On Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:06:45 -0400, Sharon Delarose
wrote:

Janet wrote:

You may want to Google some sites geared towards sighthounds, but I'd
choose a martingale for the most part. I use Premier harnesses for
flyball racing and they are very adjustable, so they may suit your
needs. It sounds like you are using it for car and boat safety as
well though, and I'd look for a harness made specifically for that.
There are several brands, like Kurgo that get good reviews, are
adjustable and "hold" the dog well.

"cshenk" wrote:

http://www.thedogoutdoors.com/dogharnesses.html

The Ruff Wear Web Master sounds perfect for your needs as you've described
them. All the straps adjust. They have a measurement guide (Large is
probably right since you describe as a greyhound).

Awesome! Thank you! Harness adjustments have been such a bugger for
her. When we first adopted her I tried Gypsy Rose's harness on her and
it was huge, literally just hanging off of her. A few months later
she'd filled out so much that the harness that had been huge was barely
big enough. It amazed me how much she'd filled out. She'd come to us
malnourished and it seemed like almost overnight she put on a good 20
pounds or so.

Better look at the sizing first. I thought I read that she's a
Sibe/cattle dog mix, and Sibes are bigger than cattle dogs but much
smaller than greyhounds. Also, really, check Premier, because they
have harnesses specifically for deep-chested dogs.

In article ,
sighthounds & siberians wrote:

Better look at the sizing first. I thought I read that she's a
Sibe/cattle dog mix, and Sibes are bigger than cattle dogs but much
smaller than greyhounds. Also, really, check Premier, because they
have harnesses specifically for deep-chested dogs.

Yup, she is exactly that. She's 65 pounds which goes a bit above the
average weight of an ACD.

I've been looking at some of the harnesses suggested here and much to my
surprise, some of them have actual dog handles! I like the videos on
thedogoutdoors site. It really helps to see exactly how it will go off
and on, and how it will fit. At the moment I'm leaning toward the Ruff
Wear Web Master.

The Premier Top-Notch looks like what we already have and the name rings
a bell. The Sure-Fit looks interesting but it's hard to gauge it from
the one photo they offer.

--
Bad Dog Books
http://books.gityasome.com
Gityasome Tshirts
http://www.gityasome.com

On Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:45:35 -0400, Sharon Delarose
wrote:

In article ,
sighthounds & siberians wrote:

Better look at the sizing first. I thought I read that she's a
Sibe/cattle dog mix, and Sibes are bigger than cattle dogs but much
smaller than greyhounds. Also, really, check Premier, because they
have harnesses specifically for deep-chested dogs.

Yup, she is exactly that. She's 65 pounds which goes a bit above the
average weight of an ACD.

I've been looking at some of the harnesses suggested here and much to my
surprise, some of them have actual dog handles! I like the videos on
thedogoutdoors site. It really helps to see exactly how it will go off
and on, and how it will fit. At the moment I'm leaning toward the Ruff
Wear Web Master.

The Premier Top-Notch looks like what we already have and the name rings
a bell. The Sure-Fit looks interesting but it's hard to gauge it from
the one photo they offer.

The Sure-Fit harness is the one I was recommending because of its
adjustability.

"sighthounds & siberians" wrote
Sharon Delarose wrote:

Yup, she is exactly that. She's 65 pounds which goes a bit above the
average weight of an ACD.

Sharon, it's all in the measurements though. Cash for example is 52 lbs but
needs the size large or extra large depending on fit of the device.

I've been looking at some of the harnesses suggested here and much to my
surprise, some of them have actual dog handles! I like the videos on
thedogoutdoors site. It really helps to see exactly how it will go off
and on, and how it will fit. At the moment I'm leaning toward the Ruff
Wear Web Master.

It's a good one for the types of sporting you mention. This is the sort you
use in a boat or rock climbing. It's made to allow you to assist lift the
dog without *hurting them*.

The Premier Top-Notch looks like what we already have and the name rings
a bell. The Sure-Fit looks interesting but it's hard to gauge it from
the one photo they offer.

The Sure-Fit harness is the one I was recommending because of its
adjustability.

But S&S, it's a 2 point adjustment right? No lift handle and not designed
to be used that way. Lack of the 3rd belly band means it may cause chaffing
under the arms as well. The design of her dog means it would ride up there
underarm naturally I think.

What the 3rd belly band does is allows you to use the tucked in part of the
belly/waist to prevent the whole unit from slipping up under the forelegs
causing chaffing. At least, that has been my experience with Cash.

On Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:52:52 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:

The Sure-Fit harness is the one I was recommending because of its
adjustability.

But S&S, it's a 2 point adjustment right? No lift handle and not designed
to be used that way. Lack of the 3rd belly band means it may cause chaffing
under the arms as well. The design of her dog means it would ride up there
underarm naturally I think.

No, it's adjustable in 5 places. No, no lift handle. Other than
assistance harnesses (for dogs with difficulty standing and walking on
their own), I have no knowledge of harnesses with handles to lift a
dog. Most of my dogs are far too big to be lifted that way. I
thought that Sharon said Dakota was deep-chested. There are no dogs
deeper chested than sighthounds, and I've got a houseful of them.
I've also got a houseful of Premier Sure-Fit harnesses, which is the
type of harness my dogs wear when they wear harnesses. The exception
is the IG, for whom escapability was the primary concern when we took
him out and about. He has a harness designed for sighthounds with a
martingale closure at the shoulders, so it's virtually escape-proof,
though that's no longer a concern.

Maybe the Premier Sure-Fit isn't what Sharon's looking for, in which
case I have no other suggestions, since I don't use harnesses much.
But the Premier Sure-Fit is most certainly adjustable for deep-chested
breeds.

In article ,
"cshenk" wrote:

But S&S, it's a 2 point adjustment right? No lift handle and not designed
to be used that way. Lack of the 3rd belly band means it may cause chaffing
under the arms as well. The design of her dog means it would ride up there
underarm naturally I think.

What the 3rd belly band does is allows you to use the tucked in part of the
belly/waist to prevent the whole unit from slipping up under the forelegs
causing chaffing. At least, that has been my experience with Cash.

That makes sense. Dakota has a very small waist compared to her chest.
I've got a sewing measuring tape and plan to measure her this weekend.

Overall she's built rather oddly. Her back legs almost seem too long
compared to her front legs and she sits with her hip curled under
mostly. I worry that it will eventually give her hip problems.

She got a very pronounced ridge on her head coming up almost to a point.
Even though she's a good, solid weight her angles seem bony and jab you.
The word "OW!" happens a lot around her for it.

Our other dog was more of a square-bodied dog. Her chest and waist
weren't all that different. She was stocky and had so much hair, it
probably protected her underarms.

--
Bad Dog Books
http://books.gityasome.com
Gityasome Tshirts
http://www.gityasome.com

In article ,
sighthounds & siberians wrote:

No, it's adjustable in 5 places. No, no lift handle. Other than
assistance harnesses (for dogs with difficulty standing and walking on
their own), I have no knowledge of harnesses with handles to lift a
dog. Most of my dogs are far too big to be lifted that way. I
thought that Sharon said Dakota was deep-chested. There are no dogs
deeper chested than sighthounds, and I've got a houseful of them.
I've also got a houseful of Premier Sure-Fit harnesses, which is the
type of harness my dogs wear when they wear harnesses. The exception
is the IG, for whom escapability was the primary concern when we took
him out and about. He has a harness designed for sighthounds with a
martingale closure at the shoulders, so it's virtually escape-proof,
though that's no longer a concern.

Maybe the Premier Sure-Fit isn't what Sharon's looking for, in which
case I have no other suggestions, since I don't use harnesses much.
But the Premier Sure-Fit is most certainly adjustable for deep-chested
breeds.

Okay, now you've got me curious! I've never heard of a "sighthound" so
I have to go look it up :-)

I'm beginning to think I should get both harnesses and cover every
possible need we could have with her. I fully expect to share another
dozen years with her.

In the early days she did attempt to back out of harnesses but I think
that's a thing of the past, and she never did succeed in it anyway as I
usually watch her pretty closely. Many of her bad habits of old are now
distant memories.

The only difficulty I have with her harness-wise is that she HATES the
harness and doesn't make it easy to get it on. I'm assuming that's
because it rubs her wrong and if we can get a comfy one, she won't mind
it.

--
Bad Dog Books
http://books.gityasome.com
Gityasome Tshirts
http://www.gityasome.com

In article ,
sighthounds & siberians wrote:

Most of my dogs are far too big to be lifted that way. I
thought that Sharon said Dakota was deep-chested. There are no dogs
deeper chested than sighthounds, and I've got a houseful of them.
I've also got a houseful of Premier Sure-Fit harnesses, which is the
type of harness my dogs wear when they wear harnesses.

Cool dogs! I see what you mean about sighthounds being deep chested.
I've been looking at photos of them. There's a really cool Italian
Greyhound, what a cutie pie! Borzois, Wolfhounds, Whippets,
Windhounds... I like the sound of that one, Windhound.

I remember watching some sort of TV show about the history of Saluki's.
Maybe it was a Breed All About It episode. I remember their episode
about Rhodesian Ridgebacks, too and Australian Cattle Dogs (which is
what got us started watching).

Your postname is "Sighthounds & Siberians" so I'm assuming you have
Huskies as well. Do you breed them, rescue them, or just surround
yourself with them? Kinda coming in here as a noob so I don't know who
you all are :-)

--
Bad Dog Books
http://books.gityasome.com
Gityasome Tshirts
http://www.gityasome.com

"Sharon Delarose" wrote
"cshenk" wrote:

But S&S, it's a 2 point adjustment right? No lift handle and not
designed
(he says more but I don't see how as it has only 3 straps).

What the 3rd belly band does is allows you to use the tucked in part of
the
belly/waist to prevent the whole unit from slipping up under the forelegs
causing chaffing. At least, that has been my experience with Cash.

That makes sense. Dakota has a very small waist compared to her chest.
I've got a sewing measuring tape and plan to measure her this weekend.

No rush! You ant one that has anb adjustable band at each lower level. From
what most I see suggested, you had 1 rib and one chest band then the neck.
Chest would have ridden right up under the forelegs as there was nothing to
stop it?

Overall she's built rather oddly. Her back legs almost seem too long
compared to her front legs and she sits with her hip curled under
mostly. I worry that it will eventually give her hip problems.

I gather that is a greyhound build?

Hehe meantime, I unearthed some pics of Cash I was able to get on a CD. I
don't know how to get themn posted but if you emaul me (address not masked)
you can see the shape of Cash.

I am trying to figure out how to get some of Sammy 'digitized' as well but
havent yet.

"cshenk" wrote in message
news
Hehe meantime, I unearthed some pics of Cash I was able to get on a CD. I
don't know how to get themn posted but if you emaul me (address not
masked) you can see the shape of Cash.

Photobucket is a good choice for non-technically minded folks to post pics.
Then you just post the links to your pics in a thread, and there ya go!