Improved Safety
- Harnesses are simply the safest, most secure, and most comfortable way to hook your dog up to their leash.
- Using a harness distributes the force exerted on the leash across a larger area of the dog’s body, as opposed to the neck area which may cause choking or discomfort.
- Small dogs that suffer from trachael collapse or breeds that are prone to this issue will benefit from using a harness. They are also ideal for flat-faced, brachycephalic breeds, like French Bulldogs and Pugs, that can be prone to respiratory problems.
Better Control
- A good harness will reduce pulling, increase your control over your pup, and decrease stress on his neck and joints.
- Harnesses provide better control over large or strong dogs. It also doesn’t reinforce pulling behavior, since the forward action is halted by your continued pressure on the harness.
- As the leash is attached at a point closer to the dog’s center of gravity, a harness will help to avoid the leash getting tangled.
Harness comparison
What’s the difference?
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Step 'n Go
DESIGN
Our Step 'n Go harnesses feature a step-in vest design with Velcro straps and a secure buckle, making it easy to attach a leash.
MATERIALS
This harness is made from durable water-repellent neoprene, with comfortable mesh padding underneath.
They have a heavy duty metal D-ring on the back, for attaching leads.
WHY CHOOSE THIS STYLE?
Our Step 'n Go harnesses are perfect for smaller dogs (including teacup breeds), puppies, and even other pets like cats and ferrets.
This style of harness is super easy to fit, just step in, secure the velcro and buckle and you’re ready to go!
Better suited for dogs who do not like things going over their head, this is step-in style.
This harness has reflective piping, which is excellent for extra visibility in the dark.
Neoprene material on this harness is softer and more flexible than the Ruff 'n Ready, making it lighter, less bulky, and ideal for smaller breeds.
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Original Harness
DESIGN
Our Original Adjustable harnesses are an overhead style with a fabric piece of material that sits comfortably underneath at the chest area and straps that sit on the back.
MATERIALS
This harness is made from durable water-repellent neoprene, with comfortable mesh padding underneath.
They have 2 metal heavy duty D-rings on the chest area and back, for attaching leads or tags/charms.
WHY CHOOSE THIS STYLE?
Our Original harness is the cheaper option between the two different styles.
Perfect option for small to medium sized dogs, or dogs who don't pull on walks.
Suited to dogs who prefer the overhead style to the step-in.
Easy to adjust the straps to make the harness tighter/looser.
Neoprene material on this harness is lot softer and more flexible than the Ruff 'n Ready.
Our sizing for the Original harnesses runs smaller, allowing them to accommodate smaller dogs.
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Ruff 'n Ready Harness
DESIGN
Our Ruff 'n Ready harnesses have 3 buckles, which makes it a step-in style, with material pieces on both the chest area and back area. There is a lock feature on one of the buckles which is an added layer of security.
MATERIALS
This harness is made from a durable, water-repellent, rougher Oxford material, with comfortable mesh padding underneath.
They have 2 metal heavy duty D-rings on the chest area and back, for attaching leads or tags/charms.
WHY CHOOSE THIS STYLE?
Our Ruff 'n Ready harnesses are better suited to bigger/stronger dogs or dogs who tend to pull while on walks.
Better suited for dogs who do not like things going over their head, this is step-in style.
This harness has reflective piping, which is excellent for extra visibility in the dark.
There is also a handle on the back, perfect for fishing any mucky pups out of puddles.
The design is more visible as this harness has the pattern on the chest and back area.
Neoprene material on this harness has more of a canvas texture.
Our sizing for the Ruff n' Ready harnesses runs larger, allowing them to accommodate biiiig dogs.
Measuring for a harness
Neck
Measure around your dogs neck, where their collar would normally sit. Leave a little extra space, 2 fingers should fit comfortably under the tape measure
Chest
Measure around the widest part of your dogs chest. Again leave a little wiggle room! You may also want to take jumpers/jackets fitting under the harness into consideration.
- We recommend sizing up if your dog is at the very edge of a size bracket.
- The chest is the most important fit: i.e. if the neck measurement is in the S bracket, but the chest size is in the M bracket, always go for the chest size.
Size Chart Comparison
We offer a few different styles of harnesses, each designed with different pups (and their humans) in mind. Be sure to check the sizing chart that matches the style you’re ordering as sizing varies between them!
For example our Ruff ‘n Ready harnesses are a great fit for bigger, stronger dogs or those who like to take their humans for a walk rather than the other way round. On the other end of the scale, our Step ‘n Go harness is the perfect solution for smaller dogs, with sizing that runs extra small for the tiniest of adventurers.
Harness How-To with Dougal
Need a hand putting on your pup’s new harness? Let Dougal show you how it’s done. In this quick video, he’ll walk you through fitting both our Original and Ruff ‘n Ready styles. Easy peasy and walk-ready in no time.
Original Harness
Please remember when fitting your OG style harness you want to make sure the fabric part sits on their chest with the straps on their back. This is the safest and comfiest way for them to strut their stuff in their new harness.
Ruff 'n Ready Harness
For our Ruff ‘n Ready style harness, place the shortest piece of fabric on their back and the longest piece on their chest.
Here you can see our lovely model Dougal showing you how it’s done. 😎
Using extra accessories with your harness
When attaching accessories such as leads or charms to your harness, they can be attached via the d-ring located on the back or chest area of your harness.
We advise against connecting accessories together, such as connecting a poop bag holder to the d-ring, then attaching a lead to the lobster clasp of the poop bag holder. It is recommended that each accessory have its own connection directly to the d-ring.
Care Instructions
How to wash your harness
We recommend first shaking of any dirt or debris from accessories and hand washing in warm water with a mild detergent. Rinse thoroughly and air dry.
Check out our awesome rep Corrie and how she gets her accessories sparkling clean! She uses the Coco and Lola Stain and Odour Remover* to tackle those stubborn stains on the harness, then gently dabs the harness with the Paw Buddy* to loosen the dirt. Finally, she rinses it off with warm water and voila – good as new! You won’t believe the fantastic results!
*We are not affiliated with these companies, just passing on some neat products that work a treat!
Disclaimer
When washing your harness, please be sure to do your own research when using different products and don’t use anything too abrasive as you may damage it. Messi Pups is not liable for any damages due to cleaning.
Please take care if you decide to machine wash your accessories, as this could damage the drum in your machine and may lower the life span of accessories. We recommend placing accessories into a mesh washing machine bag if you choose machine wash to avoid any damage. If you do decide to machine wash your accessories, we are not liable for any damages and will not accept any returns.
No pet accessory is indestructible. Make sure you check your pets accessories regularly for signs of wear and tear. It is the customers responsibility to check the usability of the product.