The Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness was designed by Tellington TTouch instructor Marie Miller who is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. The design was inspired in part by Mel Fishback Riley’s x-back harness designs of the 1950s. Mel was the first person to use padding regularly in the manufacturing of dog harnesses.
Every part of the Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness is padded with high-quality fleece—including the girth strap, which sits behind the dog's front legs. The soft fleece padding is wider than nylon webbing of the harness which not only makes the harness very comfortable for the dog to wear, but also distributes pressure over a wide area to prevent chaffing.
The Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness has a front ring as well as a top ring so that you can attach a double-ended lead, putting your dog into balance and helping to discourage pulling on the lead. O-rings are used rather than D-rings so there is less wear on the webbing, prolonging the life of the harness. The Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness is the only fleece harness where the front ring was incorporated into the original design, rather than having been added on at a later stage as other manufacturers have done.
The Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness is easy to put on and take off. The harness slips over your dog's head, and there are two clips on the girth strap that attach to the buckles on either side of the D-ring so that the harness can be clipped around the dog's body without the dog having to lift or move his legs in any way.
Please note that this harness is designed for dual connection to a leash—i.e., front and back or 2-point contact (Tellington TTouch leading techniques)—or connection solely from the back (i.e., on the dog's shoulder). The Xtra Dog harness is NOT designed to be used as a front-leading harness.
Made in England.
What size harness does your dog need? Click on the Sizing tab above for instructions on how to measure your dog and choose the appropriate size.
How to Measure Your Dog: Using a flexible measuring tape, take 2 measurements and then select a size from the table below based on those measurements. Make sure that your dog is standing upright when you take these measurements:
- Neck/Breastbone Measurement: Starting at the point of the breastbone (top of the chest or sternum), measure around your dog's rib cage and the base of his neck, going all the way back to the point of the breastbone. Pull the tape snugly around base of the neck.
- Girth Measurement: Measure behind your dog's elbows all the way around his girth.
| Harness Size |
Width of Straps |
Neck/Breastbone | Girth |
| X-Small (XS) | 1 3/16" | 14.56" 37cm |
16.53" to 21.25" 42 to 54cm |
| Small (S) | 1 3/16" | 16.53" 42cm |
16.92" to 24.01" 43 to 61cm |
| Small Medium (SMD) | 1 1/2" | 18.11" 46cm |
17.71" to 25.19" 45 to 64cm |
| Medium (M) | 1 1/2" | 22.83" 58cm |
19.68" to 27.16" 50 to 69cm |
| Medium Deep (MDP) | 1 3/4" | 24.01" 61cm |
22.04" to 29.52" 56 to 75cm |
| Medium Large (MLG) | 2" |
26.37" |
24.40" to 35.82" 62 to 91cm |
| Large (L) | 2" | 28.74" 73cm |
25.19" to 36.61" 64 to 93cm |
Do You Have the Right Size Harness for Your Dog?
After putting your harness on your dog and adjusting the fit, check the following:
- The harness is designed to fit snugly, but you should still be able to get two fingers clearance under the harness straps at all points.
- The front ring should sit on the dog's breast bone (sternum).
- The chest straps should not dig into the dog’s armpits.
- The harness should not impede movement of the dog's front legs.
- There shouldn't be much movement of the harness when the dog moves; if there is, the harness is too loose.
Notes for Adjusting the Harness
- When adjusting your Xtra Dog Fleece Walking Harness, remember that the sliders pass through the retaining straps on the girth piece. However, it may be a tight squeeze and you might even have to turn the slider 90 degrees to the side in order to slide it through. This is normal and using a little force (no tools please!!) isn’t going to damage the harness.
- We find a very small number of dogs experience twisting of the fleece side straps (this is dependent on the dog’s gait, size, activity level, how well the harness fits, and how the harness is adjusted). For most dogs this isn’t a problem. If, however, you find it to be a problem for your dog, it’s easy enough to add in a stitch once you have adjusted the harness to the correct size and that will keep the strap fixed in place.
If you need additional help with measuring, watch this video.
The Xtra Dog Harness is a registered design, protected by law. Only genuine Xtra Dog harnesses and leads bare the Xtra Dog logo and design registration number 001999392. Sadly, there are some companies who have chosen to copy the design poorly and they are using very old Xtra Dog measurements. Xtra Dog carefully checks their measurements every 24 months to make sure that they achieve the best fit for most breeds and cross-breeds of dogs based on current breed standards and trends. They also pride ourselves on very strict quality control. If you should buy a copy, that harness may not work in the same way as the Xtra Dog harness and will not be backed by a company with a heritage in the dog training world. Also. other harnesses are not sewn to Xtra Dog's high standards. Choose the best, choose Xtra Dog.
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