Harness for a lil guy named bo

[Sheilajeanne]

 

Steston, looking at my own training harness, which is made of nylon, 3/32 of an inch thick (Equivalent to 6 oz leather) ...

The centre strap along the spine is triple thickness. The midline strap goes from the rearmost end of the front breast strap, around the D ring then back around the breast strap and ends just in front of the belly strap. The belly strap is also stitched in place, so it doesn't move.

You need to take the slack out of the midline strap, as when the dog lunges forward, there will be a sudden jerk on it before the breast strap takes the force of the lunge.

Akitas are very strong dogs. There were a couple at the kennel that had to be kept separate from the smaller dogs, or they would kill them.  Two of them went after one of the corgis one day, and both the corgi and the kennel helper were seriously bitten trying to break up the fight. They do have a reputation for being dog aggressive, so Bo's owner really needs something that can control him.

Sheltatha, what works for a pom may not work for a dog the size of an Akita. I am all for using positive methods whenever I can, and did try lemon juice to rehab a dog-aggressive German shepherd I'd rescued from a shelter. It didn't work with her. I also tried a shock collar on low voltage (tested it on my own arm). It was one that gave several warning beeps before shocking, and she'd ignore the beeps and the shocks.

She eventually had to be euthanized after she escaped from her kennel and killed someone's shi-tzu. Worst day of my life...

Large dogs tend to have a much higher pain threshold than smaller ones. This same dog once went after my own male GSD, and latched onto his  hind leg. I could not get her to release her grip - shouted at her,  jerked the prong collar as hard as I could, kicked her. She only released when the person in charge of my male let go of his leash, because he was in so much pain he bit her. Then, of course, he turned on the female, and nailed her. She finally released his leg, and we were able to get them separated before they did any more damage to each other. I wound up having to take both my male GSD and my helper (the groomer) to the hospital. Groomer was bitten on the hand and leg, and missed several months off work.

I was also bitten by my own dog, but fortunately, suffered nothing worse than a graze across my forehead. When dogs are in pain, they will lash out at the nearest target, and many dog owners get bitten when breaking up fights. 

My suggestion to Bo's owner is that she consult with a trainer that is used to training strong, confident dogs like Akitas and German shepherds. It's not the equipment that will give her control, it's the training. The equipment is only the tool she needs to use to prevent the dog from pulling her off her feet until she is able to learn how to train it to respond to her.

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Sheilajeanne

[Stetson912]

@Sheilajeanne, forgive me but I'm having a hard time visualizing what you mean. Do you have a picture you can share? Is the midline strap different than the back strap along the spine? 

I'm using 9/10 oz European bridle should I double that along the spine and around the Dee? 

Thanks for the insight. I'm just not following what you mean as this is the first harness I've made. 

Im thinking of shortening the harness to extend just past the front legs. I want the slack out of the strap that goes down the back also, that mat have been the problem. 

I just feel bad that it broke. He is stronger than I anticipated for sure. 

 

[Sheilajeanne]

Stetson, I mean just what I said: if I look at the top strap, the one that goes along the spine, it is THREE layers thick when viewed in X-section. The midline strap that goes along the belly is not as thick, and has a sliding buckle in it that can be adjusted for the size of the dog. But it is not the one that takes all the stress. If you look at the photo of my dog, you will see it's the strap with the Dee in it that takes the dog's weight. Which is exactly why the Dee ring pulled loose on the harness you made.

Imagine looking at the harness from the top. It forms the letter H, with the bar across the middle being the strap along the spine, and the two vertical pieces being the straps that wrap around the chest and belly. The D ring sticks out right where the middle bar is - if the dog's head is to your right, the D is on the far left of the harness. Imagine the strap along the spine starts flush against the flat part of the D ring. It then goes forward, wraps around the chest piece, then goes underneath it, and wraps around the belly piece. It then goes forward again, and ends just before the chest strap, with the final bit of strap sandwiched between the top and bottom wraps, to make 3 layers. The strap is then zig-zag stitched on the top in 5 places. Yeah, it's not coming apart any time soon!

Edited to add - the strap along the spine is only 2 thicknesses where it wraps around the front strap and belly strap: one layer on top of the strap, and one layer on the bottom. It is three thicknesses in the middle section. The strap begins and ends just before it gets to the chest and belly straps.

In this photo, you can clearly see the line about an inch and a half in front of the snap on the leash where the strap begins, as I've described. (The D ring doesn't really show up in the photo, because it's painted black.) The black thing on the belly strap is a plastic buckle that can be opened by squeezing the sides. All the buckles on the harness are plastic. I've been using this harness for 10 years, and nothing has ever broken on it.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Sheilajeanne

[tomsmith85717]

My thoughts are Glue, stitch, & rivet if something needs to stay in place, and I mean good old fashioned burr rivets.

[Sheilajeanne]

Can't go wrong with that approach!

Only rivets don't work too well on nylon.... 

[Stetson912]

@Sheilajeanne, thanks I understand now. I will be doing that with the top strap. I think that and shortening  the harness are the only alterations to make to it. And when I replace the strap I will take up the slack in it. 

Thanks for the insight. I appreciate it 

[Sheilajeanne]

Glad to be of help! 

I was just looking at your photos of the harness. Where /how did the D ring fail? Did the leather break, or did the D actually break? A D ring you use for something like this would have to be a solid piece of metal, with no joins in it. Cheaper D's have a join along the flat part, and will just pull apart under strain.

If it was the leather -oops! Even with 3 layers on the centre section of the strap, the D ring attachment still only has 2 layers, so not sure it would hold.

Anyway, shortening the middle strap will help the chest strap take a lot of the pressure, and you may be okay with the redesign. Hope so...

Plannning to do a leather harness for my younger dog sometime soon, so this has been helpful to me, too. The dog in the photos turns 11 the first week of January and she is still very active and can be a real PITA sometimes!

[Stetson912]

The Dee is solid cast brass 1/8" thick at least.

The leather broke because I was dumb and skived the part where the leather wraps around the Dee and I shouldnt have.

I'm thinking I'll double the thickness or do one and a half thickness at least. So there will be added leather there at the Dee and harness ring. That'll be 18/20oz of leather. Should hold then right? Haha

[Sheilajeanne]

Yep!  

[roo4u]

just a bit about prong collars...they are not intended to be used as a single collar they are a correction device but when properly applied to the dog.  prong collars are meant to be used high up on the dogs neck with a buckle collar below them.  two leashes should be used a short leash on the prong for the correction and your regular leash on the flat collar for general use.  this method keeps handler from accidentally inflicting pain on the dog if the dog misbehaves.  control should be kept with the flat collar while the short corrections are made with the prong collar.  not all trainers or handlers are proficient enough with the correct use of these collars.  i do not recommend anyone to use one on their first problem dog without some guidance from an experienced handler or trainer.