Safe to add a front D-ring to a harness that doesn’t have one?

[miguelblanco]

Hi all, first post here. I have a reactive maltipoo who is a nightmare to walk. She pulls constantly and ends up choking herself frequently. I recently got the Ruffwear webmaster harness because she’s also an escape artist but was sad to discover she can still choke herself with it. Would it be safe to add a front clip attachment to it myself to reduce the choking? I’d get a leash that could attach to the front and back clips. Just don’t know what to do and I’m tired of spending money on harnesses that don’t work.

 

[truthfullyspeaking]

@miguelblanco Do you know how to sew? Easiest option, I think, would be to create an infinity loop that goes around the two lateral straps and crosses at the middle. I would make it in nylon webbing and join it by sewing an X box. Then either clip the leash around the loop where it crosses, or add a carabiner around the loop, and clip the leash to the carabiner.
Sewing a D ring to the harness is certainly possible, but it will probably be a hassle to sew through all the layers (which you would need to do to get it really secure).

 

[truthfullyspeaking]

Just to add, with the infinity loop you would also need to anchor it to the straps that goes between the legs so your dog doesn’t get strangled… so perhaps a three legs infinity loop.

 

[miguelblanco]

@truthfullyspeaking Thank you for the suggestion! I’m not great at sewing but I’ve got someone who could help me. For the meantime I was just thinking of attaching a carabiner to the middle of the ‘Y’ on the front of the harness

 

[monk58]

@miguelblanco This is going to sound strange but a good saddler/ horse shop can do a professional sew job for you if you buy a d ring. The advice to repair a climbing rucksack strap is to find a local cobbler

They have the right stuff.. strong needles and threads etc

Either of these options would work

 

[suzannem52]

@miguelblanco I had a very experienced shoemaker/cobbler modify the no-pull front loop on my dogs harness, changing it from nylon webbing to a metal d-ring. Not quite the same as what you want, since the harness was designed for a front leach attachment, but they did sew in new materials to attach the d-ring. It wasn't cheap, but it's perfect and much more durable. Think about the orientation of the d-ring; I would recommend looking at the hurrta venture no pull harness to see the best direction the d-ring should align with. Also look at the height placement on similar harnesses and other ruffwear harnesses, as you don't want it too low or too high.

 

[celtish]

@miguelblanco Why haven’t you gotten a harness that has a front clip? There are a lot with both front and back clips. Even though your dog is small, I wouldn’t trust the integrity of a clip you’re sewing on yourself. I’ve gone through lots of harness so I understand the frustration of buying and testing them only to find they eventually don’t work. I just started using the Wilderdog harness and am really happy with it so far.

 

[miguelblanco]

@celtish I need a quick solution because we’re in the process of moving right now and we’re taking her out on the leash a lot more since she has to be out of the house for showings. Plus I don’t want to spend money on yet another harness if I can fix the one I have, even if it’s only a temporary solution.

 

[celtish]

@miguelblanco I hear you. I would be paranoid about a DIY fix give the uber-serious consequences if it fails. Have you looked at the EZ walk harness that's carried in Petsmart? I had a lot of success with that until I realized how badly it was rubbing my dog's fur and skin (she has a sensitive GI tract and skin issues can go along with that so I don't think that's common). My dog is a husky-terrier mix and her shape is just a little bit off so fitting her for a harness can be tricky. The Wilderdog one is ... at least 9 or 10 in the line of harnesses I've tried.

 

[miguelblanco]

@celtish I’ve tried that one. It didn’t really work, and my dog could escape it pretty easily. I’m less worried about adding the ring myself cause I’ll just connect one leash to that and another to the ring on the back of the harness. I really just want to make sure I wouldn’t accidentally hurt her by doing this.

 

[simonwise]

@miguelblanco Not sure about adding a ring to that particular harness, but I can vouch for the ComfortFlex Sport Harness in terms of not choking dogs. I have used them for my small dogs for years. The piece across the chest is low enough it doesn't put pressure on the throat at all. With my one very reactive escape artist, I used a dual ended lead with one side clipped to the harness and one to his collar just because I always worried he'd squirm his way out of it somehow. I didn't put any pressure on that side of the lead when walking, it was just there for safety, though he never did manage to back out of the harness.

 

[miguelblanco]

@simonwise Does it restrict the shoulders at all? I know that some no-pull harnesses with a strap across the front can restrict movement and change the dogs gait, but I don’t know exactly how that happens.

 

[simonwise]

@miguelblanco It does not seem to interfere with their gait, it hits just below the trachea on our dogs and doesn't really get down below the shoulder joint. It's also pretty well-padded, so we haven't had any issues with rubbing or discomfort. I've been using them for probably over a decade.

 

[miguelblanco]

@simonwise Okay, thank you!

 

[one12man]

@miguelblanco Tbh I didn't like the front clip for my dog that pulls. Even with a good fit it twisted on her and could likely cause issues with the unbalanced pulling. It has taken months of wanting to put my head through a wall loose lead training but we are starting to get somewhere. My dog isn't treat motivated outside and won't drop toys so it's been tricky.