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 provide information on the long-term effects of dog harnesses. The only way to analyse the long-term wear of harnesses is to involve long-term users of a particular harness in studies.
Julius-K9® IDC® Powerharnesses, manufactured for more than 20 years, are suitable for this purpose, as they retain their stability even after many years of use.
The people peddling news that can completely mislead dog owners even go as far as to allege that: Y-harnesses or pulling harnesses do not place an unhealthy load on the neck and spine of the dog at all.
Incorrect Harness Size & Fitting
They avoid the subject of size selection and proper adjustment, which is of primary importance in the case of dog harnesses, irrespective of the type.
They understate the fact that the introduction into the market of dog harnesses placing a load on the chest muscles was necessitated by the need to avoid a load on the neck, the microtrauma acting on the blood vessels and nerves in the neck.
They wrongly conclude that the shoulders of the dog are restricted by every other type of dog harness, and that only the harness types preferred by them are “healthy”.
To support this, they use manipulated figures presenting harnesses – with apparently poor size selection – on dogs or skeletons. They also cite German university research did not study the effects of dog harnesses, but rather the movement of dogs.
It is important to stress that the Julius-K9® brand conducts scientific research in order to determine which harness type places a load on or relieves which areas of the body when the dog is moving.
In accordance with this, we aim to assist all dog owners with authentic information and constant development regarding all types of harnesses.
