# What type of harness?



## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

So my 45 lbs dog who is a ACD and a catahoula leapord dog mix (and amstaff) runs along side me on my bike and pulls me on my scooter. Well I have the half body harness that's nylon. I was wondering if it would be better to have a mesh one? I prefer half body harnesses for right now and I read somewhere that it's not good for bigger dogs to have a harness??? 

Maybe they were talking about walks  I'm concerned about this because A) I recently went sled dogging and that got me thinking and B) in the last week my dog hasn't been the same on our "walks" I was gone for 2 weeks and my grandma walked her for an hour a day, so obviously she got a little bit unused to it, but not THIS much! 

She is usually good for the first minute of the walk, like she will run, and pull and all. But then she gets really slow and I pass her, and she doesn't care, and even if I give her a pull she doesn't speed up much, sometimes she moves so slowly that my bike will stop because she is behind and it won't let me progress! Could this also be medical? Because she is 4, and she used to run faster than my bike and pull my scooter really well, even uphill, but maybe it's just cause it's summer and hot in Arizona?

Anyways, would the nylon or the mesh be better?


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

V-paw said:


> So my 45 lbs dog who is a ACD and a catahoula leapord dog mix (and amstaff) runs along side me on my bike and pulls me on my scooter. Well I have the half body harness that's nylon. I was wondering if it would be better to have a mesh one? I prefer half body harnesses for right now and I read somewhere that it's not good for bigger dogs to have a harness???
> 
> Maybe they were talking about walks  I'm concerned about this because A) I recently went sled dogging and that got me thinking and B) in the last week my dog hasn't been the same on our "walks" I was gone for 2 weeks and my grandma walked her for an hour a day, so obviously she got a little bit unused to it, but not THIS much!
> 
> ...


Harnesses are great for big dogs. I have two nylon harnesses for Sam and plans to buy a leather one once he's grown. I think, as long as the mesh one can withstand your dog's use, either would be fine.

As far as the not pulling, is she energetic otherwise, running well in play? If not, I'd stop by the vet just in case. How long have you lived in Arizona? If she's used to the summers and used to run and pull well during them and is lethargic overall, I'd definitely go for a vet vist.

If the bikejoring is the only place you're seeing this, maybe try a hike instead to see if she's energetic then. If so, it might just taker her a bit to get back up to speed.

We have some members who regularly bike and skijor with their dogs and hopefully they'll chime in with more tips!


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

packetsmom said:


> Harnesses are great for big dogs. I have two nylon harnesses for Sam and plans to buy a leather one once he's grown. I think, as long as the mesh one can withstand your dog's use, either would be fine.
> 
> As far as the not pulling, is she energetic otherwise, running well in play? If not, I'd stop by the vet just in case. How long have you lived in Arizona? If she's used to the summers and used to run and pull well during them and is lethargic overall, I'd definitely go for a vet vist.
> 
> ...


Well, problem is that she is a very fearful dog and also has anxiety... So she's never really played... She just follows me, and lays down. She eats normal though. She had weird things happen, like big bumps on her lips, and what I think was a lymph node on her throat. When I took her to the vet, they were gone -_- so maybe an allergic reaction? Anyways, we've been to the vet 3 times this year and, well I'm 14 so maybe she didn't take me seriously, I also pay vet bills... So the less I gotta go, the better. I give her joint supplements too, and I hope it's nothing like hip dysplasia or arthritis.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I don't think what the harness is actually made of is super important (nylon vs mesh). If your dog is actually pulling, then the most important thing is to use a harness specifically made for pulling. They distribute the weight properly so that your dog is pulling from the chest rather than putting stress on the back. The X-Back is the classic sledding/joring harness, but it sounds like sometimes your dog is pulling (scooter) and sometimes she is not (running by the bike), so Alpine Outfitter's Urban Trails harness might be a good option for you. Here is a link to their harness page that shows those different styles: http://www.alpineoutfitters.net/secure/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=16 


The slowing down could be a lot of things... heat, foot problems, pain, anxiety, or she could just need more conditioning/stamina. It's hard to say much about that over the internet, but where you could start would be to check her feet/pads for any obvious problems then if you don't see anything give her a bit of a break (maybe 5-7 days) and start back into it very slowly and gradually. If she's still balky, I would have her checked out by a vet.


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

sassafras said:


> I don't think what the harness is actually made of is super important (nylon vs mesh). If your dog is actually pulling, then the most important thing is to use a harness specifically made for pulling. They distribute the weight properly so that your dog is pulling from the chest rather than putting stress on the back. The X-Back is the classic sledding/joring harness, but it sounds like sometimes your dog is pulling (scooter) and sometimes she is not (running by the bike), so Alpine Outfitter's Urban Trails harness might be a good option for you. Here is a link to their harness page that shows those different styles: http://www.alpineoutfitters.net/secure/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=16
> 
> 
> The slowing down could be a lot of things... heat, foot problems, pain, anxiety, or she could just need more conditioning/stamina. It's hard to say much about that over the internet, but where you could start would be to check her feet/pads for any obvious problems then if you don't see anything give her a bit of a break (maybe 5-7 days) and start back into it very slowly and gradually. If she's still balky, I would have her checked out by a vet.


Ill check it out. I mean I could use her current one for biking maybe, if she stops having problems, and get her the special one for the scooter. But I don't want to spend $50 on it, I mean she isn't pulling a truck! :3


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

A vet chiropractor visit is more than $50.


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

sassafras said:


> A vet chiropractor visit is more than $50.


So I like the prices on those x back ones  I've seen Em for $50 but why are the urban ones so much more expensive?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

You know, I really don't know. I use my x-backs for pretty much everything and don't have the urban trails one. The only thing I can think of is that with the addition of hardware (like buckles and such) they must be more time consuming to make.


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

With agitation harnesses costing upwards of $150...it makes pulling harnesses look positively budget by comparison. 

Seriously, though...having the right gear can make all the difference both for you and the dog as well as save money on injuries. I don't necessarily go for the costliest option, though. Generally something in the mid-range works fine and is good quality.


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

sassafras said:


> You know, I really don't know. I use my x-backs for pretty much everything and don't have the urban trails one. The only thing I can think of is that with the addition of hardware (like buckles and such) they must be more time consuming to make.


So you'd recommend the x back?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Oh yea I love my x-backs. I scooter and skijor, and I also walk them/canicross with their x-backs.


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

sassafras said:


> Oh yea I love my x-backs. I scooter and skijor, and I also walk them/canicross with their x-backs.


Are you supposed to have a special leash too? I use a normal nylon, double loop for just walking (rarely happens) then a retractable one for the bike, and the retractable one locked for the scooter. 


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well when I'm walking I just use a regular leash, although I clip it to my skijor belt. When I'm scootering and skijoring I use a tugline that has a section of bungee built in, it helps protect against sudden jerks.


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## V-paw (Jun 1, 2013)

Ok, since she is having trouble with running excersize, I'm walking her an hour a day, and surprisingly she gets tired at the end! Might there be something wrong? Her pads seem ok but she does lick them more than I think is usual, she is on a huge diet but that hasn't slowed her down before and she is looking better, and her poop comes out half green and gushy and the other half brown and firm. Her butt looks like some poop is getting left over..... Tmi?


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