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.

Below we link to the full scientific study and summarise its findings:

Study Conclusion

Wearing the [Julius K9] harnesses, does not alter the gait patterns, which could be statistically observed using the gait parameters studied.

When applying retraction force by leash to the harnesses, the change in walking type is adapted similarly in case of each dog and harness. This is clearer in ground walk, where the dogs change walk types as a learned behaviour to respond to the owner’s will exerted by the leash.

On the treadmill with the same forced speed, the retracting leash did not change the gait of the dogs, wearing a harness significantly. (Biomechanical analysis of the kinematics of different dog harnesses, p.7, Oct 2018)

Study Summary

The study used 3D motion capture to determine how the use of different Julius K9 harnesses change a dog’s natural walking motion (kinematics) when directly compared to free (unleashed) movements.  

Five dogs were tested of different breeds and sizes – from small Yorkshire Terriers weighing 3kg, to large Cane Corso weighing 50kg.

Due to limited capture volume, a part of the trial was carried out using a treadmill. The difference between compulsive speed and natural walking limits the study. To eliminate this limitation, a few steps of ground walks were also recorded in each test case. The motion was assessed using distance type and angular gait parameters (step width, step height, step length, stride length, spinal and limbic joint angles). The study involved five dogs previously trained for treadmill walking.

Test cases were defined for every combination of the following factors:

  • With different harnesses and without harness
  • With and without leash
  • Treadmill and ground walk

Gait parameters were calculated from the 3D coordinates of anatomical points, recorded by an optical motion capture system. The walking kinematics of the dogs significantly differed between treadmill walk and ground walk. Probably, the reason for this is the switch between different movement types (walk and trot) between the forced speed on the treadmill and self-selected speed on the ground.

The usage of different harnesses compared to gait without harness does not influence gait kinematics as none of the studied gait parameters indicated significant deviations.

In case of retracted leashes, the changes in gait kinematics is similar for each harness. Due to the pull of the leash the dog changes to a slower gait pattern (from trot to walk) on the ground.

On the treadmill at unchanged constrained walking speed, the pull of the leash does not alter significantly the gait pattern in any of the studied harnesses.

Consequently, the wearing of the different harnesses - either without leash or with retracted leash – does not influence the dog’s walking kinematics; only the changes of willingly chosen natural walking patterns at different speeds (walk, trot) influence gait kinematics, but this is a trained behaviour of dogs in response to the retraction force expressed by their owner

Read the full study for yourself here.

 

Safe & High Quality Dog Equipment Trusted Worldwide

Here at Julius K9 we are serious about product quality. All equipment sold on this site, including harnesses, leads, and collars, have been thoroughly researched and tested to ensure maximum build quality – and above all dog safety.

The right harness size is important for safety and comfort. Please follow our Harness Measuring Guide to help you buy and fit the correct harness size for your dog.