Dog News, Events & Dog Care Advice

Making sure you have the perfect harness for your pet can take some time to research. So once you’ve decided on a suitable harness for your dog it’s important to make sure it’s the right size and is adjusted correctly.

An incorrectly fitted harness can do a lot more harm than good, and getting it fitted properly will help keep your dog safe, comfortable, and under control.

Whatever harness you have bought, reputable manufacturers will include printed illustrations with guidelines instructing how best to successfully fit and adjust their harnesses. However, sometimes these instructions can confuse owners.

In this article we will hopefully make it clearer to what exactly you should and shouldn’t do when fitting a harness.

Information misleading customers, disguised as expert opinion, is circulating on the Internet about certain dog harness types being unhealthy, while other harnesses are not.

The publishers of this misinformation have based their arguments simply on the movement of a dog’s shoulders without any actual studying or having any real knowledge of dog harnesses and their effects. Due to this lack of research, they have concluded that any harness straps resting above the dog’s shoulder and touching the neckline must interfere with shoulder movement and are therefore “unhealthy”. They go on to claim that any harness that only surrounds the dog’s chest are the “healthy” option.

In these videos and articles, the leading representatives of this opinion recommend specific chest harness brands and attempt to support these claims by amateur footage and untraceable scientific references.

No long-term studies

The fact is that there is no scientific test that would pr

Besides our active involvement in animal protection and welfare, Julius-K9® has been developing dog harnesses for over 20 years. As a result, we have been able to create harnesses of unquestionable quality and in iconic designs. It’s possible that some of our competitors may have been annoyed by that, especially if they can’t make or let alone develop harnesses themselves and they are only interested in dealing with imported harnesses they can sell at a huge profit.

The Hungarian Greyhound Race Society (MAVE) and Alsónémedi Greyhound Park, which conforms to European standards, examined JULIUS-K9^® IDC^® Powerharnesses in a common study to determine whether they have an effect on dogs’ running time and freedom of movement. The results unequivocally confirm that using only JULIUS-K9^® IDC^® Powerharness there is no restraint on the animal’s movement.

All official Julius K9 dog harnesses have been developed to be completely safe and comfortable for your dog. They were made not to interfere or change your dog’s natural walking pattern. To prove this, Budapest University of Technology and Economics conducted an analysis of our harnesses to see whether they altered a dog’s walking motion. The study was called: Biomechanical analysis of the kinematics of different dog harnesses. The study found that our harnesses do not change a dog’s natural walking pattern. This includes even when leads are attached to the harness.

Dogs are unable to sweat through their skin, instead they cool down by panting and releasing heat through their paws and their nose. The means they can quickly overheat and heatstroke can develop rapidly. 

Heatstroke can be fatal for dogs so keeping them cool and hydrated in hot weather is vital. Read our tips here.

If your dog is overweight or obese it can hinder their mobility, increase the likelihood of them developing diseases (including diabetes), and can shorten their lifetime. By making sure your pet eats appropriate portions, has a balanced diet, and gets enough exercise, you can help them have a healthy and happy life. But how can you tell if your dog is already overweight or how can you monitor your dog’s weight? And if your dog is already obese, where do you begin in reducing their weight?

Official advice from the UK government has stated that people can start exercising outdoors as much as they like. This also means you can now take your dog out for walks more than once a day. As you and your pet have been cooped up for long periods during lockdown, some dogs may have gained weight or become untrained to the regular walking routine. This article offers some tips on getting your dog back to them old selves and general advice on outdoor activities you can try.