska - they have literally dozens of unique harness designs:

http://www.howlingdogalaska.com/


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## Northern_Inuit_Luv (Aug 26, 2009)

they don't really pull with the springer....they run at the side


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