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Harnesses For Houdini Dogs


Maddy
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Today, the shitty whippet figured out how to slip her BlackDog Wear harness while out for a walk :mad I had it on as tight as I could get it without hurting her so I'm now after suggestions for brands that are more escape-proof (or, ideally, entirely escape-proof :p ). Shitty Whippet can also slip even a fully tightened martingale collar or limited slip collar so we can't even rely on one of those for backup.

Any material is fine, with the exception of leather. The style of her current harness is the figure 8 and she slipped that by rearing up and back and popping her front legs straight out so.. not anything in that style.

Suggestions, please!

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Definitely a Ruffwear Webmaster! :)

Have you had any experience with the Ruffwear DoubleBack harness? The Web Master looks really nice but I'm worried she'd still be able to squirm backwards out of it because there's nothing stopping it from slipping forwards, if you get what I mean.

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Definitely a Ruffwear Webmaster! :)

Have you had any experience with the Ruffwear DoubleBack harness? The Web Master looks really nice but I'm worried she'd still be able to squirm backwards out of it because there's nothing stopping it from slipping forwards, if you get what I mean.

Yes, I have had a lot of experience with both. I haven't yet met a dog that can back out of a Webmaster. If she can squirm out of that, she will be able to squirm out of the Doubleback as well.

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Shitty Whippet can also slip even a fully tightened martingale collar or limited slip collar so we can't even rely on one of those for backup.

I am having such a delightful mental picture of you calling out 'Shitty Whippet come back' as she charges off....

soz, I need the giggle.

:rofl:

Sheena has had great success with her Houdini Boy dog.

:)

Edited by VizslaMomma
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Definitely a Ruffwear Webmaster! :)

Have you had any experience with the Ruffwear DoubleBack harness? The Web Master looks really nice but I'm worried she'd still be able to squirm backwards out of it because there's nothing stopping it from slipping forwards, if you get what I mean.

I got the Webmaster Ruffwear for my Houdinni dog. I use it in the car as a car harness & it is the only one he hasn't been able to slip out of & believe me, I have spent a small fortune in trying to get the right harness for him. This one is fabulous & I got it from K9Pro. I also have to walk him in a harness as he slips collars (all sorts) as quick as a flash. :laugh:

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It comes in a wide range of colours these days but I think the original silver would suit her colouring :D

I told the OH I'd be making her some whippet-sized hobbles if he doesn't cough up for a better harness. Need to hide this thread from him now because he loves his duct tape and any excuse will do.

I am having such a delightful mental picture of you calling out 'Shitty Whippet come back' as she charges off....

I have a voice for calling her (you know, the silly voice you use for your dogs when no one else is at home) and the people across the road must have thought I was a bit crazy.. "Piiiiiiinnnnnnnyyy, come back, shitty whippy".

She has flawless recall at home (of course) but she wanted to go to the park and that's not where we were going :| Besides being shitty, shitty whippet is a very determined little dog, apparently. I've never owned such a bendy, twisty beast before- she's like a hagfish, but shitty.

Anyways, thanks for the links, people :D Now just have to make a decision.. :scared:

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Webmaster- I can tighten it up behind the ribcage so they physically can't slip back because their body doesn't fit through the back hole!!!

I had a slippery Kelpie who is fond of happy laps who has sadly only had them on my terms since putting her in the webmaster, as opposed to her daily ones in other harnesses :p

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Love the webmasters - and I still use them, but I think true escape artists need extra care if they're cunning enough. My guys have had several escapes, even with the harnesses.

First, the webbing that holds the metal lead clasp to the harness wore through after 6 months. This was spooky because there was no sign the webbing was wearing. The harness was taken to a clothing place who put a new, reinforced strap on.

Six months later that wore though - again, despite daily inspection, there was no sign of fraying etc. The harness was then taken to a saddlery with instructions to make it bulletproof.

A month after that - The alleged high-quality lead (bought after the cheaper lead broke) went 'pop' and let one dog escape. Turns out it's possible to twist the clasp of most leads a certain way and have them pop loose.

My solution was a trip to Bunnings that resulted in a home-made lead (1t working load rope, spliced at both ends), attached to the harness via a 1t quicklink (intended for joining chains), then a 200kg rope from that going to the collar. I figure if they manage to escape from that, they deserve their freedom.

The harnesses are great (no chance of slipping backwards imo) but the attachment to the leash is a weak point. Admittedly this is what a relaxed walk looks like.

GRUuWJpm.jpg

Edited by Mike Echo
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Hey Mike Echo did you contact Ruffwear or whoever you bought it from about the hook wearing the material? This happened once out of the hundreds I've sold and when I contacted RW they said they had a batch of faulty hooks that had sharper edges. They replaced said harness and there was never any other probs after that. They are usually great with replacing faulty items.

However I personally wouldn't use the Webmasters for really heavy duty stuff like bite work for eg - they just aren't designed for that purpose, so we make more heavy duty harnesses to use for that stuff.

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