Best Harnesses for Dachshunds
One thing we discovered when we became dachshund owners was that choosing a harness to properly fit the sausage dog body can be a challenge.
Of course some owners choose to walk their dachshunds on a collar, which is fine, however we found that our boy will not walk on a collar at all, and also we were worried about the risks of injuring his neck or back, so decided we wanted to persevere and find the right harness for us.
The first harness we bought when he was a puppy was the smallest harness we could find in our local Pets at Home.
This was the best fitting one we could find, and was still a little bit big for him, but did the job for the first few weeks of learning to walk on the lead. Once he outgrew this we knew we would have to find something a bit better.
After having tried several off the rack generic dog harnesses from various different brands, we were beginning to think that we would need to get something custom made, as the sizing was never quite right, and we would often find that part of the harness was too tight or too loose, or would rub.
One we used for a while was an adjustable bright orange harness from the brand 3 Peaks bought in Pets at Home, which was the closest we had got to a good fit. This could also be adjusted to go over the top of jumpers and coats in the winter, however it still didn’t feel like it was the best harness for the sausage dog body.
After asking some other dachshund owners for recommendations, we then decided to try a Julius K9 harness. We opted for the IDC® Powerharness in the size Mini-Mini after taking several measurements and following the recommendations on the website.
We have found that this has offered us the most secure and comfortable fit for our boy of all harnesses we have tried so far over the last four and a half years. Both the front chest strap and the under belly strap are fully adjustable, and we followed the guidance on the K9 website to get the fit right. It feels very secure when out walking and offers good control if your dog pulls on the lead. It’s also really easy to take on and off, with the harness being placed over the head and then secured underneath.
While it was probably the most expensive of the harnesses we have bought so far, I would definitely recommend this brand and buy from them again, as the harness has lasted really well with daily use.
Although we walk our boy on a harness, he also wears a collar with dog tag, as it’s a legal requirement in the UK under the The Control of Dogs Order 1992 for dogs in public to be wearing a collar and ID tag with the owner’s information on it. This applies even if you prefer to walk your dog on a harness, so is something to be aware of if you are thinking about getting a harness.
