I am totally unexpectedly fostering a Staffy. She is quite old and overweight but is a lovely girl.
She does have problems walking but does seem keen to go out for a slow trundle, bless her. I'd like to keep her moving as much as poss to help with her weight. I have only been given a slip lead to walk her on, which doesn't seem quite right to me. I feel that she'd be better off with a harness and lead. What I don't want is a traditional staffy harness with all those metal bits on, if you what I mean.
Can anyone recommend a comfy but strong harness for her? Cheers!
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
You can get fabric ones from various pet departs/stores.
I know what you mean about those with the metal bits on - I think that they give the totally wrong impression, because staffies are very gentle dogs.
A lot is personal choice. I use a Gentle Leader or Halti for walking Comet, as he is very strong and pulls, but when he is in the car I use a basic fabric harness.
I would got to somewhere that has a decent choice - that was you can get one that suits.
Don't worry if your foster dog has a gas problem, this is common with staffies - look on the FB staffy pages. I found that using Harringtons (dried dog food) has really helped with Comet.
I completely agree about the Ruffwear harnesses - both my GSD's have Ruffwear ones (one has the Approach backpack with pockets and my smaller bitch has the Ruffwear "webmaster" harness).They are not cheap but they are extremely durable, I can stick them in the washing machine and they cope with the demands of a strong dog!
Check online for offers - I see Pet Planet have them half price at the mo for £30.
Quote: Originally posted by Plossl on 25/5/2013
We have a Staffie/Whippet cross that pulls like a train Se we bought a Ruff Wear harness. They are not cheap but they are very good quality
Ditto this.
I was going to suggest the same thing. I've seen a few on various dogs on walks and they look really good. I use a 3 peaks at the moment, simply because of a reflective stripe in it. But Stanley (the dog) wants a Ruff Wear harness. he needs to save up. :-)
------------- 47 and only just learned how to work a sleeping bag
for normal day to day use Kira and Kizzy just wear normal collars. They try to pull the first couple of minutes into a walk. But beware, never try to pull a staffy along with a lead and collar as their neck is bigger than their head and the collar will slip off. when they are tethered outside the caravan they have some nylon harnesses
Thank you all so much for that great advice, as I am new to Staffies and had no time to do any research before my emergency foster arrived.
Gas. OMG. The first few evenings was like living through chemical warfare. Fingers crossed, that seems to have stopped now that I've changed her onto tinned Chappie the same as my own dog.
The Ruffwear harnesses look ideal and might help me with getting her in and out of the car. She can't push herself with her back legs at all and she's a ton weight, so a harness might help me get a better hold on her. But they are pricey for a short term purchase only.
Andy, you have nailed my problem and now I know we NEED a harness. Although she is keen to go for a walk, once we're out I'm quite often in front of her trying to encourage her forward ... and her collar is coming over her ears.
I'm taking her to the vet tomorrow for advice on her weight, arthritis and exercise but need to get her a harness ASAP. She shouldn't be here for more than a month or two but she's a lovely old girl.
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
petmeds .co.uk for drugs and frontline and they will price match.
normal human Glucosamine sulphate for the arthritis.
Try this lady for a harrnesslady
she is very helpful
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Topic: Harness for foster Staffy
