Weird shaped dog, need harness recs

[jr47]

Y'all I have gotten deep into Amazon at this point. My dog is a heeler/BC/gsd (lol you can see why I'm frequently on this sub) according to her DNA test. She has very scant belly/chest hair and none in her armpits. She's got a deep narrow chest. I'd say shape wise she looks very similar to a shepherd (though is 55lbs). I can't seem to find a harness that doesn't get all up in her pits and chafe. She's great on a leash, doesn't pull at all unless she's lunging at something. I tend to use the back clip but like the option of the front clip for high traffic situations.

What we've tried:
1. Barkbay no pull (this one didn't chafe, but she seemed uncomfortable and it definitely goes in her pits)

1. 2 hounds freedom no pull (straight to the pits with this one, she hated it, didn't even make it out of the house)
2. Ruffwear Frontline: we borrowed this from a friend to test out. I felt like it was twisting a lot and the front loop didn't seem all that secure. Would be willing to get this one if somebody can really vouch for the front loop?
3. Petsafe 3 in 1: this one had some major promise, seems like it was plenty adjustable yada yada didn't go into her pits however we've been using it for a few days and she's got a raw spot on her under chest from it.

I am at a loss, just want my baby to be comfortable and safe. I noticed a huge difference in her mood with the petsafe harness and ruffwear ones (she seemed quite happy/relaxed and wasn't having reactions to her normal triggers). Whereas with the Barkbay one she'd walk super slow and seem moody like dragging behind. Now she does that with the petsafe one too because it's rubbed her.

UPDATE:
Ok so I went with Wilderdog size large because the top and bottom pieces are nice and long. She actually fell in the medium size category based on measurements but I went with my gut and got the large and it's perfect I may try and shorten the neck straps a bit with some cinching but it's not an immediate need. My dog immediately seems comfortable and confident and we've already had some big training wins in the two days we have been using it.

A runner up: The Arcadia neoprene harness from PetSmart (link). I really liked how the belly length was adjustable on this one and there's a nice handle with great colors for visibility. My dog was between two sizes (medium too small, large too big) otherwise we likely would have gone with this one. I didn't end up trying the balance 9 harness as I was worried about further chaffing her (she's got some scabs rn) and looks like I won't need to and we'll be sticking with Wilderdog. Thanks for all the recs!!! Hope this post helps somebody in the future. My dogs measurements are 17 neck, 29 chest if anybody is curious.

 

[nweikenkeze]

@jr47 I am a fan of the Balance K9 harness. It has more adjustment points than any others I have seen and can handle my big ol' GSD without interfering with her range of motion.

 

[jr47]

@nweikenkeze Ok yes I have seen this one too and was wondering. Does it twist when you walk? I've noticed with the harnesses like my dog only walks on my left so the harness starts to twist that direction as we walk.

 

[rebekah80]

@jr47 It twists when front hooked if the dog is pulling. I haven’t found one that doesn’t do that though except some that really restrict movement.

I use the back hook & it is my favorite harness. Easy to get on, really adjustable & easy to snap off.

I also have a ruffwear & the front loop was sturdy for us when we used it.

 

[nweikenkeze]

@jr47 Like the other commenter said, it will pull to one side if the dog is pulling, but only on the front hook. If you use the back hook it won't twist at all (though depending on your dog they may be able to pull more when clipped to the back hook).

I was using the Freedom harness before I switched to the Balance one, and I had used a few Petsafe Easywalks as well as a Halti before those. The Petsafe was fine for my old dog, who was basically a large cloud, but for my current dog (who is somewhere between a bowling ball and a firecracker) the Balance has been the best option.

 

[jr47]

@nweikenkeze Ok cool! Her petsafe one is twisting even when I have it on the back so I'll try this one. I expect any harness to twist when it's hooked on the front. Probably just gonna order a bunch of types and have a fashion show to pick which one she seems to like the best and return the rest. I'd say on the cloud to firecracker bowling ball scale my dog falls closer to firecracker so this is promising.